CQ hosts annual VN Symposium
Jacqui Garrett, head of CQ commented: “We really appreciate the efforts of all those who helped make the symposium a great success."
Awarding body and exam board Central Qualifications (CQ) hosted its annual Veterinary Nursing Symposium this month, providing an opportunity for those involved in veterinary nurse education to develop skills and share views and experiences.
Taking place at CQ headquarters in Suffolk, the two-day event brought together college principals and heads of centres, senior management from CQ , IT staff, internal and external verifiers, head nurses as well as clinical coaches and a representative from the RCVS.
Jacqui Garrett, head of CQ commented: “We really appreciate the efforts of all those who helped make the symposium a great success. The feedback we receive is used to enhance education and training and will help develop programmes for the next generation of veterinary nurses.”
One of the key discussions on Friday, 5 June involved new features added to the Central Skills Log (CSL) - a custom-written electronic system for recording and verifying practical skills.
Other hot topics were effective communication and how to deal with malpractice and maladministration should it occur.
A series of rotating sessions included a communication workshop, IT training sessions and a quality assurance Q&A session. Delegates were also able to spend individual time with the CQ senior management team.
During day two of the event (6 June), the focus was on practical assessments and OSCEs (Objective Structured Clinical Examinations). Examiners were able to review and debate newly constructed scenarios and their suitability for assessments.
Veterinary practices are being urged to help owners safely dispose of any unused and expired pet medicines - not just antibiotics - during November's Animal Medicines Amnesty. 
