The IVC Evidensia Farm Vets team have organised their second annual bootcamps this summer to give students the chance to practice the skills they will need as future farm vets.
The bootcamps support farm vet students who can find it difficult to source their required extra mural study (EMS) placements. They provide experience with a variety of procedures and approaches and provide exposure to different species.
Following on from the success of the first bootcamp held in the Midlands last year, the team received more than 40 applications from veterinary students all over the UK and beyond to take part this year, resulting in the addition of a whole extra bootcamp in Scotland.
Each event involves five days of intensive learning and hands-on treatment. Skills developed include the handling and restraint of sheep and cattle, castration, dehorning and blood testing cattle, fertility ultrasound examinations, working with camelids, post-mortem techniques, client communication, and safety when working on farms.
Gill Whitehurst, Regional Head of Farm for IVC Evidensia in the Midlands, said: “Our bootcamps are aimed at supporting the next generation of farm vets and ensuring they build confidence in their clinical skills.
“They provide a very different style of learning to what the students could normally expect from their EMS placements and university training. The five days offer a broad range of experience, and we work in deliberately small groups, and without time pressures, so that we can provide mentorship and support deeper understanding of what it means to be a farm vet.
“I am really pleased with the feedback so far and looking forward to building on the continued success of this programme, and encouraging even more would-be farm vets into this vital and rewarding branch of thee profession.”
Paul Horwood, Country Head of Farm for IVC Evidensia in the UK, added: “With placements becoming harder to find, we at IVC Evidensia Farm Vets are now running these boot camps to help students develop the practical skills needed from day one as a farm vet. Plus, helping them to develop and grow that all important professional network of colleagues “
Madison Hoffman, who took part in the bootcamp, said: “This week allowed me to gain confidence in day one skills relating to being a farm vet. I feel much more confident moving forward going into practice having been able to practice my skills in a friendly, non-pressurised environment.”
Keep up with the latest IVC Evidensia Farm Vets news here.