GradTrack is a joint collaborative programme designed by the Society of Practicing Veterinary Surgeons (SPVS) and VDS Training to provide non-clinical training for veterinary graduates. Being an effective veterinary practitioner requires satisfying a range of stakeholders we come into contact with as part of our daily work, including our patients, clients, employers, colleagues and ourselves. Satisfying these stakeholders effectively and consistently requires more than just good clinical outcomes. Whilst you may not believe it yet, a lack of clinical knowledge and skill isn't what will cause you the most 'stress' during your career - it is gaps in your non-clinical skills repertoire. GradTrack is a unique course created to address these gaps from the outset of your career, equipping you to purposefully pursue the breadth of outcomes required to become a successful veterinary practitioner.'Really great course, would definitely recommend it to any new grad - even if one or two years graduated'
GradTrack Delegate
Why GradTrack?
Starting work in practice can be a baptism of fire – we know, we’ve been there! There are the negative thoughts, the stressful consults, the challenge of working in a team and the difficult conversations with owners (and your boss!). However, it doesn’t have to be like this and the support you receive in your first few years will make a huge difference to both your wellbeing and your performance Through practical tools and strategies, GradTrack will help empower you to become the vet you want to be! We've developed GradTrack into a NEW 12-month programme with shorter, more regular online workshops and included specialised workshops for veterinary graduates working in farm and equine practice too! GradTrack, for graduates working in independent practice, is a programme of nine specialised workshops which award a total of 45 CPD hours. GradTrack is a rolling programme and you can choose to start on any of the dates below. The workshops can be booked as a full programme, or you can choose to attend single days.For Veterinary Graduates
NEW format for 2021-22
2021 Dates
Date: Wednesday 20 October 2021 Speaker: Brian Faulkner (SPVS) In order to satisfy all the stakeholder associated with veterinary practice, not only do we have to achieve clinical resolution for our patients, we have to do it in a way that satisfies our clients - and our colleagues - whilst accommodating the financial implications to all concerned. Veterinary consultations are an art and a science - both of which can be learned. Learning Objectives: This session will show you how to: CPD Hours: This workshop awards 5 CPD hours.
Most clients have already Googled to check the possible causes of their animal's symptoms before they arrive at the practice. It is therefore essential that the vet is able to clearly demonstrate why the cost of a qualified professional opinion is clearly worth more than Google search. The key to achieving this depends upon knowing the statistically most common causes of the most common symptoms in the species with which you work. Whilst clients don't expect us to be 100% sure of the symptoms 100% of the time, they do expect us to give them more useful information than they acquired on the internet. Knowing your differential diagnoses, and how they relate to clinical reasoning and case management, is a crucial still of veterinary consulting. These sessions will: Small Animal - Date: Thursday 21 October 2021, Speaker: Brian Faulkner (SPVS) Equine - Date: Thursday 26 October 2021, Speaker: Silvia Janska (SPVS) Farm Animal - Date: Wednesday 27 October 2021, Speaker: Pete Orpin (SPVS) CPD Hours: These workshops award 5 CPD hours each. You can choose one to attend as part of the programme, but you can attend multiple for an extra cost, please let us know when booking.
2022 Dates
Date: Tuesday 15 February 2022 Speaker: Carolyne Crowe (VDS Training) Being a graduate vet isn't easy. Our constant environment of 'busyness' can make us feel like our only solution is to try and keep up, leaving us surviving and not thriving. Working in practice is always going to be pressurised but it doesn't need to be stressful. What is stressful to one person is motivating to another and how we perceive the challenges has a direct impact on the outcome. This session will help you to identify and overcome your personal and professional stressors, build your resilience and improve your work-life balance to set yourself up for success. Learning Objectives: CPD Hours: This workshop awards 5 CPD hours.
