New Vet Futures Action Group seeks members
The British Veterinary Association (BVA) and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) are inviting applications from members of the veterinary professions for the new Vet Futures Action Group, set up to drive forward the ambitions identified in the Vet Futures report launched at BVA Congress at the London Vet Show on 20 November.
The Vet Futures report, Taking charge of our future: A vision for the veterinary profession for 2030, was the culmination of a year-long joint project by BVA and RCVS designed to help the veterinary profession prepare for, and shape, its own future. The Action Group is a vital next step in the Vet Futures project, ensuring the delivery of the report’s six ambitions and 34 recommendations.
We are seeking seven veterinary surgeons and one veterinary nurse to join the Action Group to ensure there is buy-in from across the professions and to drive forward workstreams of activity. The group will be co-chaired by the BVA and RCVS Presidents, and both Junior Vice-Presidents will sit on the group. Action Group members will be independent and will not represent, or be required to report back to, any particular organisation.
Veterinary surgeons or nurses keen to apply for an Action Group role should have experience of working as an active member of a group or committee and the ability to deliver, engage and inspire others. The veterinary surgeon members should have specific expertise, knowledge and experience in relation to at least one of the Vet Futures ambitions or the cross-cutting issue of veterinary education. The ambitions cover:
- Animal health and welfare
- Veterinary professionals’ wider roles in society
- The health and wellbeing of veterinary professionals
- Diverse and rewarding veterinary careers
- Sustainable businesses and user-focused services
- Leadership
Successful applicants must be able to attend three all-day meetings in London (9 February, 17 March and 12 May) and an all-day Vet Futures Summit (20 June), with a time commitment totalling approximately seven days between February and June 2016. The group will be supported by BVA and RCVS staff.
The deadline for applications is 12 noon, 31 December 2015.
Download the full Vet Futures Action Group role profile and terms of reference.
I would be interested in feeding into the committee and responding to or with projects, or suggesting projects. However I could not commit to the time required. There are probably many other people who are in the same boat who would like to contribute in some way. I would like to encourage the organisers to consider how to engage with this group who collectively could have a lot of experience and value to add to the work being done on this important project.
Dear Paul,
Delighted to hear that you’re interested in getting involved with the project, but we do understand that the time commitment will be a barrier for some. The Action Group will need to decide on its own programme of work when it first meets but BVA and RCVS are keen that it makes sure it engages with members of the professions who have expressed the interest, enthusiasm, expertise and experience to get involved in other ways. If you have any specific practical suggestions for how the Group should undertake that engagement, please feed those in here. Options could include online forums or email loops with interested individuals, evidence sessions, surveys (although we are mindful of survey fatigue!). Thanks very much for your comment and do let us know if there are specific ambitions/recommendations/issues in the report that you’re interested in, either via this comment section or direct to Sally Burnell at BVA, who is collating the applications for the Group via sallyb@bva.co.uk.
Thank you
Like Paul, I am very interested in supporting the VetFutures Project, but cannot make one of the dates, unfortunately. I will contact Sally to see if I can contribute in some other way. Thanks to the VetFutures team for their important work!