Many vets look to further their skills and gain some additional qualifications by studying for a postgraduate certificate. Especially if they’ve reached a stage in their career where they want to progress themselves. It can be useful to hear stories of how other people have found the process when deciding whether to embark on further study of any sort yourself. So, I have written about my experience of studying for a postgraduate certificate in small animal medicine, which I did through the BSAVA. Of course, many other courses exist out there. But in this blog, I will be focussing on the one I studied for and my personal experience of this, which I hope you will find interesting!

Table of contents

Deciding on a course

When I was mulling over the various options, I settled on the BSAVA postgraduate certificate as I liked how straightforward and organised the course seemed. Regular in-person lecture days, as well as online self-directed tasks, appealed to me. I felt like I needed steering through my studies and liked the proposed structure. This did require travelling though, to two alternating UK locations, which may be a consideration for some people.

After the theory work and written exam, vets are required to write up eight real-life cases covering a range of subjects from the course; plus two extended commentaries (which take the place of the previous oral exam)

The course is intended to be completed in 3 years. With the first two years comprising of 20 lecture days and online tasks and assessments, and the 3rd year being the examination year. A written exam is taken in the early part of this 3rd year. And then our casebook is submitted towards the end.

However, I ended up having to spread my course over 5 years. This was another good thing about the BSAVA course, flexibility. I believe that anyone can choose to extend their studies over 5 years if needed (with the extra two years being charged at a reduced rate). Which is helpful for people who have personal circumstances or family life to juggle as well.

My personal experience

I started the course but got pregnant with my first son in the second year of lectures. I managed to do most of the lectures before going off on maternity leave. But I then chose to sit my written exams as planned the following February when my baby was about three months old.

However, I then postponed my casebook as I was on maternity leave for much of the rest of that year and felt that I needed to be back at work to collect my cases. However, I wasn’t back that long before becoming pregnant with son number two! So, I postponed my casebook submission for another year. After going back to work part-time after my second maternity leave, I focussed on my cases and handed them in on my 5th and final year of studies. I won’t say it was easy trying to get all the written work done with two toddlers on the scene! But it was manageable with a mixture of using my CPD days from work, late nights and snatched afternoons when childcare was available.

Hopefully, my situation proves that it is doable to study for a postgraduate certificate whilst juggling work and a family. So you shouldn’t rule things out of hand. But was most helpful was a supportive partner and workplace. My husband took time off work to help take charge of our 3.5-month-old so I could shut myself away to revise for a couple of weeks ahead of the written exams. And also gave me a much-needed nudge when I felt like I was never going to complete my casebook! 

Work allowed me to use my contracted CPD days to help towards writing my cases. And there was no pressure to complete the course in a shorter period.

What I’ve learnt from postgraduate certificate study

  • Further education and qualifications are busy these days. So there might be a waiting list before you can join the course. My BSAVA certificate was very popular, so it’s not uncommon to have to wait a year or two before you can start.
  • People can use the online forums as much or as little as they like. Some people like to discuss topics and cases at length, whereas others barely post. Engaging may mean you network and learn from others though.
  • It’s important to try not to leave things until the last minute(!). Things like critical appraisals (scientific paper reviews) that I did as part of my first two years, weren’t that bad once I got stuck into them. But giving myself plenty of time removed the stress. The same with portfolios or casebooks. I got them all written a good month or two before the due date, only having to give them one last proof-read before handing them in.
  • I tried to collect cases from the very beginning. After going back from maternity Istruggled with case collection as I was working reduced, part-time hours making case continuity tricky. Therefore I had to retrospectively trawl through past records to try and add to my case numbers. So, it proved easiest to be on the lookout for prospective cases from the very start of the course (though many of us found we worked things up better towards the end of our learning…).
  • Don’t forget that everyone is in the same boat! Every person on your course is studying around work, family, and other commitments. It is different to university where your studies are your sole focus. Hopefully you will find the course supportive of that.

If you’re a vet and decide to study for a certificate… 

Hopefully you will find that as well as boosting your knowledge, you will also have a new deeper way of thinking. This should translate into your case workups. Giving you more confidence to suggest the right steps and diagnostic tests to your clients. You may even choose to go for advanced practitioner status with your qualification. Most importantly if you decide to go for it – enjoy the process! Many people like stretching themselves and reacquainting themselves with their old ways of studying again. As well as getting a few extra letters after their name at the end of it!

And if you’re a pet owner reading this…

That’s why we’re proud of the letters after our name. We’ve been through a lot to get them and we’re proud of it! But the reason we’ve done it is to be able to give your animals better care at the end of the day.

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