EMS is an essential and mandatory part of the veterinary degree, but it can be expensive and time-consuming.

EMS now formally recognised as working time

Veterinary courses in England can now be considered ‘long course’ degrees’, the Student Loans Company has confirmed. As such, the amount of loan available to students will increase.

The announcement follows extensive lobbying by the Association of Veterinary Students (AVS) together with the Veterinary School Council (VSC) to formally recognise the expensive and time-consuming demand of EMS (extra-mural studies) placements.

Because EMS is an essential and mandatory part of the veterinary degree, the AVS has fought extensively for student maintenance loans to reflect these are working weeks and not holiday time.

The decision to reclassify the veterinary degree as a ‘long course’ followed discussions between the University of Liverpool and the Students Loans Company.

The AVS are now urging other veterinary schools in England to register their degree as a long course and include the average number of weeks of EMS.

‘The VSC is communicating with the English vet schools and details should be fed down to students soon,’ the AVS said in a statement. ‘The VSC is also in discussions with the relevant bodies in Scotland to extend this action to help students studying at Glasgow and Royal Dick (Edinburgh).’

Governed by the RCVS, EMS requirements are currently set at 12 weeks of pre-clinical EMS and 26 weeks of clinical EMS. But issues about the quality, availability and cost of EMS have sparked much debate.

The AVS states that how much better off students would be per week is difficult to calculate. However, it’s not an insignificant amount and will depend on household income.