Date: Tuesday 8 March 2022 Speaker: Carolyne Crowe (VDS Training) Understanding yourself and how your perceptions may differ from those of the people you work with is a critical element of self-awareness. It also helps you communicate your ideas with your teammates and interpret their feedback to you in the most constructive manner. We'll use DISC profiling to help you assess your personal traits and help you identify those of your colleagues. You will be given practical tips to help make working with others more effective and less stressful, take back control and take on challenges with renewed purpose and energy. Learning Objectives: CPD Hours: This workshop awards 5 CPD hours.
Date: Wednesday 6 April 2022 Speaker: Brian Faulkner (SPVS) Whilst practising veterinary medicine is often very rewarding, veterinary practice is also an inherently stressful environment. This is because veterinary practice exposes us to many of the core drivers of stress and its psychological impact, known as dysphoria. These drivers include doubt, deadlines, difficultly, disappointment, disagreement and the disapproval. Whilst all of these themes make us feel uncomfortable, they also contain value. This session will cover commonly encountered situations in practice that incorporate these themes and describe how to manage them in order to contain the stress and dysphoria they cause. We will also look at why we sometimes adopt counterproductive strategies such as perfectionism and narcissism, to try and cope with feelings of self-doubt that stem from stress and dysphoria. Learning Objectives: This session will help you: CPD Hours: This workshop awards 5 CPD hours.
Date: Wednesday 11 May 2022 Speaker: Kirsty Sturman Being assertive is a core communication skill and one that we have to learn to adopt. Assertiveness can help you express yourself effectively, to stand up for your view, to remain calm and positive and have difficult conversations without upsetting others or being upset by them. It helps you feel valued in life and at work, while respecting the rights and beliefs of others. Being assertive can help boost self-esteem, earn others' respect, reduce stress and enable you to feel heard. It's an important skill to work on. In this session we look at the behaviours and language that we can use to help us develop an assertive approach and to consider in which situations it's easier to do and when we need help to become more assertive. Learning Objectives
CPD Hours: This workshop awards 5 CPD hours.
Date: Wednesday 14 June 202 Speaker: Elly Russell (VDS Training) Despite our best efforts, things don't always go to plan in practice. This can have negative consequences for our patients, our clients, our teams and ourselves. Understanding why mistakes happen in practice and how to learn from them helps us deliver safe, effective care AND enjoy work. Learning Objectives: CPD Hours: This workshop awards 5 CPD hours.
Date: Tuesday 6 September 2022 Speaker: Elly Russell This course provides an opportunity for you to get into the driving seat, practise your communication skills and receive genuine feedback from clients, along with constructive and supportive help from colleagues and an experienced trainer. This session is also a unique and personal opportunity to address any specific challenges that you may have experience during the early stages of your career. By recreating situations that are challenging, you will learn tools to deal with them effectively in the future. Having the opportunity to practice and rehearse these skills in a safe environment has been shown, by extensive research, to produce long lasting positive effects. Attending this wet lab will help turn the theory of communication into practice; good communication is much more than just the words we use and helps bridge the gap between evidence-based medicine and working with individual clients. Learning Objectives: Discuss and practise skills to: CPD Hours: This workshop awards 5 CPD hours.
Date: Wednesday 27 September 2022 Speaker: tbc (SPVS) Though it is much more important to master the basics of clinical thinking in practice in conjunction with client satisfaction before we worry about the commercial aspects of practice, it would be amiss not to discuss these to develop your awareness as well as what you can do to improve your own financial remuneration in due course. Learning Objectives: CPD Hours: This workshop awards 5 CPD hours.
Full GradTrack Programme - nine workshops over 12 months For non-members: £2,250 + VAT (discount of £200) For VDS members: £2,050 + VAT (discount of £200) For SPVS members: £2,050 + VAT (discount of £200) For members of both associations: £1,850 + VAT (discount of £400) Single GradTrack workshops For non-members: £350 + VAT For VDS members: £300 + VAT (discount of £50) For SPVS members: £300 + VAT (discount of £50) For members of both associations: £250 + VAT (discount of £100)Prices