EMS BURSARIES LAUNCHED TO SUPPORT VET STUDENTS WELLBEING AND DEVELOPMENT
5 years ago 
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Veterinary students seeking bursaries to support their EMS have received a boost, after new funding was announced.
Vets4Pets and Companion Care have provided more than £20,000 in bursaries for students this academic year.
A total of 30 clinical year students are benefitting from four weeks of supported bursary placements at a Vets4Pets or Companion Care practice.
Dr. Catriona Curtis BVM&S MRCVS, veterinary talent manager at Vets4Pets and Companion Care, said: “EMS is known to be one of the causes of emotional and financial stress for vet students, and some students find it tough to find a good quality placement. This is why we’re providing significant investment in this critical area of study.
“We’re passionate about helping students at all points during their vet careers and this includes delivering exceptional EMS placements.
“We know that a great EMS placement builds confidence and helps students to really get an understanding of life in practice as they start to transition into professional life, so we’ve developed our bursary programme with this in mind.
“We want to help them have clear and realistic placement objectives and to walk away from every placement feeling like they’ve achieved something and that they’ve developed in the areas they were looking to and perhaps also in others they weren’t.
“The ultimate aim of the bursaries is to support the students financially and allow them to focus on their placements and studies without having to worry about having a part-time job alongside it.”
The first group of students receiving EMS bursaries from Vets4Pets and Companion Care come from across the UK.
“The standard of all applications was very high, and we were impressed with how creative the students were in approaching their application. It was very difficult to select the final 30,” added Dr. Curtis.
“We matched the students individually to the right Vets4Pets or Companion Care practice for them in terms of location, culture fit and personal learning wishes.”
RVC final year student, Becky Norton, who is one of the first recipients of the bursaries, said: “I had already worked within a Vets4Pets practice in Leigh-on-Sea on placements throughout my studies, so jumped at the chance to apply for the EMS programme.
“I know that it was a competitive application process, so was shocked and absolutely thrilled when I found out I had been accepted.
“The programme takes the financial stress out of the situation, which means I can continue working in a practice I love with a team of great teachers who let me be very hands on with the clients, as well as concentrate on my studies.
“I would definitely recommend the programme to younger students who are looking for their EMS placements, as it’s a great initiative which links students up with brilliant practices that they may not have been able to otherwise get.”
For anyone interested in applying for an EMS bursary next year, applications will open in December and can be accessed at www.vets4pets.com/ems.
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