Equine Veterinary Surgeon

The Role

Portland House Veterinary Group are looking for an enthusiastic Ambulatory Equine Veterinary Surgeon to work as a permanent member of staff within a well-established veterinary practice in Retford. The role will involve hands-on veterinary care of a range of horses and ponies, providing both emergency and routine healthcare. 

The role offers:
•    4.5-day week - same half day every week, working hours 8.30am - 5pm.
•    Clinical freedom.
•    Wide and varied caseload of first opinion ambulatory work in a mostly leisure/amateur competitor caseload, with a high % of insured animals.
•    OOH rota - 1:4 – 1:6 weekends plus weeknight(s) depending on time of year.
•    Close links with referral hospitals.
•    Close links with visiting specialists.
•    Range of modern battery powered kit - DR radiography, endoscope, gastroscope (arriving summer 2022), motorised dentistry, Ultrasound scanner.
•    RCVS, VDS and BEVA membership paid for.
•    Generous CPD allowance.
•    No appointments after 3.30pm on a Friday.
•    Certificates encouraged.
•    Case discussion meetings on a regular basis.
•    Freedom to pursue your own area of clinical interest
•    Currently completely ambulatory but plans in place for new premises which should include some clinic facilities.
•    Work vehicle provided.

Salary of up to £50,000 depending on experience.

Key Responsibilities include:

•    Vaccinations
•    Dentistry
•    Surgical procedures
•    Lameness workups – including portable digital radiography
•    Breeding
•    Sedation
•    Ultrasonography
•    5 stage vettings
•    Client liaison
•    Working up cases
•    Treatment plans and visits
•    Sole charge
•    OOH work

About Us

Portland House Veterinary Group has been working in partnership with clients in and around the Retford area in one form or another for over 50 years. Our main practice is located in central Retford and consists of 12 vets and 9 RVNs/SVNs with experience ranging from new graduates to 35+ years. Our Equine department is situated in a separate building in Retford and consists of 2 full time and 2 part time vets. We are a close-knit, supportive, and friendly team with a strong ethos centred on supporting each other, client care, personal progression and achieving the elusive work life balance. 

We have an excellent client base of largely leisure horses with some competition/reproduction work. A large proportion of our clients are insured and relatively low maintenance who appreciate our hard work. We aim to practice gold standard veterinary care in an ambulatory environment.

About the Team and Culture

Across the group and our 4 practices we have 40 members of staff including; 16 vets including 2 certificate holders, 15 registered/student veterinary nurses and animal care assistants, with experience ranging from new graduates to 35 years, and a fantastic team of support staff. We pride ourselves in being a friendly and welcoming team with a supportive environment. The team regularly attend social events together and have multiple annual gatherings for all practices in the group.

Applicant Requirements 

We are looking for an experienced, enthusiastic, and ambitious equine veterinary surgeon to join our busy first and second opinion equine department.
•    Previous experience in an Equine role, (Essential);
•    Confident with all day-to-day routine work including castrations and PPEs/vettings (Essential);
•    Interest and experience in lameness work (Essential).
•    Confident with horses of all breeds, shapes, and sizes.
•    Happy to contribute to teaching and back-up of new graduates. 
•    Interest in promoting and growing the practice.
•    A thirst to do their best for their clients and their patients.

Because our employee's matter

We recognise that our people are fundamental to the success of our business. Investing in our people, premises and processes is at the heart of what we do. In addition to a competitive base salary, you will benefit from:

Work-life balance
6.6 weeks annual leave including bank holidays
Increasing holiday allowance based on length of service
Your birthday as a paid day off

Wellbeing
Private medical insurance
Enhanced family-friendly policies, including maternity/paternity/adoption/shared parental and surrogacy pay
Cycle to Work scheme
Initiatives focused on employee wellbeing
Non-accidental injury support

Development
£1500 CPD allowance with 40 hours paid pro-rata
Certificate support 
Learning and development opportunities via the IVC Evidensia Academy
Access to Vetlexicon – our online encyclopaedia provider
All our Vets & Nurses can apply for research funding
All our Vets get £1000 per annum to spend via our Care Fund
Infection Prevention and Control Programme
Quality Improvement Programme

Professional Memberships
BVA membership
VDS cover
RCVS fees

Additional
Pawsome Benefits – reward gateway giving discounts and cashback with 100’s of retailers
Pension – 5% Employee/3% Employer
Discounted staff pet care

As a BAME and LGBTQ+ inclusive employer, we are keen to hear from candidates from all minority and diverse groups. As a Disability Confident Employer, we are keen to hear from candidates with disabilities and long-term health conditions and would be happy to discuss any reasonable adjustments needed during the recruitment process.

If this position is of interest to you then please get in touch. Please quote BH3412 when applying for this role.

To submit your application, click the apply button.