To be eligible to join BCVSp, you must be a vet eligible to work in UK and fulfil at least one of the following: RCVS Recognised Veterinary Specialist;  hold a RCVS Diploma,  European Veterinary Specialist (i.e. hold a Diploma from one of the speciality colleges overseen by EBVS);  AVMA-ABVS Recognized Veterinary Specialist (i.e. hold a Diploma from one of the speciality colleges overseen by ABVS) or hold FRCPath. All members have access to our member hub. You do not need to have already been included the RCVS specialist list to join BCVSp. However,  BCVSp’s consititution (item 4.11) states that we will encourage all our members to join the RCVS list of Veterinary Specialists and following RCVS guidance, we can only allow RCVS Recognised Specialists to post their profiles on our Find a Vet Specialist function.

The relevant section of the RCVS’s Code of Conduct for Veterinary Surgeons is 3.5  “Veterinary surgeons must not hold out themselves or others as specialists or advanced practitioners unless appropriately listed with the RCVS.”

There are many factors which might influence your decision to consult Veterinary Specialists including specialist qualifications, experience, advanced skills, specific expertise and equipment or access to multidisciplinary teams. The location of the service, the urgency of treatment and your circumstances, including the availability and any limitations of insurance cover, should also be taken into account. Specialist veterinary care can involve extra costs but the Specialist’s ability to target the most appropriate therapies or tests increases value for money.

Normally, Vet Specialists work in close collaboration with primary care vets. We encourage animal owners to approach their primary care vet for advice on what specialist treatment or expertise might help their animal. Vets are obliged to facilitate a client’s request for a referral. You can use our “find a specialist” tool to help find specialists offering services in your area.

Specialists have undertaken an advanced post graduate training programme, usually over a minimum of three years, they have gained a post graduate qualification within their chosen field from a college overseen by the European Board of Veterinary Specialists or the American Veterinary Medical Association-American Board of Veterinary Specialists or been awarded a Diploma of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. To maintain specialist status, Vet Specialists must undergo a re-accreditation process, overseen by one of the EBVS, AVMA-ABVS colleges or the RCVS every 5 years. Many specialists are re-accredited by more than one authority.

There are more than 30 different types of Vet Specialist working in the UK. There are specialists for most species from dogs, cats and rabbits to horses, zoo animals, farm animals and even fish. Specialists have studied disciplines like pathology, diagnostic imaging or anaesthesia to an advanced level. They are available, usually via a referral from a primary care vet, to help your animals.

Our aim is to advance the education of the public and the wellbeing of animals through the development, understanding and application of veterinary specialist care. We help the public find vet specialists who may be able to help their animals and we promote open communication between animal owners, primary care vets and vet specialists.

We are a charitable incorporated organisation, founded in 2014. Membership is open to individuals who are RCVS Recognised Specialists, European Veterinary Specialists and/or AMVM-ABVS Recognized Veterinary Specialists and are working in the UK.

Adding Weblinks: If these are not working, it is ecause copy and pasted links will often have hidden text or coding, so rather than pasting links straight from the target site to a profile or job advert, copy them into a notepad or text editor then recopy them before pasting in the weblinks box. If you having problems, just email info@yourvetspecialist.org. If we can’t help ourselves we can forward your concern to our web support company.

Qualifications: we have provided a fairly extensive list of options for specialities in their various RCVS, EBVS and AVMA approved wording. Similarly we have many options for degrees and other qualifications. However, members are a well qualified bunch. If there is an option you need us to add, just email info@yourvetspecialist.org

Photos: the website should resize these for you, but you may need to do some cropping. Bear in mind they will be displayed in portrait format.

Viewing your profile in its finished format? When you look at your own profile while logged in, the site will take you to the profile building function. Similarly, depending where you are in the site, the site may show you other members-only profile rather than the public page. The easiest way to check what your public page looks like to the public, is to leave the site, and then go back in as a member of the public (ie without logging in).

All BCVSp members can post on the forums, either by adding a comment to an existing post or by adding a new topic within a forum. If you would like us to add a new category, email info@yourvetspecialist.org

We expect members to maintain a professional and courteous tone when composing their posts. More details guidelines for the forums are available in Section 10 of our Terms of Use of Website.

BCVSp is delighted to promote events of interest to our members. If you have an event you would like to announce, just email info@yourvetspecialist.org with details.