Preparing students for professional life
The Veterinary Defence Society (VDS) was founded in 1865 and is one of the oldest and largest membership organisations for vets in the UK and Ireland. Although perhaps best known for offering professional indemnity insurance to practising veterinary professionals, the VDS seeks to support its members in other ways too, to reduce the likelihood of complaints progressing to claims for compensation.
For instance, many complaints occur as a result of communication failures – so much so that the VDS has been training vets and vet students for decades in the art of communication skills. It also gives talks at each of the UK and Irish vet schools, and organises events designed specifically for undergraduates and recently qualified vets, including graduate reunion seminars.
One of the newest offerings from the VDS is its Student Club. The vast changes taking place in the veterinary profession present today’s students with different challenges and new opportunities. While the VDS does not provide insurance cover to students, it still wants to help prepare them for their professional lives. So, the Student Club has been created to provide support in a more coordinated manner.
The VDS Student Club is FREE to join for any vet student who is enrolled in a veterinary degree in the UK and Ireland and it is possible to join at any stage of the student career. Student Club members receive a regular newsletter, which provides the kind of content the VDS supplies to its members and outlines some of the challenges facing vets in their professional lives.
'The vast changes taking place in the veterinary profession present today’s students with different challenges and new opportunities'
The VDS is planning to cover a range of subjects in the newsletter, all of which will be relevant to students as well as qualified vets. These will be illustrated with examples of case scenarios from life in practice, which can give students an insight into the complications that can occur and the support provided by the VDS to its members. The newsletters will also contain useful information on future events such as graduate reunions and student events in which the VDS and its subsidiary VDS Training are participating.
The VDS hopes that students will find the newsletters thought provoking, yet entertaining, and that the articles will provide information they might not otherwise have been taught about during their veterinary degree. In time, the VDS may look to expand the resources available to include a Student Club webpage with articles, videos and podcasts on subjects of interest. Ultimately, the VDS hopes that the Student Club will go from strength-to-strength, gaining new members along the way.
Get in touch
If you’d like more information about the VDS Student Club, you can get in touch by emailing vdsstudentclub@thevds.co.uk or you can click here to join.
For those who like keeping up to date on social media, the VDS can be found on:
When you join the Student Club you will be automatically subscribed to the monthly newsletter. If, for any reason, you decide you no longer wish to receive the newsletter, you can unsubscribe at any time.