Posted: 9th August 2017 | Back to news feed
The University of Nottingham’s School of Veterinary Medicine and Science is celebrating success that is unprecedented among UK Vet Schools in this year’s National Student Survey.
The Vet School, set in rolling countryside at the University’s Sutton Bonington campus, achieved an overall satisfaction rate of 100% from its latest cohort of graduates. Nottingham’s unique teaching and learning experience came first in all 27 areas of assessment out-performing all the UK’s six other vet schools.
The National Student Survey (NSS) is carried out every year and gathers honest and anonymous opinions from students about their experience of their course and the institution they have studied at. The results are made available through the Unistats website and are a powerful indicator of the quality of courses, helping prospective students make their UCAS choices.
The purpose-built Vet School at Nottingham was founded in 2006 and was the first new vet school to open in the UK in 50 years. Since then it has gone from strength to strength, achieving full accreditation of its innovative degree course by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2011, and is the only veterinary school worldwide to win an ASPIRE award for student engagement.
This year’s NSS results follow the recent success of the University as a whole in achieving a Gold standard award in the new Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) in June 2017.
Foundation Dean of the School, Professor Gary England, said: ““The astounding results of the NSS for Nottingham this year are testament to the fact that the innovative education we offer here, and the dedication of our staff, is changing and improving the way veterinary medicine is taught in the UK."
All of the 119 final-year Nottingham vet students participated in the NSS, which itself is a reflection of the enthusiasm for the course among students and the pride they take in studying for veterinary medicine at Nottingham.
The categories in the survey covered quality of teaching, learning opportunities, assessment and feedback, academic support, resources and the school’s organisation and management, as well as student voice. Scores for these ranged between 91% of students agreeing that marking criteria were clear, to an astonishing 100% agreement in five areas: staff are good at explaining things; students were intellectually stimulated; having opportunities to apply learning; good access to facilities and resources and being able to provide feedback to the school.
Dr Janika Patel, a graduate of this cohort who is now working in Smengall Animal Practice in North Harrow said: “I am extremely proud of this great outcome in the NSS. It's a testament to how passionate my peers and I feel about our career choice and a reflection on how well the course has been in preparing us to become vets. The course is extremely unique in the British veterinary community and is well structured, which is all thanks to the dedicated staff at Nottingham Vet School. They have guided us through and consistently asked and gave feedback to us throughout the five years.”
The five-year course at Nottingham is unique in that students get hands on experience with animals from day one and students learn from real cases in veterinary practices based in the East Midlands. The School awards three separate degrees: Bachelor of Veterinary Medical Sciences (BVMedSci) is awarded in year three after completion of a research project, and the professional qualifications, the Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine (BVM) and Bachelor of Veterinary Surgery (BVS) degrees are awarded in year five.
More information on the course offered at Nottingham’s pioneering School of Veterinary Medicine and Science are available on the School website: http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/vet/
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