We’re delighted to share an important update for vets considering our PgCert in Small Animal Surgery, and for those interested in the future development of our wider PgCert portfolio.
Our PgCert in Small Animal Surgery now includes a Synoptic Pathway award that has been approved as an eligible postgraduate qualification for veterinary surgeons applying for RCVS Advanced Practitioner status.
This is a significant step forward for our PgCert students and for vets who want practical, university-validated postgraduate training with a recognised route towards further professional recognition.
One PgCert programme. Two pathways.
Our PgCert in Small Animal Surgery remains the same highly practical, work-based postgraduate programme at its core.
It is designed to help vets develop their surgical confidence, clinical reasoning, decision-making and reflective ability through structured postgraduate learning.
The key update is that students will now have two pathway options.
Standard PgCert Pathway
The Standard PgCert Pathway is for vets who want to complete the PgCert, develop their small animal surgery skills and gain a university-validated postgraduate qualification.
This pathway remains focused on practical clinical development, case-based learning and reflective practice.
Importantly, the Standard PgCert Pathway still has no formal final exam. Assessment remains based around reflective work and applied learning, helping you develop your clinical confidence through the cases and decisions you encounter in practice.
PgCert Synoptic Pathway
The PgCert Synoptic Pathway is for vets who want their qualification to support a future application for RCVS Advanced Practitioner status.
Students on the Synoptic Pathway complete the same PgCert programme, with an additional synoptic assessment after successfully completing the taught modules. This assessment gives students the opportunity to demonstrate integrated clinical reasoning and apply their learning to new and unfamiliar case scenarios.
Passing the Synoptic Pathway award means the qualification can be used as part of an application for RCVS Advanced Practitioner status, subject to meeting the wider RCVS criteria.
Why this matters
Many vets want postgraduate training that is both clinically useful and professionally meaningful.
Our PgCert has always been built around practical relevance. It is not just about gaining knowledge. It is about becoming more confident in your clinical decisions, improving patient care and developing the reflective skills needed for long-term professional growth.
The addition of the Synoptic Pathway means vets who are working towards Advanced Practitioner status now have a clear AP-facing route within the CPD Solutions PgCert structure.
It also means students can choose the pathway that best fits their goals.
Some vets may want the structure, confidence and recognition of a PgCert, without taking an additional final assessment. Others may want to use their postgraduate qualification as part of a future Advanced Practitioner application. Both routes sit within the same practical, supportive CPD Solutions programme.
A University-validated qualification, built around real practice
Our approach keeps the robustness of a university-validated PgCert at the centre of the programme.
Students benefit from structured postgraduate learning, practical clinical development, reflective assessment and support from the CPD Solutions team.
The Synoptic Pathway adds an additional assessment step for those seeking an AP-eligible qualification, without changing the practical, case-based nature of the PgCert itself.
That is important. We know busy vets need postgraduate study that fits around real clinical life, supports immediate development in practice and gives them confidence in the decisions they make every day.
Does this mean I automatically become an Advanced Practitioner?
No.
RCVS Advanced Practitioner status is awarded separately by the RCVS. Completing the Synoptic Pathway award means the qualification is eligible as part of an application, but applicants must also meet the wider RCVS requirements.
The Synoptic Pathway supports your route towards Advanced Practitioner status, but it does not automatically confer the status.
We’re here to talk it through
We are currently finalising the full operational details with the university, including the practical arrangements for the Synoptic Pathway.
For now, the most important message is simple:
One PgCert programme. Two pathways.
You can choose the Standard PgCert Pathway if your goal is to develop your small animal surgery skills and gain a PgCert, with no formal final exam.
Or you can choose the PgCert Synoptic Pathway if you want your qualification to support a future application for RCVS Advanced Practitioner status.
If you are considering the PgCert in Small Animal Surgery and would like to understand which route may be right for you, please contact our PgCert team. We’ll be happy to talk you through the current position and help you plan your next step.
Click here to book a call with our PgCert team
Looking ahead across our PgCert portfolio
This approval is also an exciting development for our wider postgraduate certificate portfolio.
We are now working closely with the RCVS to explore approval for our other PgCert programmes as eligible qualifications for vets applying for Advanced Practitioner status.
Our goal is to give vets clear, practical and university-validated postgraduate pathways that support both clinical confidence and professional recognition.
We look forward to sharing further updates as this work progresses.
