500 signatures reached
To: RCVS - Royal College Of Veterinary Surgeons
Scrap OSCEs (practical face to face exams) for Veterinary Nursing students
We are asking the RCVS to scrap our OSCEs or find us an alternative. OSCES for Veterinary nursing students are a series of face to face practical exams that take place over a number of hours. These exams are the final stepping stone to register as a qualified veterinary nurse. These exams have been postponed, rearranged and then cancelled due to Covid-19 for hundreds of Veterinary Nursing students all over the country who have been waiting to qualify all year. The exams have been rearranged again for days after we are due to come out of 2nd lockdown - presuming this lockdown is not extended.
Why is this important?
We are asking for an alternative exam or cancellation of our OSCEs due to the worldwide pandemic. Many students are on low wage or not getting paid at all and should already be qualified if it wasn’t for this virus. If December OSCEs go ahead, many of these students may miss them due to self isolation or not being able to travel. If hotels shut they will have no where to stay as many of these exams locations have been changed and are now hours away from where we reside. All these changes and the uncertainty is taking a huge toll on our Student Veterinary Nurses mental health. Where is the support? Many colleges have passed their students on mock grades, why is that different for us? Why has an alternative not been offered to us? Why must we be a group of students with no mock exams? We are being sent to colleges we aren’t familiar with, to be examined using equipment we’ve never seen. Why must we have to travel hours away during a global pandemic and stay overnight in cities hundreds of miles away from home? Please if you are a Student Veterinary Nurse or support a Student Veterinary Nurse sign this petition and show the RVCS how serious we are about this! Support your nursing students!
