Queen Mother Hospital for Animals (QMHA)

Senior Clinical Training Scholarships (SCTS)

Overview

The Royal Veterinary College offers several small animal Senior Clinical Training Scholarships that are first class, world-renowned training programmes for veterinary specialisation. These scholarships are designed for qualified veterinary graduates who wish to specialise in specific disciplines related to small animal practice. All Senior Clinical Training Scholars are also enrolled in a Masters Level degree course - MVetMed

These scholarships typically last 3 years and start in the first week of July each year. A brief induction is provided on the first week.

Senior Clinical Training Scholarships mainly based at the QMHA are:

Individual attributes

These Scholarships are designed for highly motivated veterinary professionals who wish to specialise in a specific clinical field whose goals include advanced development of their veterinary skills, experience and knowledge by working under supervision in a multi-disciplinary referral hospital.

“The Senior Clinical Training Scholarship at the RVC provides an outstanding opportunity to train under the guidance of some of the UK’s leading specialists. There is a wide and varied caseload providing experience and background to theory taught. The residency programmes are structured to provide you with training and support for scientific research and development of academic skills through the MVetMed degree and specialty related teaching sessions”
— Richard Meeson, MA, VetMB, MVetMed, MRCVS (SCTS in Surgery from 2009 to 2011)

Frequently Asked Questions

Course Work related to the MVetMed

This unique course aims to help RVC Senior Clinical Training Scholars study for Specialty Board examinations and to provide a foundation for developing clinical research skills. The MVetMed allows successful Senior Clinical Training Scholars to finish their training programme with a Masters degree in addition to meeting their eligibility for Board certification.

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Research Project

Each scholar is also required to undertake a research project as part of their training programme and prepare a manuscript that will be suitable for publication. As a peer reviewed publication is required to satisfy the credentials of most specialty boards, this aspect of the MVetMed degree helps candidate meet their eligibility criteria for board specialisation.

Assessment and Appraisal

Each scholar’s progress will be continually assessed on an individual basis and constructive feedback is provided both on an informal ad-hoc and on a formal basis as necessary and throughout the year. Each scholar has a formal yearly appraisal. This is intended to track the scholar’s progress, and to ensure that all necessary tasks are completed by the end of the scholarship.

Application process

Each year various Senior Clinical Training Scholarships are available and the application process is completed via our Job Opportunities at RVC portal.

The scholarships are highly competitive and, regrettably, this inevitably means that many good applicants are not successful. Unsuccessful applicants may re-apply the following year but it is recommended that they contact the appropriate programme director before doing so. The names of the current directors are listed in the further Information section.

The Scholarships are advertised in the January and February issues of the Veterinary Record and on our Scholarships Available page. Shortlisted candidates are invited to attend interview in late February/March, and we endeavour to inform candidates who have been shortlisted for interview in writing at least 2 weeks before the interview date. Specific queries regarding how to apply should be directed to Human Resources: hr@rvc.ac.uk

The interview typically lasts 20-30 minutes. It is designed to test the applicant’s understanding of the role and function of a scholar, and their motivation for pursuing a scholarship

Selection Criteria

SCTS applicants must be eligible for (and must pay and organise for themselves) Membership of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. Applicants must be an MRCVS by the date the scholarship starts, and ideally by the date of application and interview.

Senior Clinical Training Scholar applicants must be able to communicate clearly in English, both verbally and in writing and applicants for whom English is not their first language must have taken either an IELTS or a TOEFL test within the last two years. A certified copy of the test result must be submitted at the time of application.

The minimum English language requirements for Postgraduate study at the Royal Veterinary College are an IELTS score of at least 7.0 (no element less than 6.5) or a TOEFL score of at least 93 (no element less than 23 - internet based test). However, individual training programmes may have higher requirements and candidates are advised to check the requirements of the programme(s) to which they are applying.

Applicants who do not meet the minimum proficiency requirements cannot be considered. Those for whom English is not their first language are encouraged to practice as a veterinary surgeon in the UK for at least 1 year prior to application to the SCTS programme.

For more information on these tests please see the following links:

IELTS – www.britishcouncil.org/learning-ielts.htm
TOEFL – www.ets.org/toefl/

Essential personal attributes include:

willingness to work hard
highly developed organisational and time management skills
ability to cope under pressure
have a positive attitude at all times
desire to take part in advancing veterinary science
be able work with a range of people including veterinary students, senior clinicians and nursing and support staff
have the patience to teach and guide veterinary undergraduate students

When completing the online application form, applicants should therefore ensure they include the following information:

Confirm they are eligible for membership of the RCVS
Enter a veterinary degree which is registrable by the RCVS
Enter any postgraduate qualifications they may have
Confirm they are a EU citizen or they have the right to abode in the UK
Confirm how they meet the English language requirement above, and if applicable submit their English language test results
Confirm if they have any internship experience
Provide examples of:
1. any work they have undertaken in a veterinary practice
2. of their experience of research
3. whether they have published any papers or presented at conferences
Confirm if they have visited the RVC previously, and if applicable reasons why

The Online Application Form has been structured to allow applicants to enter the as much of the above information we require in the relevant sections of the form. However, for points 1, 5, 6, 7,8 and those listed as essential personal attributes, applicants should use the Supporting Statement/Letter of Intent area (section 5) of the online application form to provide the necessary evidence/information.

Terms and conditions

The scholarship attracts:

A tax free stipend that is paid monthly
An academic allowance for scholarly activity paid yearly

Visiting the QMHA prior to application

If you wish to visit the QMHA prior to applying for a scholarship then please contact the director of the specific Senior Training Scholarship Programme (see below).

Further information

For more information about postgraduate study or the QMHA see:

If you have any further queries, the directors of the Senior Clinical Training Scholarship are:

Anaesthesia – Mr Christopher Seymour
Dermatology – Dr Anke Hendricks
Diagnostic Imaging – Prof Chris Lamb
Cardiology – Dr Virginia Luis Fuentes
Emergency and Critical Care – Dr Daniel Chan
Internal Medicine – Dr Hattie Syme
Oncology – Dr Ana Lara
Neurology & Neurosurgery – Dr Holger Volk
Surgery – Dr Vicky Lipscomb

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