Welcome to the British Veterinary Receptionist Association (BVRA)​

I would like to say that I enjoyed the training very much and I have learned a lot that will help me in my daily duties as a receptionist. In my opinion all the areas covered were most useful to me having only worked as a Veterinary Receptionist for the last 9 weeks. I found the way the trainer let his receptionist know how best to serve the client by using his voice and tapping on the desk with regards to follow up appointments, possible euthanasia, and payment expected exceptionally good.

I have been a receptionist in the veterinary industry for nearly 20 years and after a while, things become second nature and it is easy to get stuck in the way you do things. The BVRA’s Accredited Veterinary Receptionist award has helped me see things from different perspectives and I feel since doing this course I have grown within my role. When I am in tricky situations or have an upset client I take a beat and think of the course. Thank you BVRA.

The Silver level of the Accredited Veterinary Receptionist award has given me a good insight into how much a receptionist has to deal with. Sometimes we feel unimportant, however our workload is varied and needs to be done properly to ensure the smooth running of the practice. It’s not until the course has been completed do you realise how many things we do as receptionists and how much we need to know. I have enjoyed the course, and I am really grateful to have had such an amazing coach who has given her time up to mark my work.

Fantastically presented, informative and excellent content. Really helps to focus on day to day life in reception.

I have been a veterinary receptionist for 16 years and the Bronze award has been so very helpful to refresh my memory and also extend my knowledge of how to run a smooth, happy and organised reception for both staff members and clients!

The Gold level of the Accredited Veterinary Receptionist award was really cathartic and offered me the opportunity to reflect on what I do every day and value myself and my profession. Years of working at a veterinary clinic can cause you to become engrossed in your role and forget what you truly accomplish on a daily basis. I found the health and well-being section to be the most difficult but also the most beneficial, since it forced me to consider how I felt and how my co-workers feel.
I thoroughly enjoyed participating in the AVR Award and I am sad that it has now concluded. I’ve taken numerous courses over the years, but this one has been the most beneficial to me, and I’ve learned a lot about myself and how knowledgeable I am. I’d like to express my gratitude to the BVRA for assisting me in valuing myself and my colleagues even higher than I had previously!

The Bronze course was excellent as this is my first position in a veterinarian practice. Very well laid out, excellent and easy to understand. A great base to get the first understanding and core knowledge. Certainly helpful along side the day to day running of the practice.

I’d just like to say how helpful the BVRA training has been – I’ve been a receptionist for 4 years now and I am one of the most senior on our team but have learned so much – although much of it is ‘common sense’, it’s amazing how much I have learned to make everyday interactions and procedures more simplified, efficient and professional by just changing or altering little things here and there.
We also gained a lot of new staff during covid and I think the BVRA training will be amazing to get everyone up to speed and ‘on the same page’. In the past I have felt that reception has been quite overlooked as an important part of the practice but the BVRA courseS highlight just what a huge contribution and integral part of a veterinary surgery we really are. Thank you for developing this for us!

I was happy with all of the Silver level. Considering how many different types of Practice Management Systems and Practice Protocols there are I thought the course did well to find common ground among them all. The course gave me and my manager (who works in a different building) the opportunity to exchange ideas, comments and questions in a non-judgmental, safe environment.

Glad to finally get our reception team recognised for the hard work they do and to get some relevant training to their role.

I have found all of it really useful! All the courses have been very interesting and I have thoroughly enjoyed completing them even though I was very sceptical at the beginning. I have learnt so much over the last few months and feel more confident going forward.
I am going to take all the knowledge I have learnt back to my daily duties, it is nice to see that the role of a veterinary receptionist is recognized and not seen as just another basic receptionist job. Some days are just super busy and can be stressful but I feel after completing this course I have the tools to cope.
I feel so proud to have completed them and its made me realize how much I enjoy my job.

