Courses for Front of House Roles

The BVRA’s Accredited Veterinary Receptionist (AVR) Award is a qualification that trains veterinary receptionists in the skills, knowledge and mindsets required to contribute to the practice’s overall goals of clinical resolution, client satisfaction, financial resolution and colleague satisfaction.

The AVR Award is completed over Bronze, Silver and Gold levels and is available in two versions; Companion Animal and Equine.

On completion of the AVR award you will receive a personalised BVRA Accredited Veterinary Receptionist name badge and a Lantra Certificate of Completion. The AVR Award is accredited by Lantra.

Further information about each level of our AVR Award and other courses for front of house roles can be found using the relevant links below.

All our courses are aligned with the RCVS Practice Standards Scheme in terms of helping practices to meet the standards.

All Courses

Companion Animal Courses

Equine Courses

Improves customer service
Receptionists are the first and last impression new and existing clients will have of your business. Knowing how to make that all important first impression, as well as providing “prompt, polite and purposeful progress” with their queries, is all covered in the bronze level of the Accredited Veterinary Receptionist Award (AVR).
Improves confidence when recommending appointments Veterinary businesses need to ‘capture’ new clients and new cases. This means converting “contact to consults”. Many receptionists are hesitant to proactively recommend appointments when clients ask them about symptoms as they feel ‘surely clients will ask for one if they need one’. Not so. Many clients expect the receptionist to guide them in their need for an appointment and respect the receptionist’s opinion. The AVR will help receptionists develop the confidence and the feeling that they have the ‘right’ to recommend appointments.
Helps ensure follow-up appointments
Approximately 40% of the appointments on a veterinary diary will be follow-up appointments initiated by the vets and nurses once a client has already been seen. For cases to be seen through to completion it is important that these follow-up cases are actually booked as opposed to drifting out the door. The AVR helps practices recognise and deal with the Bermuda Triangle problem whereby clients and follow-up disappear without trace once they leave the consultation room.
Helps improve the quality of information and direction that clients receive
Veterinary receptionists are expected to field queries relating to many routine issues, such as preventative healthcare. Receptionists who feel confident in their practice’s preferred recommendations will give more purposeful information and come across as much more credible. The Silver level of the AVR was designed to ensure receptionists know what your practice protocol is across all stages of the customer journey.
Decreases client complaints
Clients can complain about many aspects of practice services but many complaints centre around expectations about costs. The AVR helps practices recognise and deal with surprises about costs via the £75 rule, which states that if a bill is more than £75, a client should have been informed of the balance BEFORE they reach reception. The BVRA believes that receptionists should not be expected to resolve complaints over bills that they did not create. Adopting this system as a practice habit means everyone needs to work together in order to significantly reduce unpaid bills and the angst associated with them.
Develops communication between colleagues
We all know teamwork is essential to success but often communication in practice is not as proactive as it could or should be. That does not mean we are at loggerheads with each other. Instead it means if vet or nurse colleagues fail to take the initiative to ensure that receptionists know what is going on with the logistics of a case, this can cause multiple moments of uncertainty. This then increases the chances something will not be arranged as required or, someone will do or say the ‘wrong’ thing because they didn’t know. The AVR helps practices identify these essential moments of hand over and connection.
Develops consistency between colleagues and between sub-teams
Clients feel more reassured when they hear the same message from multiple sources. Whilst there are often various products and ways to resolve medical issues, clients need and prefer a consistent message from their veterinary practice in order to minimize anxiety about whether they are doing the ‘right thing’. The silver level of the AVR helps practices clarify – and create – what their internal polices and protocols are, not only so that receptionists know them, but in order to communicate them consistently to their clients.
Improves working relationship with all staff members
The net effect of navigating the Bermuda Triangle and adopting the £75 rule is that receptionists feel less stressed! If you ask non-receptionist colleagues “Do you look out for your receptionists?” they usually say “Yes! Of course!” but often they aren’t proactive in doing so by avoiding the potential for exposure to dealing with entirely avoidable issues. Being proactive to make sure your colleagues are in the loop isn’t just an act of professional respect, it’s good for morale and the long-term health of the business.
Cutting edge CPD in an affordable and social manner
Receptionists tell us that they often feel left out of the practice’s development plans. Receptionists see vets and nurses going on CPD, and doing lunch ’n’ learns and often wonder who supports them. The AVR award is conveniently available online but if you want a little more social, the BVRA Annual congress as well as the BVRA roadshows are fun and informative ways to help your team develop the skills, knowledge and attitudes they need to thrive.
Better time management
Stress occurs when we feel uncertainty and urgency. In other words, poor time management creates a sense of urgency that exaggerates the urgency already inherent in veterinary medical practice. The AVR award explains the 8 Principles of diary management that can help minimise and even avoid much of the sense of urgency we get working in practice.

What our clients say

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!

Karen

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.

Delyth

Joint Venture Partner (JVP)

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!

Chel

Receptionist

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.

Nadia

RVN

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.

Louise

Receptionist

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 with out them.

Jaime RVR

Head Receptionist

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.

Alison

Receptionist

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.

Louise

Receptionist

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.

Diane

Receptionist

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.

Lesley

Receptionist

BVRA courses and membership are administered by ColourfulCPD

Courses for Front of House Roles

What our clients say

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