The RCVS Veterinary Nurses Council has agreed to continue its trial of giving newly-qualified veterinary nurses e-certificates in place of paper certificates, when they join the Register.

The trial, which was launched last November, will now continue until May, when Council will decide whether to provide e-certificates to new registrants as a standard practice. 

Newly qualified nurses who have been taking part in the trial have been able to download their e-certificate from the RCVS website, although they are also able to request a printed hard copy.

Robert Hewes, RCVS Head of Insight and Engagement, said: “Thank you to all those newly-qualified veterinary nurses who took part in the trial and especially to those who provided their feedback and thoughts on the e-certificate.

“From those that have completed the survey, it is clear that there is still a great deal of pride and meaning attached to having a hard copy certificate which is why we will continue to offer these to all our newly-qualified veterinary nurses.

"However, the feedback from the vet nurses overall regarding the e-certificates were that they appreciated that there was a benefit from an environment and sustainability point of view, as well as the practicalities of having immediate and easy access to their proof-of-registration.”

E-certificates for newly-qualified veterinary surgeons was trialled in early 2021 and rolled out as standard practice to all new veterinary registrants from summer 2021. 

Robert added: “We would like to take this opportunity to make clear to prospective employers of both newly-qualified veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses involved in the trial, that the e-certificates are now a legitimate form of identification of registration and that they no longer require a hard copy.

"However, if they are in any doubt about an individual’s registration status, they shouldn’t hesitate to contact the Registration Team on registration@rcvs.org.uk or 020 7202 0707.”

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