A Fife veterinary practice has launched a new project to train the vets of the future.
The Inglis Veterinary Hospital has forged an association with Edinburgh University to provide training and discounted pet care at its new Cowdenbeath surgery.
Pet owners can access reduced-rate services at Inglis Care & Save while students from the internationally-renowned Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies gain valuable, hands-on experience, not only of animal care but also of building a rapport with their patients’ owners.
A wide range of hi-tech veterinary facilities have been installed to support the service, as well as CCTV and audio recording equipment to help monitor the students’ activities.
In addition, the surgery has a computerised fingerprint recognition pharmacy dispensing unit the first of its kind in use in the country.
All the Dick Vets’ 150 final-year students will experience what Inglis partner Adam Tjolle described as a ”world-class learning facility”.
He said: ”The Dick Vet is internationally famous for producing the best veterinary surgeons in the world.
”It has experienced a rise in student numbers, who in turn have asked to get more experience of actual pet/client interaction and in order to turn out the finest vets, it needs to offer its students practical, first-hand experience – which is where our new surgery comes in, providing a training facility for student vets that’s unique in the UK and internationally.
”Our own fully-qualified veterinary surgeons will guide andauthorise every treatment, so there will be no compromising with the quality of care provided.
”This unique, discounted service is being launched in recognition of the fact that some people may ordinarily struggle with their veterinary bills.
”We want to continue providing the highest levels of care and want to make this accessible to as many people as possible.
”It’s a win-win situation, with very real benefits for both for those clients who opt to use it and for the Dick Vet students who take part.”
Ronnie Soutar, from Cardenden is director of Veterinary Services at the Dick Vet. He said: ”It’s a ground-breaking trial arrangement which will expose our students to a sector of veterinary care which they don’t experience in the vet school’s own Hospital for Small Animals, which is a world-leading, referral-level facility.
”It will provide an excellent resource where our students will be able to gain priceless practical training embedded in a resource for the local Fife community.”