BVA Unveils Programme For London Vet Show 2014, Including Cutting-edge CPD And Lively Debates

BVA is unveiling an exciting programme of events for this year’s London Vet Show (LVS), including cutting-edge CPD sessions and topical debate on the key issues affecting the profession. Following the success of last year’s event, BVA at LVS is returning to London Olympia on 20-21 November 2014, bringing contentious issues sessions for BVA Congress, farm and equine CPD streams, the BVA Careers Fair and the BVA Gala Dinner. BVA members get access to everything at LVS for 15% less than the lowest advertised price. The full programme is available in this week’s In Practice or to downloaded now at www.bva.co.uk/londonvetshow BVA President Robin Hargreaves said: “We’re excited to be back at London Vet Show again this year offering high-quality CPD and Congress sessions of interest to all of our members. BVA’s popular CPD streams are returning with all new content for 2014, offering a great opportunity for vets at all stages of their careers to develop their skills. “I’m particularly looking forward to hearing members share their opinions on the issues that really matter to the profession as BVA hosts a series of debates on contentious veterinary issues. The standard of debate is always extremely high and it’s a great chance to hear from members in all areas of the profession from across the UK.” The CPD streams offered by BVA will provide general practitioners, particularly those in mixed practice and recent graduates, with a knowledge boost on farm and equine issues. They will cover topics as diverse as:

• Camelids beyond the first consult
• Old diseases, new threats on the farm
• The joys and perils of pet pigs
• Food for thought – integrating nutrition with routine veterinary services
• Equine castration, its complications and their avoidance
• Chemical restraint in a fractious horse
• Crashes, ditches and other equine rescues

Other emerging topics in the programme include surveillance and field post-mortem exams and practical insight into common farm and equine challenges. BVA Congress will bring debate to LVS for the second year with discussions on some of the hottest topics facing the veterinary profession today. Expert speakers and members of the profession will have their say on key issues including:

• The uncomfortable truth – Phil Wilson of the RSPCA Prosecutions Department and Dr Christine Goddall from the University of Glasgow School of Medicine will provide both human and medical perspectives on links between animal and human abuse, discussing issues such as recognition, documentation and reporting of cases.
• Surveillance cuts – AHVLA Chief Executive Chris Hadkiss and Dirk Pfeiffer, Professor of Epidemiology, will explore the potential impact of cuts and reorganisation on our scanning surveillance capacity and consider how we can ensure vets have diagnostic support for difficult cases and are able to alert the authorities when necessary.
• Antimicrobial resistance: one health, one problem – Chief Medical Officer Dame Sally Davies and FVE President Christophe Buhot will look at the challenge antimicrobial resistance presents to both people and animals and different approaches to dealing with it.
• Ask the CVOs – the UK’s four CVOs come together in this hugely popular session to answer questions from the floor on a wide range of topics
• Dangerous dogs – culprits or victims? Dog Legislation Officer PC Keith Evans and vet and dog behaviour expert Kendal Shepard will consider some of the factors contributing to dog attacks and what more might be done to prevent them.

Other topics for this year’s BVA Congress include global and domestic approaches to combating rabies, the state of the profession, overseas projects and the connection between one health and wildlife. This year’s Wooldridge Memorial Lecture – the keynote address at Congress – will be delivered by world-leading statistician Professor David Spiegelhalter, Winton Professor of the Public Understanding of Risk at the University of Cambridge. Professor Spielgelhalter has helped answer questions in high profile inquiries, such as those into the Harold Shipman murders and the PiP breast implant scandal. He also contributed to the guidelines for press reporting of science stories following the Leveson Inquiry. Citing examples from GMOs and fracking to BSE, Professor Spigelhalter will look at successes and failures in communicating uncertainty, and try to draw some lessons. BVA Careers Fair is the only part of the show reserved for BVA members and forms part of BVA’s commitment to supporting members throughout their veterinary careers. Highlights include:

• Converting complaints to compliments
• Assertiveness in 60 minutes
• Life as a vet in government and research
• Juggling kids, cows, cats and dogs: discussions on work-life balance
• What else are vets good for?
• Specialisation within practice and how to go about it

Members need their membership number and offer code ‘BVA11’ when booking. For more information on BVA at LVS, including the full agenda and details of the BVA Gala Dinner visit the BVA website www.bva.co.uk/londonvetshow

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