For Veterinary Surgeons
Information more veterinary surgeons interested in the varied career opportunities in the animal research field
Research with the use of laboratory animals is a broad field and the role of the veterinary surgeon is very important - and very varied!
Veterinary surgeons have always been key stakeholders in several aspects of this scientific area including:
clinical work
research and academic
management roles
and a lot more….!
The main laboratory animal veterinary role in the UK is usually the Named Veterinary Surgeon (NVS) roles. This role requires adequate veterinary experience on this field. The NVS according to the UK legislation is responsible for:
Monitoring, providing advice on the health, welfare and treatment of the animals
Helping the establishment licence holder (PELh) to fulfil their responsibilities
Responsible for and must be actively involved in the overall programme of veterinary care, welfare and health monitoring of the animals housed in the Establishment
Ensuring veterinary care is available for all animals at all times
Maintaining that the establishment is compliant with the requirements of the Veterinary Medicines Regulations relating to the supply and use of drugs
Making sure that animal health records for all of the animals are appropriately maintained in accordance with RVCS requirements
Animal transport to another place, focus on the animals’ welfare and provide any necessary certification
Teaching and training of both animal technicians, other Named People, and research scientists
Helping researchers to achieve high quality research with credible, translatable and reproducible outcomes
Be an active member of the Animal Welfare and Ethics Review Body - AWERB
Advising the scientists on the 3Rs implementation
As this role is very demanding and especially in large establishments, the NVS(s) create a team of vets who are allocated specific responsibilities. As a result the NVS(s) sometimes oversee(s) the programme and make(s) sure that the establishment is compliant with the responsibilities described earlier.
It is useful to mention that the description of the NVS role can be found at the RCVS (Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons) Code of conduct.
Additional information on the NVS role can also be found in these selected publications:
Ngaire Dennison & Anja Petrie, Working as a Named Veterinary Surgeon, 17 Aug 2021, VetRecord Careers
Ngaire Dennison & Anja Petrie, Legislative framework for animal research in the UK, 13 November 2020
Poirier GM, Bergmann C, Denais-Lalieve DG, et al. ESLAV/ECLAM/LAVA/EVERI recommendations for the roles, responsibilities and training of the laboratory animal veterinarian and the designated veterinarian under Directive 2010/63/EU. Laboratory Animals. 2015;49(2):89-99.
In European Union countries the equivalent of the NVS is the Desingated Veterinarian (DV) and in the United States it is the Attending Vet (AV). The legislation is different in different countries, but the main responsibilities of these roles are similar.
Other useful sources of information are the websites of the organisations below:
AAALAC - a private, non-profit organization that promotes the humane treatment of animals in science through voluntary accreditation and assessment programs.
Vets as researchers
In biomedical research, there are also many veterinary surgeons who act as researchers at all levels, from research associates, principal investigators, professors etc.
In this case, they primarily act as researchers and they cannot provide veterinary care, so they should ask the establishment’s clinical vet or NVS to do so.
This is why, in this case, the vet researchers are not required to be RCVS members.
As all researchers, they should usually hold a Personal License and work under a Project License.
Sometimes the veterinary surgeons are the Project License holders or the Establishment License holders. Their understanding, knowledge and expertise is very important for the successful completion of the scientific project they work for.
In animal research science, the veterinary surgeon as researcher can provide very good input on the translative research, as by training, they are trained on the similarities and differences between several species.
It is not uncommon for veterinary surgeons to lead scientific establishments as well. This can vary from team leaders (for example experimental surgery or any other research teams), department managers, directors, animal research unit to establishment management roles (which include general management outside of veterinary care departments as well).
Sometimes these management roles require for the vets to reduce their medical care responsibilities, delegate them to other veterinary surgeons and focus on the requirements of their leadership role.
If you are a veterinary student or a veterinary professional who is considering to work in the Laboratory Animal Medicine field in the United Kingdom, then please visit our Careers page.
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