Julian said: "People are turning to surgeries where there are more cats, dogs and rabbits, as there is a general perception that a small animal job is easier. There are often less out-of-hours complaints, you don’t have the 2am cow to calve and you don’t have to spend three hours in the mud and rain.
"In mixed practice, you have stretches of 19 days without a day off and 11 nights on call, rain lashing down. People don’t want to do that any more."
He added that a few years ago, there would have been 50 applicants for a job at the Skeldale Veterinary Centre, whereas a recent advertisement drew just 10.
Responding in a Facebook post, Danny Chambers MRCVS, an equine locum vet who has worked in mixed practice at E.C. Straiton & Partners, argues that the problem isn't a lack of enthusiasm amongst new grads for working in mixed practice, but that: "...any practice that expects people to work those types of hours for that level of income with minimal support should consider themselves lucky to get even 10 applications for a position."
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A sad reflection on the universities, who are obviously selecting the wrong applicants.
Wynne
Hannah Wynne Richards Did you read Danny's response. I think his point is that it's less about the graduates coming out of university (who still express an appetite for mixed practice) and more about working pay and conditions in mixed practice needing to improve.
Who pays for it, when farm gate prices are so abysmally low? They need to be multiplied by at least 5 or 6 times to restore profitability to the level it was 50 years ago, and allow animal welfare to improve, and enable farmers to pay realistic rates for veterinary services........rates that will allow practices to hire the necessary staff. The feminisation of the profession is also a factor, as unfortunately, sexual equality hasn't yet spread to the home.