How to get a veterinary postgraduate certificate as a locum
By Dr Rebecca MacMillan BVetMed BSAVA PGCertSAM MRCVS
Working as a locum is often a conscious step away from the ties that come with regular employment. Locum work gives many vets the freedom to work for themselves, allowing them to choose both when and where to offer their services. While this may have lifestyle advantages, it can leave some vets wondering ‘what’s next?’ when it comes to career development. Studying for a Postgraduate Certificate (PgC) or related qualification, can feel like the logical next step for a clinician who wants to further their veterinary knowledge and skills. But how doable is this for a locum? Is a locum pgcert a thing?
We’re going to explore some of the considerations that a locum vet may need to make before deciding whether to study for a postgraduate qualification.
How do I finance a certificate as a locum vet?
This can be a big obstacle for many locum and relief vets and can put them off from exploring certificates when planning their veterinary locum CPD.
Many practices pride themselves on funding certificates for their employees or provide a CPD budget which can be put towards the cost. Most employers recognise that self-development is important for their staff – it results in a happier and more motivated team, as well as higher staff retention rates. Not to mention that the practice can benefit from better case workups and patient care.
But vet locums have no employer, so will need to self-fund their continuing professional development. A certificate is a large financial outlay, so you will want to ensure that you are getting the best quality education for your money.
This is where payment plans can come in useful. This can allow self-funding locum vets to spread the cost rather than paying it all in one lump sum. Talk to us today if you would like to see how we can help.
How do I manage time off for lectures and studying?
Many vets worry about how they are going to fit their studies around work and it’s important to remember that everyone is in the same boat. When studying for a postgraduate certificate, all students fit it in around work, home life, and other commitments. This is a big difference to university where your studies will have been your focus. So, while it will be a significant commitment to work towards a postgraduate qualification, most certificates are designed to be as accessible as possible.
At Improve Veterinary Education, we have plenty of online options available, which make it easier for busy veterinary locums to study for their chosen certificates. As for carving out the time, locums may even have an advantage here. Locums tend to have more flexibility around when they take their time off and how they manage their own diaries. So, this could make travelling to in-person study days or taking a day out for online studying more doable than an employed vet on a very fixed rota.
As a locum, you can also plan your upcoming placements to take your certificate into account. You might want to take on some longer contracts or return to the same practice regularly to make sure you can see cases through.
What type of veterinary postgraduate certificate should I study for?
Vets usually pick a certificate based on an area of interest. It is important to feel passionate about the subject that you will be studying, as this will help to motivate you. Though of course, there are vets who like a challenge! Taking on a subject that you feel weak at, to self-improve, could be an alternative approach for some.
When specifically considering what would suit the working patterns of a locum vet, surgery and emergency critical care are two examples of subject areas that could work particularly well. Surgical and emergency cases tend to have a much shorter duration, concluding sooner than many medicine cases will. As a vet who regularly moves from practice to practice, it is more likely that you will be able to see these types of patients from start to finish. This will make it much easier when choosing cases to write up for your certificate. You could even choose to take extra shifts at an out-of-hours clinic or a practice that has a heavy surgical caseload, to help gather cases.
As well as subject area, the other thing to consider when choosing your certificate is whether you learn best face-to-face or whether you prefer a higher proportion of online studying, which can be useful if you’re travelling a lot for work. This may also dictate which subject you choose to study.
At Improve, we offer the ISVPS General Practitioner Certificate (GPCert), but UK vets can also choose to convert this to a PgC through taking further study with Harper Adams University. For locums, both options are doable, but the GPCert has less casebook requirement and therefore might be easier for locums who may not see chronic cases through to the end. Either way, we have plenty to offer – why not find out more about our veterinary postgraduate certificate programmes?
How do I make sure the certificate is going to be useful to me as a locum?
Giving some careful thought to your chosen subject area will help to ensure that your certificate will be useful. For example, a certificate in exotic animal practice may not be the right choice if none of the practices you locum for deal with exotics.
Choosing a reputable provider with a quality-assured study programme is another way of ensuring your certificate is going to be useful and valuable to your career. All our programmes are accredited by the International School of Veterinary Postgraduate Studies (ISVPS). We use world-renowned speakers and give you access to the latest clinical and surgical techniques. We are also so confident in our study programmes that we offer a 30-day money-back guarantee should you not be 100% satisfied.
Don’t forget that you also get out what you put in. When studying for one of our postgraduate programmes you will have access to a dedicated programme coordinator and a subscription to Improve Veterinary Practice, allowing you to read around the subject and learn more.
Will I be able to earn more after studying for a certificate as a locum vet?
This is a key question for many people when deciding whether to work towards additional qualifications.
While it is hard to put an exact value on a postgraduate certificate, it can certainly give you an edge. Not only will you demonstrate that you have a higher level of knowledge in a subject area, but also that you are dedicated to self-development. These are attractive prospects to any potential employer, whether you are a temporary or permanent member of staff.
While certificate holders are not specialists in their field, they do demonstrate a higher level of knowledge than a normal general practitioner. After you gain your certificate, it may be possible to continue your locum lifestyle and provide a peripatetic service in your subject area. By reaching out to local practices you can not only continue to hone your skills but also provide a sought-after service. For example, some practices don’t have any surgically confident vets – perhaps as a surgical certificate holder you could step in for them? Or maybe you could offer to step in with complicated dentistry cases if that is your chosen area of interest.
Of course, you can still work as a general practitioner after getting your GPCert or PgC but studying for a certificate as a locum adds another string to your bow and may open doors for new career pathways in the future.
Summary
While undoubtedly studying for a postgraduate certificate as a locum presents some challenges, don’t let it put you off. With the right mentality, you can make it happen. Why not take a look at our courses to see what we have to offer? We are here to support you with your career development, and a conversation with one of our trained advisors can help you make the right decision when planning your locum CPD.