Hosted by IVC Evidensia Farm Vets, the long-awaited farm animal EMS bootcamp focused on essential veterinary skills needed from day one in farm and mixed practice.
The five-day residential took place in the Midlands in conjunction with
Glenthorne Farm Vets and
McMurtry and Harding Vets, allowing 12 farm vet students to gain a real boost in their hands-on experience of many common farm vet procedures.
The bootcamp came about from talking to students and hearing that quality Farm EMS can be difficult to get booked, and there is a seasonality of caseload resulting in students having a real lottery of different experiences on their placements.
Added to this was the delay in many EMS opportunities during and after the pandemic, meaning that students and recently graduated farm vets were struggling to gain the practical experience of the previous year group.
Valuable skills
The immersive learning experience featured blood-sampling, castrating, de-horning, disbudding, pregnancy testing and fertility ultrasound examination, amongst many other valuable skills. Students were able to get involved and discuss with their peers, with recent graduates, and experienced farm vets from IVC Evidensia Farm Vets.
Attendees were also given the chance to explore exciting job opportunities and learn more about the IVC Evidensia Farm/Mixed Graduate Training Programme.
It’s no wonder that initial registration for the bootcamp back in January 2023 filled the required places in just over two hours, owing to the popularity of the course amongst farm vet students.
Paul Horwood, Country Head of Farm for IVC Evidensia, commented:
“The aim was to run an intensive five-day course that focused on the practical day one skills of a farm vet, and it was great to watch the students’ skill levels, confidence and enjoyment improve dramatically throughout the week.
“The feedback has been really great, and we will definitely run this again next year.”
Gill Whitehurst, Regional Head of Farm for the leading veterinary group, added:
“Giving students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience at our Farm Bootcamp was such a fantastic way to equip them for the first few days in practice, as well as give them vital skills they will use throughout their careers.
“I hope this will be the first of many bootcamps and other in-person EMS that will provide a solid foundation for the next generation of capable and confident farm vets.”
Positive feedback
The 12 students in attendance had nothing but good feedback to share following the conclusion of the 5-day residency.
Alisa Appleton, one of the farm vet students in attendance, commented:
“This EMS boot camp was amazing! I got the chance to learn and practice lots of clinical skills and thoroughly enjoyed it.”
Connor Fettes, another farm vet student at the bootcamp, added:
“All of the trainers are so supportive and encouraging, helping with anything you feel unsure about and answering all questions animal and IVC. I would recommend the programme 100% for anyone with an interest in farm animal medicine.”
Ellie Butler, another farm vet student, had even more positive feedback for the bootcamp during her attendance:
“The best weeks of EMS I’ve done so far, it was the perfect mix of learning and fun. It gave me a good confidence boost, and the people you meet make it even more worthwhile.”
The popularity of the bootcamp and overwhelmingly positive feedback from attending students has led organisers at IVC Evidensia to start making plans for a follow-up bootcamp, taking place in 2024.
Stay tuned for further updates on the
IVC Evidensia Farm Vets web page here.