Continuing education
"A must for all vets"

Once qualified, most veterinarians regularly update their knowledge in their chosen field by going to meetings and congresses, reading scientific publications and attending training courses. This is called continuing professional development (CPD), Life Long Learning (LLL) or "further education".

In some countries, certificates or degrees may be obtained after having proven a certain level of advanced skills and knowledge in a particular domain. The required levels of these degrees concerned may vary greatly from country to country (sometimes even from region to region) and may also depend on the chosen discipline.

CPD is strongly recommended in all countries and it is not unlikely that, in the near future, veterinarians need to prove that they spend a minimum number of hours each year on CPD.

Acknowledged vets
"deeper knowledge in one species such as cats "

Several European countries have already some sort of higher level of post-graduate
qualification. These are called a variety of names such as an acknowledgement or certification or accreditation. UEVP, the veterinary practitioners section of FVE, suggested to use the term “European acknowledged veterinarian”.

An acknowledged veterinarian as seen by UEVP is a veterinary practitioner working mainly
with the species concerned and having obtained additional experience and qualifications.
This system of “acknowledged veterinarians” is different from the EBVS specialisation
which is mainly discipline-orientated and is at a higher level of qualification and expertise.
Currently several organisation such as the European Society of Feline Medicine (ESFM) are implementing a “further qualification” in this case for feline medicine for practitioners in Europe.

Specialisation
"specialists mainly in one discipline such as radiology"

Specialisation can be defined as achieving a very advanced level of knowledge and skills in a particular discipline. This level can only be obtained after several years of intensive training and experience. Specialist veterinarians usually practice exclusively in their chosen discipline and may work in referral clinics or teaching establishments.

The organization of specialization by the European Board of Veterinary Specialization (EBVS) is a another key component of European veterinary education. EBVS has organized organ-, discipline-, and species-based colleges. Currently there are 21 specialities. To obtain a title of Diplomate requires an 4-year education program and speciality examinations.
For more information: EBVS website