Introductory Certificate in veterinary medicines. Who is it for? Anyone in the practice.
Foundation Certificate in veterinary medicines. Who is it for? Anyone involved in dispensing and handing out medicines to clients.
Enhanced Certificate in veterinary medicines. Who is it for? Recommended for RVNs and dispensary managers.
Prescribers’ Certificate in veterinary medicines. Who is it for? Recommended for veterinary surgeons.
The Introductory Certificate in veterinary medicines (updated in 2025) is a general introduction providing essential knowledge about veterinary medicines. It consists of two must do! modules for anyone in the practice who has any dealings with medicines. Invaluable for anyone who is working with medicines for the first time or is new to UK practice. It is made up of one unit:
Making sense of medicines
Roles and responsibilities
What do the modules cover?
Module 1 Making sense of medicines, includes:
Medicines regulation - why is it needed?
What is a veterinary medicine?
Medicines used for food-production animals
Medicines use in horses
Products that appear to be medicines but are not
Brands and generics
Know the functions of the VMD and NOAH
Module 2 Roles and responsibilities, includes
Who can prescribe/supply veterinary medicines
Medicine reclassifications
Controlled Drugs
What is prescribing?
The prescribing cascade
What is dispensing?
Qualifications and knowledge resources
How long does it take? The Introductory Certificate takes around 90 minutes (1.5 hours) to complete.
What will the practice and individual gain? The Introductory Certificate ensures everyone in the team knows how to handle medicines legally. On completion of the Unit (consisting of two modules) the participant will receive a printed certificate and the associated badge to identify the achievement. The Certificate can contribute to the individual’s CPD. There is a charge of £10 (+ vat) for each participant pursuing the Introductory Certificate in Veterinary Medicines. A practice subscription to Veterinary Prescriber is required.
The Foundation Certificate in Veterinary Medicines provides an essential and practical understanding of the safe dispensing of medicines in veterinary practice. It is essential for anyone involved in dispensing medicines in the practice. It is made up of two units:
Good veterinary dispensing practice part 1: the dispensary
Good veterinary dispensing practice part 2: the dispensing process
Medicines mix ups and what you can do to prevent them
What medicines information you need to give clients
Are you looking after your medicines properly?
Controlled Drugs and their disposal
How to avoid wasting money on medicines and help save the environment
Keeping up to date on licensed veterinary medicines
How long does it take? The Foundation Certificate takes around 3 hours to complete.
How will the practice and individual benefit? The Foundation Certificate in Veterinary Medicines will help ensure:
your practice team is competent in handling veterinary medicines safely and legally
compliance with Veterinary Medicines Regulations and RCVS Practice Standards on medicines
your practice is equipped to receive RCVS PSS award points for undergoing further training in dispensing and medicines legislation (when the Introduction to Veterinary Medicines Certificate has also been completed)
staff confidence in handling medicines safely and legally
staff confidence in communicating about medicines
communication of medicines competence to clients through a visible badge
reassurance that the learning is completely independent of the pharmaceutical industry
confidence that staff have received medicines training from the leading source of independent veterinary medicines information.
Completing the Foundation Certificate in veterinary medicines equips the practice to gain RCVS Practice Standard Scheme award points for additional training in veterinary medicines (3o award points). (Medicines Awards 10.5.1 “A team member has recently attended further training in dispensing and medicines legislation”).
On completion of all the modules in the two units the participant will receive a printed certificate and the associated badge to identify the achievement. The Certificate can contribute to the individual’s CPD. There is a charge of £10 (+ vat) for each participant pursuing the Foundation Certificate in Veterinary Medicines. A practice subscription to Veterinary Prescriber is required.
The Enhanced Certificate in Veterinary Medicines is recommended for RVNs and dispensary managers who want to deepend their knowledge of medicines. It will also be of interest to those who are becoming involved in developing medicines policy in the practice, including antimicrobial stewardship. It is made up of 2 units:
Flavoured, chewable and palatable tablets for cats and dogs
Does it need to be given with food?
Companion-animal supplements
Veterinary specials
Adverse effects - what to report and why
What is good quality evidence on veterinary treatments?
Deciding which medicines to stock
How to grow your own antimicrobial stewardship culture
The advantages of a practice parasiticide policy
Medicines under the COSHH. 7 things you can do to handle medicines safely
How long does it take? The Enhanced Certificate takes around 4 hours to complete.
How will the practice and individual benefit? The Enhanced Certificate in Veterinary Medicines will help ensure:
your practice team is competent in handling veterinary medicines safely and legally
compliance with Veterinary Medicines Regulations and RCVS Practice Standards on medicines
your practice is equipped to receive RCVS PSS award points for undergoing further training in dispensing and medicines legislation
staff confidence in handling medicines safely and legally
the ability to think critically about evidence and promotion on medicines
staff confidence in communicating about medicines
communication of medicines competence to clients through a visible badge
reassurance that the learning is completely independent of the pharmaceutical industry
confidence that staff have received medicines training from the leading source of veterinary medicines information.
On completion of all modules in all three units the participant will receive a printed certificate and the associated badge to identify the achievement. Doing the Certificate can contribute to the individual’s CPD. There is a charge of £10 (+ vat) for each participant pursuing the Veterinary Prescriber Enhanced Certificate in Veterinary Medicines. A practice subscription to Veterinary Prescriber is required.
The Prescribers’ Certificate is recommended for veterinary surgeons, including new graduates entering clinical practice, vets practising in the UK for the first time, or anyone wanting to brush up on their knowledge of medicines regulations or reflect on their own prescribing practices. The Certificate consists of two units:
Adverse effects of medicines – what to report and why
Keeping up to date on medicines
Cascade prescribing – veterinary specials (aka compounded medicines or extemporaneous preparations)
Cascade prescribing – importing veterinary medicines
Prescribing for backyard hens (food-production animals)
Drug interactions: understanding, predicting and managing them
Can it be given with food?
What is good quality evidence on medicines?
Deciding which medicines to keep in stock
Good veterinary dispensing practice
Medicines mix-ups
Stop wasting money on medicines and help protect the environment
CDs and their disposal
Mineral oil vaccines – what you need to know to keep safe
Are you looking after your medicines properly?
What pet owners need to know about medicines – and your responsibility to provide information
Handling medicines and pregnancy
How long does it take? The Prescriber’s Certificate takes around 5 hours to complete.
How will the practice and individual benefit? The Prescriber’s Certificate in Veterinary Medicines will help ensure:
your practice team is competent in handling veterinary medicines safely and legally
compliance with Veterinary Medicines Regulations and RCVS Practice Standards on medicines
your practice is equipped to receive RCVS PSS award points for undergoing further training in dispensing and medicines legislation
staff confidence in handling medicines safely and legally
the ability to think critically about evidence and promotion on medicines
staff confidence in communicating about medicines
reassurance that the learning is completely independent of the pharmaceutical industry
confidence that staff have received medicines training from the leading source of veterinary medicines information.
On completion of all modules in both units the participant will receive a printed certificate and the associated badge to identify the achievement. Doing the Certificate can contribute to the individual’s CPD. There is a charge of £10 (+ vat) for each participant pursuing the Veterinary Prescriber Prescriber’s Certificate in Veterinary Medicines. A practice subscription to Veterinary Prescriber is required.
Each unit is made up of a series of modules, which consist of text and audio files (with a downloadable podcast) . Each module ends with a multi-choice quiz. When all the questions are answered correctly, a module-specific certificate will be saved in the ‘My Account” area of the Virtual Veterinary Medicines Academy. Each module is concise, only take up to 30 minutes to complete, and can be done at any time.