Have you ever wondered what the jumble of letters after your vet’s name mean, but were too shy to ask? These letters, or ‘postnominals’, are their credentials, which show their level of education and their membership within a professional organisation.
Although vets must study all species while they are at vet school, after graduation they can choose what kind of work they want to focus on. The job of a vet can be a varied one! Many vets will choose to work in clinical practice with companion animals, farm animals, horses or with exotic pets. Some can be found in research roles, or within industry, government or academia. Some vets (like me!) work in advisory roles in the charity sector, while others may teach, write or perform ground-breaking procedures in specialist animal hospitals.
Some vets choose to pursue post-graduate qualifications to help them better fulfil their chosen role.
Let’s look at what these credentials mean and what to look out for if you are looking for specialist care for your pet.
And don’t be shy – just ask! Most vets will be proud to explain what the letters after their name represent.
MRCVS or FRCVS
You may have noticed that veterinary surgeons practicing in the UK will have the initials ‘MRCVS’ or ‘FRCVS’ after their names.
This stands for member, or fellow, of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS). The RCVS is the regulatory body for veterinary surgeons in the UK, and order to practice here, vets must be on the RCVS register.
The RCVS register can be freely searched using the ‘Find a Vet’ or ‘Find a Veterinary Nurse’ tool on the RCVS website: Check our Registers – Professionals.
Using the title ‘veterinary surgeon’ without being on the RCVS register is against the law. Only vets may carry out work that is described as ‘veterinary surgery’ under the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966. This includes making a diagnosis for an animal or performing surgical operations. The RCVS has the job of maintaining standards within the veterinary profession.
To become a fellow, or FRCVS, vets must demonstrate exceptional contributions to the veterinary profession. This can be through either Meritorious Contributions to Knowledge (MCK), Clinical Practice (MCCP), or the Profession (MCP). Fellows are appointed by the RCVS Fellowship Board, and they’ll need to see evidence of significant impact and sustained contributions to the veterinary profession before a vet is given the special title of ‘fellow’.
University degree
As well as the letters MRCVS or FRCVS, all vets will have their university degree abbreviation after their name.
In the UK and Ireland, each vet school has its own letters, which are all recognised by the RCVS.
These are:
- BVetMed: Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine (awarded by the Royal Veterinary College, London).
- BVSc: Bachelor of Veterinary Science (Liverpool, Bristol and Aberystwyth).
- BVM&S: Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery (Edinburgh).
- BVMS: Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery (Glasgow and University of Central Lancashire).
- BVMSci: Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Science (Surrey).
- VetMB: Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine (Cambridge).
- BVetMS: Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery (Harper and Keele)
- BVM BVS BVMedSci: Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine, Bachelor of Veterinary Surgery, Bachelor of Veterinary Medical Sciences (Nottingham)
- MVB: Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine (Dublin)
In addition, we’ll soon have SRUC (Scotland’s Rural College) School of Veterinary Medicine to add to this list, but as this is a new institution, it does not yet have a post-nominal designation.
Vets who graduated in the United States are generally all awarded DVM, or Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.
Every veterinary medicine degree generally takes at least five years to achieve. There are some variations, such as Cambridge, where the course lasts for six years and students are able to attain a BA (Hons) degree at the end of their third year. At Nottingham, vet students are awarded BVMedSci after three years, and they then go on to complete the BVM BVS at the end of their fifth year.
Additional qualifications
After the long road to graduation and joining the RCVS register, many vets choose to hang up their cap and gown with some relief, and get straight to work doing the job they’ve trained so hard for. But being a vet is a life of continuous learning, and all vets must complete 35 hours of continued professional development (CPD) every year, so that they stay up to date with all the latest knowledge and skills.
Additional qualifications are available for vets, should they choose to pursue them.
Certificates and Advanced Practitioners
‘Certificates’ can be obtained while vets continue with their day job, by writing up case reports, studying and sitting exams. It generally takes at least two years to get a certificate.
The most common types of certificate are:
- CertAVP (certificate in advanced veterinary practice)
- PgC or PGCert (Postgraduate certificate)
- GPCert (General Practitioner Certificate).
The CertAVP can be species-specific (e.g. equine practice) or discipline-specific (e.g. diagnostic imaging). You can take a look at the list of possible certificates available for vets here.
If you’ve been a practicing vet for over five years, you could use your certificate to apply for Advanced Practitioner status. While not quite considered a ‘veterinary specialist’, Advanced Practitioners have demonstrated that they have a high level of expertise and knowledge in their chosen area that goes beyond the basic veterinary degree.
Other PGCerts are awarded for non-clinical skills – for example, PGCert VetEd is a Post Graduate Certificate in Veterinary Education for vets who teach either as, or alongside, their primary role.
Veterinary Specialists
A veterinary specialist is a vet who has completed even more rigorous, advanced training in a specific area of veterinary medicine. They will generally have obtained their specialist status by sitting a Diploma exam.
Before they can sit their Diploma exams, candidates will need to complete a period of specialist training by following a Residency programme. Often, to get onto these competitive programmes, vets will need to have completed an internship, or year of introductory training at a large hospital.
If vets are successful in applying for a Residency, they will work under the supervision of other recognised specialists to gain experience and prepare for their exams. Residencies typically last three to four years and involve a combination of clinical work, research, and teaching. A significant part of a Residency involves conducting clinical research and preparing research papers for publication.
The end goal for a Resident is to take and pass the certifying exams to get a Diploma. This allows you to become a member, or Diplomate, of the European Board of Veterinary Specialisation (EBVS) or the American Board of Veterinary Specialties (ABVS).
Only board-certified Diplomates can be recognised as veterinary specialists. The letters after their name will vary, depending on the specialism, but here are a few examples:
- DipECVIM-CA (Cardiology, European College)
- DipACVIM (Veterinary Internal Medicine, American College)
- DipECVD (Dermatology, European College)
- DipACVSMR (Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, American College)
- DipECVDI (Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging, European College)
- DipECAWBM AWSEL (Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law, European College)
Other qualifications you may spot
Some vets may have stepped out of veterinary practice for a time in order to pursue a PhD or MSc (master’s degree). In some cases, vets may be able to take these qualifications part-time while they work.
Another abbreviation is MANZCVS, which means Member of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists. These letters indicate the vet has taken the equivalent of a certificate, by studying with the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists.
But are vets doctors, or not?
Most international veterinary surgeons use the title ‘Doctor’ or ‘Dr’. Just like human medics and dentists, the use of title is frequently tied to registration and professional standing.
As of 5th March 2015, vets in the UK were also granted the freedom to use the title ‘Doctor’. Use of the title is optional, and it is important that the use of ‘Doctor’ or ‘Dr’ by a veterinary surgeon does not suggest or imply that they hold a human medical qualification or a PhD. To help avoid any confusion, vets in the UK should use the title in conjunction with their name and either the descriptor ‘veterinary surgeon’ or the postnominal letters ‘MRCVS’.
Further reading
What’s the difference between a Specialist and an Advanced Practitioner?
Why are there so many new vet schools now?
Qualifications approved for inclusion in the Registers – RCVS
Discussion