Veterinary Prescriber’s Certificates in Veterinary Medicines

  • 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.

Introductory Certificate in Veterinary Medicines

A woman peeping through her hand, with text to the left reading "Everything you needed to know about veterinary medicines"

The Introductory Certificate in veterinary medicines is a general introduction providing essential knowledge about veterinary medicines. It is a series of three must do! modules for anyone in the practice who has any dealings with medicines. It is made up of one unit:

  • Making sense of medicines

    Roles and responsibilities

    Where to find the medicines information you need

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 three 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.

Foundation Certificate in Veterinary Medicines

 
Opening a fridge to get access to veterinary medicines
 

The Foundation Certificate in Veterinary Medicines provides an essential and practical understanding of medicines regulations and 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:

  • Making sense of medicines

    Roles and responsibilities

    Where to find the medicines information you need

  • Good veterinary dispensing practice part 1 . The dispensary

    Good veterinary dispensing practice part 2. The dispensing process

    Are you looking after your medicines properly?

    Medicines mix ups

    Controlled Drugs and their disposal

    How to avoid wasting money on medicines and help save the environment

    Handling medicines and pregnancy

    Keeping up to date on licensed veterinary medicines

How long does it take? The Foundation Certificate takes around 5 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

  • 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.

Enhanced Certificate in Veterinary Medicines

 
Vet nurse holding Collie dog whilst he undergoes a procedure
 

The Enhanced Certificate in Veterinary Medicines provides an essential and practical understanding of medicines regulations, safe dispensing practice, and the practical use of medicines in veterinary practice. The Enhanced Certificate in Veterinary Medicines is recommended for RVNs and dispensary managers, It is made up of 3 units:

  • Making sense of medicines

    Roles and responsibilities

    Where to find the medicines information you need

  • Good veterinary dispensing practice part 1 . The dispensary

    Good veterinary dispensing practice part 2 . The dispensing process

    Are you looking after your medicines properly?

    Medicines mix ups

    Controlled Drugs and their disposal

    How to avoid medicines waste and protect the environment

    What pet owners need to know about medicines and your responsibitliy to provide information

    Handling medicines and pregnancy

    Keeping up to date on licensed veterinary medicines

  • Deciding which medicines to stock

    An introduction to drug interactions

    Can it be given with food?

    Veterinary specials (aka compounded medicines or extemporaneous preparations)

    Medicines for backyard hens (food-production animals)

    Mineral oil vaccines – what you need to know to keep safe

    Adverse effects – what to report and why

    What is good quality evidence on medicines?

How long does it take? The Enhanced Certificate takes around 7 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.

Prescribers’ Certificate in Veterinary Medicines

 
Female vet with clipboard stethoscope and ginger and white cat on the consultation table
 

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 three units:

  • Making sense of medicines

    Roles and responsibilities

    Where to find the medicines information you need

  • 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 7.5 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 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 Prescriber’s Certificate in Veterinary Medicines. A practice subscription to Veterinary Prescriber is required.

How the modules work

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.