Small Animal Veterinary Surgeon

A full or part-time role with no OOHs at an award-winning family-owned practice.

At Vetsmiths, we believe the veterinary profession is a craft as well as a science, and in celebration of this, we chose our practice name to reflect this.  We are proud to be an independent, family-run small animal practice in Dorset, where our team is everything to us – the absolute foundation of our practice; without them, we have nothing. We all work together in a lovely boutique-style clinic to give clients and their pets both high-standard veterinary care and the best experience they can possibly have. We’re all about building those relationships, not only with our clients and their pets but with each other, and we were really proud to win Best Independent Vets in Dorset 2021, just a year after opening.  We then went on to win overall Best Business in Wimborne in the Wimborne Business Awards 2023. More recently, we were thrilled to receive the Best Place to Work award and maintain our title as New Business of the Year, which we won in both 2022 and 2023. We were also runner-up in the Family Business of the Year category at the Wimborne Business 2024 Awards.

We opened the doors to our beautiful Grade II listed building in November 2020 in the heart of the busy market town of Wimborne Minster.  Owners Chris and Sam said, “We didn’t want to be like every other vet – we wanted a different look and feel to the traditional veterinary practice and have gone for the ‘wow’ factor with both our facilities and our brand-new kit".  This includes DR and dental x-ray, Imotek Esaote MyLab X5 Veterinary Ultrasound with a cardio package, high-end iM3 dental unit with additional rodent dental attachments, electrocautery unit, Casco kennelling system with in-built heating and adjustable lighting, separate dog units including walk-in kennels, cat units both ‘Gold’ and ‘Silver’ to ISFM standards – no bars in sight, and fully equipped in-house laboratory.

As one of the only independent practices in the area, we are able to give you the autonomy to make your own decisions without being micro-managed. We ask for commitment, but in return, we give that back by trusting in our team.  Our part-time receptionist is just as important as our full-time vets - we’re all equal.  That’s why we all receive the same benefits and have a say in making decisions. Creating great relationships between the vet and client and giving both the time they need to achieve that is what’s important to us; it’s about quality, not quantity. We are an RCVS-accredited Small Animal General Practice, and huge amounts of behind-the-scenes work went on, with the whole team being involved to help us achieve this.

“I love working at Vetsmiths because it’s a place where I feel I can reach my full potential as a vet. It is inclusive and supportive, with a wonderful team of dedicated colleagues. I achieve a high level of satisfaction with my cases because I have the time and consistency to do so while also developing a loyal following of dedicated clients. Not only is it a beautiful environment to work in, but there are lovely walks and fabulous cafes on the doorstep to enjoy on your lunch break.  Joining Vetsmiths from the beginning was so exciting and definitely the right decision for me.” Lorna MRCVS

'Since starting at Vetsmiths 18 months ago, I have been made to feel so welcome by the entire Vetsmiths team. Both the nursing team and support staff are accomplished and friendly and have made me feel incredibly supported from day one. It is so refreshing to work at a practice that is sensibly staffed, well-organised, has a caring ethos and holds client care at the heart of what it does. From a veterinary perspective, I’m well looked after, always get a lunch break, and am provided with opportunities to discuss my caseload and further develop my personal interests. The facilities and equipment here are impressive and allow me to provide the best possible service for our clients. I couldn't recommend this practice more!' - Keshia MRCVS

We are a close-knit team of 3 vets, 3 RVNs, 2 ANAs, and 5 receptionists, along with our administrator. Sam, one of the directors, is an all-round people person and is our mental health first aider, regularly taking the time to check in with everyone and ensuring that everyone is appreciated not only for the big achievements but also for the little things that happen daily. In fact, we have an appreciation tin to vote for our Monthly Team Champion.  We all take the time to leave each other messages of thanks or well done's – it can be for anything from making a fab cup of much-needed tea during a busy afternoon of consults to over-hearing a telephone conversation with a client that blew us away.  At the end of the month, the team member with the most votes is our Champ and receives a small gift by way of thanks. 

Our vets have a range of experience; director Chris graduated in 1994 and enjoys all aspects of practice with a particular passion for rabbit medicine, ophthalmology, business management, and knowledge sharing, whether that’s a discussion about cases, clinical meetings, or mentoring. Lorna has been with us from the beginning and is passionate about imaging, feline behaviour and medicine, and imported diseases. She is currently undertaking her advanced practitioner certificate in primary care. She is also our cat advocate and helped us achieve ISFM Silver Cat-Friendly Clinic status within four months of opening.  We have just achieved our Silver status for the fourth year running. Keshia, the newest vet to join our team, has proved a massive hit with our clients and their pets and is nicely building her own clientele. We are also fortunate to have Andy Morris, a referral orthopaedic surgeon, visiting the practice regularly, which enables us to keep the majority of cases in-house. 

