Royal Veterinary College London

Overview

At arguably the most prestigious veterinary school in the UK, the Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine programme offered by RVC offers world-leading scientific and clinical training in veterinary medicine. RVC is located in the heart of London (Camden) and offers a vast range of veterinary programmes (from veterinary nursing to postgraduate veterinary degrees. Their Veterinary Medicine and Surgery degree, however, is a course built upon their extensive veterinary history, and takes a fresh approach in bringing together technological change, clinical and scientific progress, and stimulating teaching and learning methods. 

Key Points

• London
• Global accreditation
• Prestigious

Insider’s Guide to RVC School from Bronte Griffin, RVC Student

What makes RVC unique to other veterinary schools?

What really stood out to me about the RVC when I was applying for vet med was how passionate RVC students are about the university. Now as an RVC student myself I completely understand this love for the university. It is an incredible university to be a student at because all of the students are so friendly. Some people think that being at a university of just vet students would be boring but this couldn’t be further from the truth. We are all linked by our shared goal of being vets and this creates an incredible community to be a part of. Something else that makes the RVC really stand out is that it is accredited in the UK, the EU and the USA and Canada. This gives students the option to work in these countries much more easily when they qualify which will open endless opportunities to travel and gain experience abroad.

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Course Structure at RVC School

The RVC uses a spiral curriculum which means that topics you cover in first year will come up in subsequent years where they will be developed on and become increasingly more complex in different contexts. The first 2 years are preclinical so here you learn about the healthy animal so that in years 3-5 you can learn about what is abnormal.

Year 1 at RVC School

In first year you learn about the main body systems such as the locomotor strand (which is learning about how the animal moves, the limbs etc.) and the alimentary strand (which is all about the digestive system). This is where you learn about the basic principles that can then be developed with clinical knowledge later in the course. There are weekly practicals to help with learning anatomy.

Year 2 at RVC School

Second year is the last pre-clinical year so in this year you will revisit many of the strands from last year to add detail and complexity to these principles. There are more practicals and dissections too to help learn the anatomy of the normal, healthy animal.

Year 3 at RVC School

Third year is the first clinical year so this is where you will begin to learn about diseases and how these can be treated

Year 4 at RVC School

Fourth year contains some teaching and also clinical rotations which is where you will spend time out in clinics observing consultations and surgeries to put all of your learning into practice and expand upon it.

Year 5 at RVC School

Fifth year you also spend doing your clinical rotations.

Teaching Style at RVC School

What is the general teaching style at RVC? E.g. is it PBL/Traditional? etc.

The RVC has lots of group work so we complete a directed learning every week which is where you work through a task with your tutor group. This may be a clinical case or something similar where you use the lectures from the week to put that knowledge into practice and use the information to problem solve. These sessions are really helpful in making content make sense and helping you to remember what you have been taught. We also have weekly practicals to help us learn anatomy which is really helpful as things look very different in the real animal to in pictures online!

Does RVC offer dissection?

The RVC does have a lot of dissection which is really helpful for starting to learn how to properly hold and use surgical instruments before we even get to the clinical years. It is also really helpful in learning the anatomy of the animals.

Does RVC offer a BSc? If so, how is the BSc year?

Intercalation is an option at the RVC. Normally this is done between 2nd and 3rd year. You can either do this at a different university or the RVC do offer two courses which you can intercalate in: Bioveterinary Sciences and Comparative Pathology. This is a great way to learn new skills, gain additional scientific knowledge, gives you the opportunity to undertake a research project and allows you to explore a subject that you are really interested in.

What is the pre-clinical / clinical split like? Do you get early clinical exposure?

The first 2 years are preclinical and the last 3 are clinical. Within your first years, you are expected to complete 12 weeks of AHEMS placements outside of term time. This is where you spend time enhancing your  animal handling skills, for example by spending time lambing, on a dairy farm, at a stables or at a kennels. These placements allow you to gain invaluable experience and knowledge from the placement providers whilst also learning how to handle these animals and gain confidence with them.

Social Life at RVC School

What are the clubs and societies like? What is the social life like?

There is a huge variety of clubs and societies available at the RVC from things such as the Farm Animal society to sports clubs and music clubs. There really is something for everyone and if there isn’t you can set up your own society! The RVC is also part of the university of London meaning you have access to all of their clubs and societies too.

FAQs