The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons’ charity partner, RCVS Knowledge, has launched its new free Farm Vet Champions course, which provides practical training in championing good antimicrobial stewardship.
Led by RCVS Knowledge and funded by the VMD, the project has brought together major UK specialised veterinary and agriculture organisations to develop free learning materials for farm veterinary professionals to help improve animal health and welfare standards and provide positive inspiration and leadership towards antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
The launch of phase one of the project sees the release of the learning modules on the new RCVS Knowledge Learn platform. The course covers: technical species-specific modules, communication skills and behaviour change principles, and the legal use of veterinary medicines, policies, and One Health aspects of antibiotic prescribing and stewardship.
The second phase, due to start development over Summer 2021, will provide online and in-person networking opportunities for Farm Vet Champions to learn from one another by sharing their experiences and working together towards the common goal of good antibiotic stewardship.
Farm Vet Champions and their practices will also be able to use the platform to set both their own and their practice’s SMART goals. They will be able to track progress towards these goals, to help support the sustained translation of their learning into practice.
Chris Gush, executive director of RCVS Knowledge, said: “With antimicrobial resistance being one of the top 10 health threats facing our planet, we are delighted with the quality of the Farm Vet Champions course and we look forward to connecting with farm vets across the UK to tackle AMR. Farm Vet Champions is just the beginning of our work in antimicrobial prescribing, and we look forward to building on our resources that will benefit all animals, the public and society.”
UK’s chief veterinary officer, Christine Middlemiss, said: “The Chief Veterinary Officers of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland welcome the launch of the new Farm Vet Champions learning platform which is going live on 13th May. We are particularly proud of RCVS Knowledge’s and VMD’s joint efforts for bridging gaps and supporting vets in their ability to deliver animal health and welfare improvements and fight Antimicrobial Resistance.
Farm Vet Champions can be accessed for free at https://learn.rcvsknowledge.org/
