Duo commits to helping steer next generation of young vets
Image: herraez / Adobe Stock
Q: Tell us a little bit about your career journey up to now.
A: Working in busy small animal hospital settings helped us develop our individual surgical and diagnostic imaging interests.
Between us, we have seen many different clinic and client dynamics, including those in an emergency and referral setting.
This has channelled our passion to achieve the best standard of care for our patients in first opinion practice, while also achieving a healthy work-life balance. Over the past year, we have developed The Vet Graduate, an online platform designed to support new graduates with their journey into practice, with a strong emphasis on well-being.
Q: How did you go about finding the right practice for you?
A: Finding a practice without on-call or out-of-hours duty was a strong consideration to maintain a healthy balance. Following an interview, spending time at the practice provided invaluable information on team dynamics, the day-to-day operations and the overall organisation.
This helped us choose a practice that not only matched our professional aspirations, but also provided a supportive and collaborative atmosphere. It took trial and error to learn the importance of doing thorough research.
Q: How much of a factor was location and finances in the choices that you made?
A: Both were important considerations. Initially, finances were higher on the list compared with working hours, rotas and other job perks. As new graduates, the higher paid jobs often stand out. Looking back, the better paid jobs didn’t necessarily come with better support.
With time, we learned the importance of factoring in your lifestyle outside of work. Choosing the right location can hugely influence this. It is an area often neglected when accepting your first offer.
Q: What are some of the things you wished you had known before your first job?
A: There was so much vet school didn’t teach us. It is how Beyond the Clinical originated – an online course to help new graduates transition into clinic life.
When you don’t know any better, you accept everything as it comes. This ranged from spending a day at the clinic prior to accepting an offer, to managing a busy diary.
A quick visit to a clinic doesn’t tell you if the team respects lunch breaks. You may have multiple client calls and a growing lab report list to sort through, with no dedicated admin time.
Asking to see a rota or how the schedule is set can give you a better understanding of the clinic priorities. Another important area is contract negotiation, as often this is presented as set in stone, but is rarely the case.
Q: How has your job met your expectations, and what opportunities has it presented?
A: Every job has taught us what we want more of and what is a non-negotiable. Working in various hospital settings, emergency and referral clinics helped grow our skills exponentially.
As a new graduate, the importance of a good team was simply not prioritised, but has the potential to make or break you.
Having a mentor was invaluable, as well as support from management staff. Having worked in a supportive first job has enhanced our desire to help vets excel in their early career.
Our team, the high standard to which we work, and the ability to fulfil a lifelong dream of helping animals, is incredible.
Q: What have been some of the challenges you have faced, and how have you overcome them?
A: Clinical challenges will always be part of the learning experience. However, there is always someone in clinic or at the end of a phone who can help.
The challenges alongside this, such as pushing for practical experience, managing client expectations, working well in a team and ensuring we don’t burn out, have been far greater.
It took us many years to realise that it is not a badge of honour to work weeks on end without a lunch break or to skip having a five-minute tea break undisturbed.
It is difficult to commit to taking time for yourself, but this ultimately results in better productivity and protects your mental health.
It is having the courage to do this as a new graduate that is a struggle, because you constantly fear that it’s not the “done thing”.
Q: What hopes or plans do you have for the future?
A: To strengthen our platform for new graduates, providing personal development and well-being support. The anxiety we face daily in an ever-increasingly demanding job has the potential to add to the number of vets leaving clinical practice.
Our ultimate goal is to change the veterinary industry for the better and to deliver the best patient care, while also looking after ourselves.
Q: What would be some of the best advice you could give to students or those about to graduate from their first job?
A: Apply to several jobs and make the effort to visit them for a day following an interview or job offer. Start early to allow yourself time to get it right.
You don’t need to accept the first one if it doesn’t fit with your desires. You are not expected to know the answer to everything.
It is always acceptable to be honest and do some research. Make an effort early on to get to know the whole team – receptionists and admin staff included. Offering to make a round of tea goes a long way in this profession.
To access Beyond the Clinical and the other courses on offer, visit www.thevetgraduate.com
For more useful advice and information for graduates, check out the new Vet Times Graduate Special at www.vettimes.co.uk/graduate