Thursday 16th November: Medivet, a leading European veterinary care provider, has entered a multi-year sponsorship with the University of Central Lancashire’s (UCLan) new School of Veterinary Medicine, in support of its vision to widen participation and expand the inclusion of under-represented groups in veterinary education.

The new September 2023 cohort of 78 Veterinary Medicine & Surgery (BVMS) students will be the first to access a range of financial and training support from Medivet as part of its sponsorship.

Commenting on the announcement, Peter Holland, Associate Dean for Partnerships and Enterprise in UCLan’s School of Veterinary Medicine, said: “The University has a keen focus on improving access to, and inclusion of, under-represented communities in higher education, and the new School of Veterinary Medicine holds this ethos very much at its core.  We took a different approach to selecting students for our BVMS course as we wanted to widen participation in veterinary education by addressing some of the demographic or circumstantial barriers that have denied people the chances of learning and becoming the next generation of vets.”

Holland added: “As a ‘widening participation’ sponsor, Medivet is investing significantly in UCLan’s students to enable the School to realise many of its ambitions to broaden the entry pool into veterinary higher education, and is actively supporting their development across the five years for a successful future in the profession.”

Chris Cools, CEO of Medivet, said: “Our profession needs great clinical talent for a long term, healthy and sustainable future, and we are proud to support UCLan in its ambition to attract, teach and train a new generation of veterinary students from all backgrounds.”

The School aims to create a diverse body of students and ensure that irrespective of circumstances, they are supported to achieve a successful future in veterinary medicine and allied animal health professions. Communication and problemsolving skills, growth mindset development, moral reasoning, and reflectivity, form key areas of focus in the curriculum, along with integration of early clinical experience and primary care skills acquisition.

Cools added; “The School’s focus on academic and practical teaching and training will give the students a strong foundation to enter our profession, and we look forward to working closely together in these coming years to help all UCLan’s veterinary graduates prepare for a fulfilling and rewarding future in Veterinary Medicine.”    

The first cohort of 78 BVMS students enrolled in early September, with intake numbers rising to 120 per year after two years.