Veterinary Surgeon - Worcestershire

One our long-standing surgeons is hanging up their stethoscope and heading into retirement (maybe he’s heading for Rivendell ?!), so we’re looking for an additional small animal vet to join our 10-vet team. Are you passionate about developing your veterinary skills?  So are we! We are an independent GP practice that goes that little bit further; we have the facilities and skills to be able to undertake complex surgical and medical cases in-house; providing great job satisfaction for our team, and opportunities for continual learning and development. We also have an excellent 4-day rota with no OOHs and we’re a really nice bunch of people!

We are a large mixed practice that are very much part of the local community for our 60 years. In the past all our services were under one roof, but in 2020 the large animal and equine side moved into separate buildings just down the road. The small animal practice has our largest surgery in the heart of the historic spa town of Droitwich, with another two practices on the outskirts of Worcester and in Wychbold.

Five of our vet team are certificate holders and three of them achieved their certificates here. Steve and Kelly are our surgeons and while Kelly takes on challenging soft tissue procedures including BOAS, Steve has a special interest in orthopaedics and takes local referrals from surrounding practices. Helen is our feline medicine certificate holder and alongside her are Sarah with her dermatology certificate and Vlad has his certificate in exotics. Together we are supported by 5 other fantastic vets and a team of 9 RVNs, 2 SVNs and a cracking support crew. We are also very lucky to have some fantastic peripatetic vets. Mark Patterson, RCVS Specialist in Cardiology (aka the heart god!) visits us every two weeks to see and scan our cardiac patients. Having visiting peripatetic vets is a great way to learn, and Mark is happy to for you to spend time with him picking up tips.  Jeremy Wills is an ophthalmologist who ‘sees’ (sorry couldn’t resist!) all our eye cases and we have a surgical microscope in our theatre for his operating days and we hope to be able to offer cataracts surgery in the near future too. We also have a brilliant, chartered physiotherapist Rhiannon Bradford, who treats our post-op orthopaedic patients. 

One of our vets has slogged their way through the paperwork to become a Vet GDP Advisor and is ready and waiting to support a new graduate. There’s a great caseload and a really experienced team to learn from. Steve or another senior vet are always there for back-up and support if needed so it would be a perfect practice to get your career off to a flying start. Alternatively, if you’ve some experience under your belt and are itching to develop your skills this would be a great place.

We invest in our team and their studies. Johnny, a recent graduate who has been with us for about 18 months, is wanting to study endoscopy as part of a certificate. We couldn’t very well let him start without the right equipment so bought one.  No request is off limit with us. We are not afraid to buy what is need if it’s going to benefit you and the practice. Kit wise we have all the unusual toys plus dental x-ray, endoscopy, two laparoscopic kits, an all singing all dancing microscope complete with camera and we are about to purchase our second ultrasound machine.

Our full-time vets currently work a fixed 4-day week (8:30am – 6:30pm), with the same weekday off. We don’t have culture of staying late to write up notes, we have enough admin time built in so you’ll be away generally by 6.30pm. Vets now take all our OOHs, so once the practice is closed, there will be no additional on call. Once every two weeks, one vet is nominated to stay until 7pm (you are paid for this!) in case any emergency calls come in before Vets Now opens and this is usually to just to triage over the phone. On the very rare occasion there is a stable patient in the practice overnight, an RVN would come and check on them and can discuss with you over the phone regarding medication administration if necessary. Our nurses live very locally so it is extremely rare that you would be asked to come in. We never have a hospital full of patients as if they are in need of extra care, they will always be transferred to Vets Now.

The weekends are shared on a 16-week rota and within that, you would do two Saturdays (8:30am – 4:30pm) and two Saturday/Sunday weekends (Saturday 8:30am – 4:30pm and Sunday 10am – 2pm).

Here is what senior vet and feline medicine certificate holder, Helen, has to say about working with us...'It is refreshing to work in a practice where you truly have clinical freedom, no financial targets and an understanding of the restrictions of childcare. Add into this an awesome team and high clinical standards and MBG is a great place to work!'. 

One of our fantastic senior RVNs, Emilie, who started with us as a kennel assistant says, 'Working at MBG for the past 9 years has been a great experience. I have been supported through all of my training and have been given lots of opportunities to expand my knowledge and gain lots of experience. The team here is very supportive and have a breadth of knowledge'. 

We are actively involved in supporting our community and run regular dog shows and sponsor the annual agricultural show. We are also a really sociable bunch and will take any excuse to get together outside of work. The young’uns are often seen heading for a good night out in Worcester while some of us prefer a relaxed catch up at the local pub. There is a great place in Droitwich where we like to have fun day’s out in the summer and try our hand at boating and kayaking. For rugby fans the Worcester Warriors are on our doorstep and county cricket is just down the road.

We are really well connected for travel links and are only two miles from the M5 and only 20 minutes by train from the centre of Birmingham. The beautiful cathedral town of Worcester is only a 15-minute drive away and thanks to the new highspeed rail links, you can be in Central London within two hours. The stunning Malvern Hills are on our doorstep and JRR Tolkien even based The Shire in Lord of the Rings on this beautiful landscape!

So, if you’ve manages to survive the terrible pun and the hobbit references here’s what else we can tell you!  

• Salary starting from £35,000 for a new graduate to £65,000 for a more experienced colleague (However, this is always up for discussion as we are strong believers that your experience and what you can bring to the table are invaluable!)
• 5 week’s annual leave plus bank holidays
• Flexible CPD allowance as needed – certificates are supported and funded, and everything is open for discussion
• Staggered consulting and operating times allowing plenty of time for admin and phone calls
• Visa sponsorship available

Check out our website to find out more about us, call for an informal chat or apply now!