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Who might you meet at the Referral Hospital?
At the Small Animal Referral Hospital, we have a large team of vets. We are also a teaching hospital, teaching not only undergraduate veterinary and veterinary nursing students, but also training the specialists of the future. This has many advantages, not least of which is that unlike some services elsewhere when only one specialist works alone, there are lots of brains working together to decide on and implement the best treatment plan for your pet.
Specialist Clinician / Diplomate
Most of our services are led by Veterinary Specialists whose profiles you can see on our website. Becoming a Specialist is not an easy thing to achieve and takes years of dedicated study. They have all undergone many years of additional training including completing a three- or four-year residency programme focused only on their area of speciality (surgery/ medicine/ cardiology/ diagnostic imaging etc). They then have to pass the Board Exams to achieve their Diploma in their chosen speciality. They are experts in their field who have to maintain their knowledge through ongoing research, clinical development and teaching.
Once they have achieved their Diploma, they can apply to the RCVS to become an RCVS Recognised Specialist.
Specialist Clinician / Diplomate
Most of our services are led by Veterinary Specialists whose profiles you can see on our website. Becoming a Specialist is not an easy thing to achieve and takes years of dedicated study. They have all undergone many years of additional training including completing a three- or four-year residency programme focused only on their area of speciality (surgery/ medicine/ cardiology/ diagnostic imaging etc). They then have to pass the Board Exams to achieve their Diploma in their chosen speciality. They are experts in their field who have to maintain their knowledge through ongoing research, clinical development and teaching.
Once they have achieved their Diploma, they can apply to the RCVS to become an RCVS Recognised Specialist.
How do I know if the vet I have been referred to is a specialist?
- All of the RCVS Recognised Specialists are listed on the RCVS website
- You can look at their profile on the Langford Vets website.
More information on Specialists can be found on the EBVS website
We also have a number of other qualified vets working with our specialists.
Staff Clinician
Our staff clinicians are also highly skilled and very experienced, having already completed their residency training but they are still waiting to complete their final exams and therefore have not yet achieved their Diploma or Specialist status. They are nearly there!
Resident
These are our ‘specialists in training’, similar to a senior registrar in the NHS. Our residents have already completed a few years in practice and normally a year-long internship within a referral hospital before they start. Their residency is 3-4 years long and consists of time working on the clinics as well as undertaking research projects. All residents are supervised by our specialist clinicians.
Intern/Junior Clinician
We run a rotating 1-year internship programme. The interns already have 1-2 years of experience as a vet in practice and wish to increase their skills dealing with referral cases. Many of our interns go on to undertake residency programmes. They are vital to the day to day care of our hospitalised patients. We also have some junior clinicians which work in specific areas of the hospital such as orthopaedic surgery and oncology to assist our specialist clinicians.
Intern/Junior Clinician
We run a rotating 1-year internship programme. The interns already have 1-2 years of experience as a vet in practice and wish to increase their skills dealing with referral cases. Many of our interns go on to undertake residency programmes. They are vital to the day to day care of our hospitalised patients. We also have some junior clinicians which work in specific areas of the hospital such as orthopaedic surgery and oncology to assist our specialist clinicians.
Advanced Practitioner
This is a ‘middle tier’ of qualification. Advanced practitioners have at least 5 years’ experience and have undertaken further study, often in the form of a Certificate, so have more experience in a certain area of interest. They are able to take referrals in this area but have not undertaken the same level of training as Specialists. The role of Advanced Practitioner has been around since 2014.
Nurses
Our nursing team is made up of over 60 Registered Veterinary Nurses, who care for our patients 24 hours a day. We have nurses working in our wards, our theatres, monitoring anaesthesia and within our intensive care unit as well as playing a key role as part of our night team.
Nurses
Our nursing team is made up of over 60 Registered Veterinary Nurses, who care for our patients 24 hours a day. We have nurses working in our wards, our theatres, monitoring anaesthesia and within our intensive care unit as well as playing a key role as part of our night team.
Advanced Veterinary Nurses
Some of our nurses have been awarded advanced qualifications held by only a few nurses in the UK. This includes the Diploma in Advanced Veterinary Nursing and Veterinary Technician Specialist (VTS). These additional qualifications can be achieved in specific areas (Emergency and Critical Care/ Anaesthesia etc) and involve an additional period of intense study to increase their level of knowledge.
Advanced Veterinary Nurses
Some of our nurses have been awarded advanced qualifications held by only a few nurses in the UK. This includes the Diploma in Advanced Veterinary Nursing and Veterinary Technician Specialist (VTS). These additional qualifications can be achieved in specific areas (Emergency and Critical Care/ Anaesthesia etc) and involve an additional period of intense study to increase their level of knowledge.
Nurses in other roles
We also have nurses working in a range of roles within Langford Vets including as managers, radiographers and within the billing team.
Animal Care Assistants
Our nurses are supported by Animal Care Assistants (ACAs) who help with the care of our inpatients. Our ACAs play an invaluable role in helping the nurses and clinicians in the care of your pet and the running of the hospital.
Their roles encompass many areas such as assisting with physiotherapy, inpatient care, infection control, and working in induction, theatres, and the ICU.
Some have taken additional Animal Care Qualifications including pet massage and Animal Nursing Assistant (ANA).
Students
As we are a teaching hospital, students will be involved in helping to look after your pet. This will include general care including walking, feeding and cleaning as well as assisting in taking blood samples, placing intravenous catheters and aiding during surgical procedures.
Students are supervised by qualified nurses and vets and are not allowed to undertake any invasive procedures without full observation. As all pets in the hospital will have designated students, it means that each pet has a 'friend' assigned to them, that gets to know them very well and helps to settle them into the hospital.