General Practitioner Certificates
The ISVPS GPCert is a postgraduate qualification
Who is the GPCert for?
The GPCert is suitable for qualified veterinary surgeons looking to further their knowledge and expertise in a specific discipline, enabling them to manage more complicated cases within their practice and share expertise with colleagues.
How will you benefit?
Gaining a deeper understanding and knowledge in your area of interest:
Increasing the ability to:
- critically evaluate evidence and make clinical decisions on the strength of the best evidence available
- utilise more advanced techniques and recognise which cases would benefit from referral
- use self-reflection to inform and improve clinical practice
Building your confidence and knowledge to share with others in practice.
Plus….
- Increasing peer and employer recognition of skills and expertise
- Achieving continuing professional development (CPD) requirements
How will your practice benefit?
- Potential increase in practice earnings, for example through more comprehensive investigation and treatment
- Individuals will be more confident in clinical decisions and sharing knowledge
- Retaining talent and expertise through supporting career development
- Increased customer satisfaction and retention through skilled, confident vets
- Ability to illustrate high standards of patient care by having staff with ISVPS globally recognised qualifications
How will your patients and their owners’ benefit?
The ISVPS purpose is focused on delivering compassionate animal care. The GPCert is a globally recognised qualification that supports:
- Improved patient care from committed veterinary professionals
- Increased satisfaction as a result of best practice approaches, informed by the highest ethical standards
Pre-requisites for taking the GPCert assessments
In order to take the assessments for the GPCert, you must:
- Hold a veterinary qualification and be actively involved in veterinary practice
- To move on to the Postgraduate Certificate (PgC) after the GPCert, you must have spent one year in practice prior to beginning the training programme
- Attend all the relevant modules with one of our accredited training providers.
What learning options are available?
Vets can choose their preferred way of studying to achieve the qualification, either face-to-face, online or blended – all providing world-class learning with support from expert programme tutors and speakers. Visit the training provider website for details.
General Practitioner Certificates
To achieve this qualification you must hold a current, recognised qualification as a veterinary surgeon.
- 1. Complete the course
The first step to achieving the GPCert is to complete the modular training programme with an approved training provider.
During the course, it is recommended that you complete the pre and post module questions which are supplied throughout. These are compulsory if you are progressing to the UK based postgraduate certificate (PgC).
It is essential that throughout your programme you undertake extended reading around the programme syllabus.
- 2. Pass the assessments
In line with the continuing development of our rigorous academic processes, and in response to customer and partner feedback globally, the assessments for the General Practitioner Certificate (GPCert) Qualification have changed. This change will be implemented only for programmes starting from the 1st of September 2024 onwards.
If you started your training programme before 01.09.2024, please refer to MyImprove for your assessment requirements.
GPCert assessments for programmes starting 01.09.2024 onwards:- a 90-minute Online Applied Knowledge Examination (OAKE) to assess application of clinical knowledge.
- a 90-minute Case-Based Scenario (CBS) Examination to assess clinical decision making.
Full details of the assessment requirements and deadlines for each qualification are made available for candidates once they have started the programme and are registered with ISVPS. Please contact english@isvps.org for further details.
- 3. Celebrate your success!
On successful completion of your assessments, you will be awarded the GPCert with a personalised certificate and your name will be included in the ISVPS register of General Practitioner Certificate holders. - Looking to progress to the PgC?
Further assessments apply if you follow the Postgraduate Certificate (PgC) route, accredited by Harper Adams University (HAU) in UK.
To proceed to the PgC you must have been working in veterinary practice for at least a year prior to starting the GPCert programme.
Please contact us for more information on the assessments for the PgC.
Get started now
To get started on your GPCert, simply enrol on the relevant course with our accredited training provider, Improve Veterinary Education. Once you are enrolled on a course, you will be able to register with us for your assessments.
Log into your candidate area
Find up-to-date information on assessments and other useful documents in your Candidates Area.
General Practitioner Certificates
- Abdominal Ultrasound – GPCert(AbdUS)
- Animal Behaviour – GPCert(AnBeh)
- Canine Sports Medicine – GPCert(CanSpMed)
- CT – GPCert(CT)
- Clinical Pathology or Diagnostic Laboratory – GPCert(DLab)
- Emergency Medicine and Surgery – GPCert(EM&S)
- Equine Medicine – GPCert(EqM)
- Exotic Animal Practice – GPCert(ExAP)
- Medical Endoscopy – GPCert(MedEndo)
- Neurology – GPCert(Neuro)
- Ophthalmology – GPCert(Ophthal)
- Oncology – GPCert(Onco)
- Physiotherapy – GPCert(Physio)
- Small Animal Nutrition – GPCert(SAN)
- Small Mammal Practice – GPCert(SMP)
- Ultrasound – GPCert(US)
- Western Veterinary Acupuncture and Chronic Pain Management – GPCert(WVA&CPM)
- Anaesthesia – GPCert(Anaesth)
- Cardiology – GPCert(Cardio)
- Dermatology – GPCert(Derm)
- Diagnostic Imaging – GPCert(DI)
- Endoscopy – GPCert(Endo)
- Equine Reproduction – GPCert(EqRep)
- Equine Surgery – GPCert(EqS)
- Feline Practice – GPCert(FelP)
- Small Animal Dentistry and Oral Surgery – GPCert(SADen&OS)
- Small Animal Medicine – GPCert(SAM)
- Small Animal Reproduction – GPCert(SAR)
- Small Animal Surgery Orthopaedics – GPCert(SAS(Ortho))
- Small Animal Surgery Soft Tissue – GPCert(SAS(STS))
- Small Animal Surgery – GPCert(SAS)
Please note that this is the list of qualifications provided by the ISVPS on a global level. For more detailed information, please contact our team.
Progress your career after the GPCert
If you are UK-based, applicants must be on the RCVS Home Practising Register, whilst applicants based outside the UK must hold a qualification that would entitle you to register as a member of the RCVS
Complete additional assessments and/or modules with Harper Adams University to gain a university-recognised Postgraduate Certificate and 60 transferable academic credits (30 ECTS). Once you have gained the PgC qualification this may be used for application to RCVS for Advanced Practitioner Status. Please visit RCVS website for further details.
Contact us for further details regarding the PgC.
GPAdvCert
Build on the knowledge gained in the GPCert to develop an enhanced awareness of relevant techniques and the ability to use them in the management of cases. Find out more about the ISVPS GPAdvCert here.
Or you can work towards a further GPCert in a different discipline.
Get started on your ISVPS General Practitioner qualification now
To get started your ISVPS GPCert qualification, simply enrol on the relevant postgraduate certificate course with our accredited training provider, Improve Veterinary Education.
