Work Experience:
To apply for the BVetMed you will need to have prior work experience in order to have developed animal handling skills and obtained an insight into the work of veterinary surgeons. Before you apply, you must have completed the minimum requirements:
- A total of 70 hours (e.g. 10 full days) of work experience (paid or voluntary) in one or more veterinary practices
- A total of 70 hours in one or more non-clinical working environments with live animals (excl. the home environment/family business/pet ownership)
The above 140 hours must be obtained within the 18-month period directly preceding the application deadline. Earlier experience is welcome but will not count towards the 140 hour requirement.
We encourage you to think creatively about these environments and are interested to hear about any experiences that have helped to give you a sense of the veterinary role in the wider world. Examples of suitable non-clinical environments might include, but are not limited to: kennels, cattery, animal shelter, rural or city farm, stables, pet shop, lambing, intensive livestock, abattoir, animal research laboratory, wildlife park, zoo, etc. You do not have to have gained experience in all these areas.
The RVC is offering a programme for those from underrepresented backgrounds who have not been able to fulfil our work experience requirements. You can find information about how to apply for this here.
Applicant Supplementary Form:
All applicants applying through UCAS must complete the Applicant Supplementary Form. The form will be available in our application portal and applicants will be given access to this, and notified of the need to complete the form, via email on receipt of their application. The form must be submitted independently of, and in addition to, the UCAS application and within five days of your application being received by the RVC. The RVC will not contact applicants reminding them to submit the form before the deadline given.
The RVC uses email as the primary method for contacting applicants about their application. Emails may be sent from either [email protected] or [email protected] and applicants are strongly encouraged to take the necessary steps to ensure emails from these addresses do not end up in spam or junk inboxes, as the RVC cannot accept responsibility for any applications that are unsuccessful as a result of missed information or deadlines.
Mitigating Circumstances:
If you wish to make us aware of any mitigating circumstances related to your application please see our guidance on mitigating circumstances here: www.rvc.ac.uk/mitigatingcircumstances
Interviews:
All applicants to this course must attend an interview if invited and cannot receive an offer without attending an interview. Our interviews are held in person. If invited, it is often not possible to rearrange an interview for a different date, so applicants must ensure they are available for interview before applying and inform us by email of any specific days within this time period when they are unavailable. Visit this https://www.rvc.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/bachelor-of-veterinary-medicine#panel-international-and-e-u-applicants for more information.
All applicants invited to interview will need to provide their passport (in some cases another valid form of ID will be acceptable), original degree certificate (if already completed) and reference letters (see example) to cover the minimum work experience requirements as stated above. Please note that if you apply to more than one of our Veterinary Medicine courses (excluding the Bachelor of Veterinary Science) and your application progresses to the interview stage, you will be invited to attend one interview only which will be used in our assessment of each of your applications.