The knowledge our team has gained from the BVRA awards has been invaluable, much of which we have tailored to fit our own protocols within the practice. The delivery of the course is varied, making it very engaging and interesting. There is plenty of support available during and after the course, both from the BVRA team and other receptionists via the closed Facebook discussion group for members. As a member, I enjoy interacting and sharing knowledge with receptionists in the group from all around the UK. It is refreshing to see veterinary receptionists getting the recognition and respect that they have long deserved! Immensely proud to call myself a BVRA Registered Veterinary Receptionist.

As a JVP I was keen to engage with the Bronze level of the Accredited Veterinary Receptionist award that I am expecting my team to complete. I will be extending this to my team and encouraging progression beyond Bronze to the Silver award. Further training topics I am interested in for my team beyond the Bronze level, will be covered in the Silver from what Brian discussed in the webinars. These include focussing in more depth, financial discussions, difficult conversations, bereavement discussions etc.

When I started working in the veterinary industry 2 years ago, it was all new to me and I had a lot to learn. Thanks to the BVRA I have had the amazing opportunity to learn new skills and build on my character, not just at work. The courses available through the BVRA have helped my confidence grow and I wouldn’t have been in my new role without them.

Being an RVN I found the Silver award very helpful, using my nursing skills for the advice sections and learning how to be a better receptionist with all the other modules covered. I think this course is very comprehensive especially for someone new to working in a veterinary practice, it covered all areas well and prepared people with all the necessary information needed to work in a busy veterinary practice. I found it interesting and interactive and it’s really helped me think more about the things that can actually be achieved on reception.

I found the whole Silver award good. I have been a Receptionist for nearly 15years and head Receptionist for 4 or 5 of those years and I found that the course reminded me of things that I already knew but had let slip over the years. Very enjoyable and will certainly be getting the rest of my team to complete their bronze, silver and gold awards also. Looking forward to doing my Gold award now!

BVRA is really changing my life and giving me a focus on my career, just wanted to say thank you for organising the training and emphasis on receptionists, I really appreciate it!

I think that the Bronze, Silver and Gold levels of the Accredited Veterinary Receptionist award cover pretty much everything, along with the additional pharmacy training.  I have really enjoyed all of these courses and it has added an element of achievement to my job. I hope that the qualification becomes more widely recognised within the profession as I feel it definitely deserves it after all the hard work of the students and the BRVA creating it.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Equine Bronze award. I found it to be clear and concise whilst covering the broad spectrum of situations we can encounter on a daily basis. It was encouraging to note that, moving through the different sections, we already practice a lot of what it is being advocated, particularly from the customer service point of view. I look forward to expanding my knowledge more with the Silver Award.

I was a big fan of the colourful consultation course for vets and feel the Bronze award is excellent for receptionists at all levels. Clear instructions for new Receptionists to cover all aspects of reception. Giving clarity to the many tasks they have to learn which is often overwhelming. But also for the more experienced receptionist to create clear protocols so we all sing from the same hymn sheet.

It was all very useful just refreshing most of what I have already learned during my time as a veterinary receptionist. It was nice to know that the job is all round pretty much the same in every practice and that there is reason behind doing things the way that we do. You don’t always realise the work that goes into everyday life behind the desk before it is all put in front of you and explained.
Brian seems like a nice guy to work with! It would be nice if more vets had his mindset. Overall I have enjoyed completing this part of the course and it makes me realise how much I do enjoy my job, even though some days are hard and it’s easy to forget that. It is very rewarding.

I have recently entered into the world of veterinary reception and I have found the whole variety of topics offered by the BVRA interesting and really helpful. All objectives covered in the Bronze award are totally and realistically a true representation of daily occurrences. Both the graphics and the presenting of each module is clear and the information it has provided strengthens and encourages confidence to perform the role. Very enjoyable, very informative and a great introduction to a new career!

I thought all of it was all excellent. You acknowledge there are difficulties and present helpful ways to overcome them. You emphasise that there are internal as well as external customers in a veterinary practice and that teamwork is very important. You say that veterinary is a people industry right away – that does away with any misconception that it’s simply about being good with animals. You take a realistic approach to fees and empower the person on the desk to feel good about contributing to profitability despite any client negativity.