Online veterinary CPD- what are the advantages?
As a veterinary professional, it can be hard to squeeze in your CPD around work, responsibilities at home, and self-care. Many vets and nurses are finding that online veterinary CPD is easier to fit into their routine. In this article, we’ll discuss the advantages of online CPD for vets and nurses, and talk about some of the ways you can make sure your CPD is excellent quality even when it’s online.
Why CPD?
Veterinary professionals need to constantly renew and update their knowledge to stay abreast of changes in best-practice as new evidence comes to light. Even when nothing has changed, revising rare diagnoses and practicing techniques that have become a bit rusty are important, too. CPD can significantly improve patient care.
Veterinary CPD isn’t just about the patient. Higher confidence with procedures improves job satisfaction and reduces stress at work. And for the practice, good CPD can increase competitiveness, improve client relations, and even result in increased profits.
However, one of the biggest problems for veterinary professionals is finding training that is compatible with the rigours of their work schedules. Veterinary clinic working hours are long and shift patterns differ widely, which can make it hard for vets and nurses to attend in-person CPD events, even if their contract technically gives them leave to do so.
Is online veterinary CPD the answer?
Today, online learning has become a highly valued option for many veterinary professionals because of its flexibility. Online veterinary CPD eliminates geographical barriers and gives access to a more varied educational offer no matter where in the country you’re in practice. Studies have shown that online learning can be as good as, or even better than face-to-face learning – in this review article of 91 comparative studies, 41% found online was equivalent to face-to-face, and 41% found online was better than face-to-face.
There are two main types of online CPD – on-demand lectures and courses, and webinar-type events that are held online but at specific times. Both are online CPD, and have their advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages of online CPD for vets and nurses
So, what are the advantages of studying veterinary CPD online? Let’s look at the major ones:
1. There are no geographical barriers
With online learning, high-quality training can be taken anywhere, giving you access to the best speakers and courses no matter where you are. Whether you’re a vet who lives and works in very rural regions, or a nurse whose passion is more unusual, you can access CPD in your interest area from anywhere in the world.
2. Engaging content for different learning styles
We all have different learning styles – some of us prefer learning by reading, others by watching. Unlike face-to-face learning, online CPD can be delivered in a number of different ways and is easier to adapt to your specific learning needs. All our courses include interactive quizzes and a mix of content types to appeal to all learning styles, and because the course is digital you can also use other tools (like text-to-speech technology) to help when you need it.
3. More accessible
It’s not just the adaptive learning styles that make online veterinary CPD more accessible – it’s also the fact that vets and nurses can learn from the comfort of home, with access to the tools they need to navigate disabilities or health conditions. Travelling to CPD to find the toilet isn’t accessible or you have to take a break in the middle of a lecture to take a medication isn’t ideal – online CPD can be far more accessible.
4. Less time away from practice
Because you can study from anywhere, you don’t need to take time away from work and family to travel to your CPD. It’s a more efficient use of your precious time – you can get the same number of CPD hours with less time away from work and home. This is especially important as women (who are more likely to have childcare responsibilities) make up more and more of the veterinary workforce. With less travel, it’s more environmentally friendly, too!
5. Cost effectiveness
Another major advantage of online CPD over in-person courses is that the costs are usually lower. This is especially true when you don’t have to take into account travel and accommodation costs you sometimes accrue with face-to-face sessions. Even if your practice lets you use your CPD budget for travel, saving the pennies so you can get more CPD from your budget can be worthwhile!
6. Increased comfort
Gone are the days of doing CPD on hard plastic chairs or hunched over desks feeling like you’re back at school! Online veterinary CPD can be done in the evenings (on the sofa), at the hairdressers (while getting some self-care time), or in bed in the middle of the night (when insomnia strikes). Online CPD is much more comfortable!
7. Up to date content
Because online CPD content is digital, it’s easily updated when something changes. Unlike printed course notes for attendance courses, online veterinary training courses can be immediately updated when new evidence comes to light.
Bonus!
In addition, on-demand online CPD provides the ultimate flexibility: with on-demand, the content is always available, and you can access it at any time. This is very important for many busy vets who find it hard to attend timetabled activities. It’s also useful for those who learn differently – for example, on-demand content can allow you to use software to have something read to you, or draw diagrams to help yourself understand, which might not be possible in a webinar situation.
What about the disadvantages of online veterinary CPD?
The major disadvantage of online learning is that, despite advances in virtual reality, it’s still not possible to try out practical skills and techniques. While you can learn the theory, nothing quite beats a wet-lab experience, which is why many of our online courses include optional practical sessions at our Clinical Excellence Centre.
The other often-quoted disadvantages (like a lack of feedback or reduced learning opportunities from not being able to speak to peers) are easily accounted for. For example, our online CPD courses include module tutors who provide personalised feedback, and access to online discussion forums or group video chats that can help to replace that ‘water-cooler’ chat. It’s common for study groups to form on Facebook or WhatsApp, extending the learning even further and providing students with a support network of clinicians in their field.
Of course, online CPD isn’t for everyone, and some people will find they don’t get on with taking their CPD online. This might be the case for people who struggle with organisation or focus when not in a classroom setting, or people with such busy home lives that they feel they would be unable to carve out time to study without travelling to a face-to-face event.
The importance of a good veterinary CPD provider
When it comes to studying online as a postgraduate vet, it’s more important than ever that your CPD provider is forward-thinking and digitally-prepared. The last thing you want is to pay good money for a lengthy document and be told to go away and read it, so look out for course providers that promise engaging content, discussions, and multimedia to improve your learning opportunities.
Improve Veterinary Education’s online learning is entirely bespoke and uniquely designed to be interactive and engaging, far beyond typical online PowerPoint presentations or reading notes. It is custom-built and meticulously developed to promote engagement, encourage reflection, and enhance knowledge retention. Knowledge checks, videos, and case-based learning all contribute to higher engagement and better learning outcomes.
Summary
To summarise, when it comes to choosing online or face-to-face postgraduate qualifications, it comes down to personal preference. Thinking about your available hours, how flexible you need to be, and how far away the face-to-face courses are is important. You should also be clear about your goals, as some goals may need veterinary wet lab training. That said, when courses are held by a trusted provider, online veterinary CPD can have significant advantages to the busy vet or nurse.
Not convinced by online learning? Our article about practical CPD for vets might be of interest. Or, if you think online veterinary CPD might be for you, why not look at our range of postgraduate certificates for vets and nurses to see what we offer online.