Due to our continued success and growth, we’re looking for an exceptional, motivated, people-orientated vet to join us on a full or part-time basis, which will include just 1:4 Saturday mornings. Our out-of-hours are covered by Vets Now Bournemouth, who are based in Wimborne - just a 5-minute drive away from the practice, so there are no Sundays or bank holidays to cover.

Our days are structured so that there is one vet consulting and one vet operating in the morning, with plenty of time set aside for you to catch up on admin and phone calls. It’s important that everyone gets a lunch break to get some headspace and chill out.  We have a rule that if a member of the team chooses to take their break in our cosy kitchen area, they’re not to be interrupted, and discussing work is off-limits.  Afternoon consults start at 3.30 pm, when we’ll have two vets consulting with regular fifteen-minute slots in the diary reserved for ‘on the day’ appointments and time provided to catch up. Our last available appointment is at 6.15 pm, which is kept blocked out strictly for emergencies to help take the pressure off the end of the day. We want you to get out on time whenever possible to enjoy your evenings.

We love being part of the Wimborne community and are passionate about supporting other local independent businesses and where possible, we will always seek to partner with them. One of our most popular partnerships is with Grounded Coffee, which is run by local couple Jon and Rosie, who roast and supply their coffee beans locally. We are so pleased to offer their amazing coffee to our clients (having done the in-depth taste test), and many of our clients now pop in just for a coffee and a chat.  These unscheduled ‘pop-ins’ are just as important to us because it means we’re getting to know our clients and their pets, building those important relationships, and it’s great for relaxing those pets who are a little more timid about their vet visits.

We’re also committed to ensuring, wherever possible, to source responsibly, reduce the amount of waste we send to landfill, monitor our energy usage, and reduce our carbon footprint year after year, which is why we have two sustainability champions in the team.  They continually look at ways we can improve and help implement practices that will have a positive impact on the environment. We are proud to be partnered with Ecologi, creating our own Vetsmiths’ forest.  To date, we have planted 4,000 trees in real forests to offset the carbon footprint of each member of our team. To date, we have offset over 250 tonnes of CO2e.

We’re a sociable, friendly bunch who regularly organise get-togethers outside of work; we always enjoy the chance to catch up and have a laugh, whether we meet for a curry night or enjoy one of the many local bars and pubs in Wimborne.  We’ve celebrated our anniversary for the past two years by taking the team to a Christmas wreath-making workshop with nibbles and mulled wine. We all had such a fun evening that we’ve booked to do this again this November - it’s great for team bonding, and we all get to take home a beautiful Christmas wreath for our doors. We always pull out all the stops for our Christmas celebrations to thank the team for their commitment and hard work during the year. This year, we’re excited to try a different hotel in Bournemouth than usual. We’ll all get dressed up and enjoy good food, wine, dancing and fun in a photo booth; it's a treat for the whole team and their partners as overnight accommodation and breakfast are also booked.

Set on the south coast of Dorset, Wimborne Minster is a picturesque historic market town surrounded by stunning countryside. There are many independent businesses and specialist shops that you’ll be spoilt for choice. There’s stunning riverside walks, and Eye Bridge on the river Stour is a great spot for paddle boarding. Wimborne is less than 20 minutes from the beautiful beaches of Bournemouth and Poole and the glorious new forest in the other direction.  London is around one and a half hours away.

Here's what we’re offering:

• A salary range of £48,000 - £70,000 (pro-rata for part-time)
• Five weeks’ holiday plus bank holidays and no OOH
• Your birthday off – a day off to enjoy yourself and celebrate PLUS cake!
• Generous CPD allowance (no cap) – if it’s the right course for you and works for the practice, why wouldn’t we support you?  Certificates supported and funded
• Paid Professional fees
• Annual parking permit provided for the town centre, including evenings and weekends – this also includes some other car parks around Dorset
• Pet insurance premiums paid for 1 dog, 2 cats, or 2 rabbits (after three months)
• Generous staff discount scheme and workplace pension
• Free fresh fruit is always on offer in the kitchen
• Freshly ground, locally sourced coffee
• Amazing clients who want the best for their pets.
• Supportive working environment, with a fun, creative, and ethical company committed to its team, sustainability, and daring to do things a little differently.

If Carlsberg did veterinary centre reviews…

5* Google Review - “Having a good relationship with our vet was always very important to me. We had dogs around my entire life, and my experiences with different vet practices varied massively until we met Chris over 10 years ago! Now, we have an outstanding relationship not only with our vet but also with the entire team at Vetsmiths. It is so refreshing to see Frankie being happy to see Chris and every single member of the team when we visit. They all take the time to say hello, give him a ton of biscuits and there is always a cup of coffee for me too! So thank you millions Vetsmiths for being this amazing!”  Ms M Bennett-Rihova and Frankie

Like what you’ve read and want to have an informal chat? You can call us, or if you think we’re the practice you’ve been looking for, a team who really does care about the little things, then apply now.