Page 9 - ACT Annual Review August 2020 - July 2021

OUR IMPACT ON FARM ANIMALS

The ACT has supported farm animal welfare been used to introduce students to general basic All vet students are required to complete several
and teaching in a number of ways in recent safety around large animals and to teach them months of hands-on work experience, known
years. The RVC’s Boltons Park Farm has how to undertake essential examinations. This has as Extra Mural Studies (EMS) during their
cows, sheep, chickens and turkeys and resulted in more efficient examinations, reducing course. This includes working with farm animals.
the facility is used to teach students about the amount of time the real cows need to be Some of these placements are in remote areas
the food production and farm animal side examined, hence benefiting their welfare. requiring students to travel long distances
of veterinary medicine. Some examples of and fund local accommodation which can be
projects recently funded by the ACT include “I find the model extremely useful. Having particularly expensive at busy times such as
massaging brushes for the cows and a ‘fit used it in clinical examination sessions, the Christmas and Easter. The ACT funds bursaries
bit’ type system which monitors the cows authenticity in the anatomical structures each year to help students make the most of
for early signs of lameness so they can be provided a great steppingstone before this valuable experience without being limited by
treated as quickly as possible. attending live animals – it contributed financial constraints.

The RVC is committed to the welfare of the well to a safe session and increased RVC student Kathryn Stott was awarded an EMS
animals at the farm and an important aspect of students’ confidence when examining bursary and reported, “The two weeks I spent at
this is ensuring students feel confident working real animals afterwards.” Bishopton’s Farm Vets over Easter were some
with them and can demonstrate strong clinical and Dr Peter Plate, RVC Lecturer of the best EMS weeks I have ever had. During
handling skills from the outset. For this reason, the my visit I saw numerous lambings, calvings
ACT has funded several cutting-edge simulators to The ACT also funded Castro and Weany – two and C-sections, especially over the long Easter
enable students to learn and practise these skills piglet simulators designed to help teach vet weekend. I was able to join all emergency visits
until they feel comfortable in a real-life setting. students the tricky skills of injecting and castrating that occurred out of hours as I was able to stay in

The RVC’s Farm Teaching Team has been pigs. Castro is a small pig for students to castrate, accommodation close to the practice due to the
delighted with their calving simulator. As well as inject and tail dock and Weany is a larger pig bursary. After this placement I feel confident and
teaching the technicalities of calving, the simulator model which students can castrate, inject and use excited to enter the industry as a new graduate
has several additional applications. Firstly, an to practise intravenous blood sampling. farm vet.”
important part of a farm vet’s life is taking milk RVC Teaching Fellow, Beth Reilly, explained, “Use
samples. This is something students cannot of the models has really turned pig teaching from
practise repeatedly with a live cow for obvious an often-daunting topic for the students, to a fun
welfare reasons. The simulator has a working and interactive session that’s been a highlight
udder which allows students to practise milking as for them.”
often as necessary. In addition, the simulator has

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