Since January 2012, CVE has been mandatory for maintaining registration with the VCI. CVE helps veterinary practitioners and nurses stay current with developments in their fields, ensuring they provide the best possible service to the public, in the interest of animal health and welfare, and public health. It enhances professional knowledge, boosts career prospects, and meets client expectations. CVE also ensures compliance with legislative requirements by facilitating ongoing professional development and compliance with current and best practice. Registrants must accumulate the required credits annually to comply with VCI regulations.

From 2021, registrants are responsible for maintaining their own CVE records, either digitally or in hard copy. The VCI no longer collects individual CVE records but conducts audits on a percentage of registrants each year. Registrants selected for audit must provide documentary evidence to demonstrate their compliance with CVE requirements, including CVE course attendance certificates. Those enrolled in postgraduate programmes, residency programmes, or other appropriate form programme leading to a postgraduate qualification related to veterinary practice are automatically deemed compliant with CVE requirements in the year or years of enrolment on the programme. CVE credits earned beyond the annual requirement can be carried forward to subsequent CVE years, for up to three years. For further information and to assist your compliance with annual requirements, please access the VCI’s CVE Guidance Document.

The VCI also has a responsibility in the approval or accreditation of all CVE courses provided in Ireland. This means to be eligible for CVE credits, CVE courses delivered in Ireland must be approved by the VCI.