Small Animal Veterinary Surgeon

About us

Milton Keynes Veterinary Group is an independent, progressive practice with an experienced, long-standing team of 18 Vets, including certificate holders in surgery, medicine, ophthalmology, dentistry and dermatology. Our RCVS-accredited Tier 3 Hospital at Walnut Tree is purpose-built with fantastic, modern facilities and hosts Vets Now, allowing us to provide outstanding 24-hour patient care and a good work-life balance for our team. We also have four branch clinics in Bletchley, Stony Stratford and Willen.

We’ve been committed to providing outstanding patient and client care in Milton Keynes since the 1970s. Our vets have the knowledge and expertise to work up and treat most cases in-house, including complex medicine cases and advanced surgical procedures, including BOAS, PRAAs and orthopaedics like TPLOs and fracture repairs. We also take referrals from local practices for orthopaedics, soft tissue procedures and thyroidectomy surgery. We have fantastic kit, including video endoscopy, bronchoscopy, ultrasound with cardiac capabilities, operating microscope, slit lamp, Tonopen and dental x-ray, and we are continually investing in our facilities.

Vickie joined us as Head Nurse in 2013 before stepping into the role of Practice Manager. She recently became a Director, this is why: “I really enjoy working here. The big thing that drew me to the practice initially was the high standards of patient care. We’re the host practice for Vets Now, and being able to provide 24/7 care without having to move patients is fantastic. It’s a very supportive team; someone is always available for advice, and we have a fabulous nursing team of 21 RVNs who are very experienced and knowledgeable.”

We’re a really collaborative team, always ready to help each other out with a complicated case or offer mentorship and support if someone wants to develop their skills and progress. We actively encourage career progression and following your interests, so if you want to take on a certificate or further training, this will be fully supported. We have a vet's WhatsApp group, so anyone can quickly ask for help or advice. We have monthly vet meetings where we all get together over lunch to chat about practice updates, and we alternate between clinical case discussions and talks from outside sources. We’re always open to new ideas for practice progression and ways to improve our services.

We are passionate about sustainability, and our Green Group has been working hard to reduce our resource use across all five sites and recently achieved Silver accreditation with the Investors in the Environment scheme.

What our team says about working here

“A brilliant place to work. Fantastic facilities with a hard-working, experienced team who pull together and achieve excellent patient care. A wide variety of cases, with many managed in-house but great links to local referral centres when required. A supportive management team with clinical freedom and evidence-based medicine is encouraged. Great opportunity for case discussion between vets and nurses.” Rachel MRCVS

“What I enjoy most about working for MKVG is that I can continue to enjoy and pursue my area of clinical interest while still being able to be a GP vet. Working in a large, multi-disciplinary team, we can always brainstorm challenging cases to achieve the best outcome for our patients. Aside from the clinical aspects, the team respect you having a break. Having the chance to eat lunch and switch off for a short while means feeling rested and being able to work more efficiently.” Joanna MRCVS

“Our Vets have a high level of knowledge/interest in their specific area, so there is always someone to discuss a case with, and people to pass you cases that you’re interested in - and to be able to hand on the cases that you don’t want to keep!” Amanda MRCVS

The Role

We are ideally looking for a vet with some experience who has completed or is near completing their VetGDP. Our full-time vets work a 4-day week with a fixed day off and just 1:3 Saturday mornings (9-1). We can be flexible with the rota, so if you prefer part-time hours or have other commitments to work around, we’re happy to chat about the options available. We schedule the rota so you’ll spend two days working at the hospital and two days in your home branch, so you’ll have continuity of care with your cases. We all have an equal share of the consulting and operating shifts, so you’ll have plenty of time to hone your skills. We also have time to ensure you get a proper lunch break and can catch up on admin and calls.

We host Vets Now at our hospital, so we provide excellent 24-hour emergency care for our patients with no out-of-hours, Sundays or bank holidays for our team. You will have one early (8-6.30) and one late (11-7) shift every two weeks, where you will be responsible for any patient handovers to and from Vets Now.

Outside work

We love a good get-together, whether meeting for a meal and a night out, walking the dogs or going bowling. We also have our annual summer BBQ and Christmas party, where we hire a venue for the whole team for a night of fun, drinks and dancing. We also book and pay for taxis so everyone gets home safely and no one needs to be the designated driver.

Whilst widely known for its abundant roundabouts !!!- Milton Keynes is actually a very green city; with over 6,000 acres of parkland dotted with rivers, lakes, woodland, and trails, it’s a great place to get outdoors.  We’re also just 40 minutes from London, 30 minutes from London Luton Airport, and a stop on the West Coast Mainline that connects Scotland and the Northwest with the capital.

The Package

• A salary of £38,000 - £70,000
• A 4-day week, with just 1:3 Saturday mornings and no OOHs, Sundays or bank holidays
• Five weeks holiday, plus bank holidays
• CPD encouraged, with certificates supported and funded
• Professional fees paid for RVCS, VDS and BVA
• Private healthcare with Vitality
• Enhanced maternity/paternity/adoption leave
• Happy to sponsor visas

If you would like to be part of our amazing, supportive and friendly team, please call us for an informal chat or apply now!