Starting out on a veterinary career

RE: Starting out on a veterinary career

Niall Taylor — Sun, 04 Oct 2015 20:52:48 GMT

[quote user="Clare Tapsfield-Wright"]Do you all think a small practice or a large one with more vets nearer your age?[/quote]

A wide range of ages would be best - some of us old fogies still have a little to offer

[quote user="Clare Tapsfield-Wright"]Would a designated mentor help or just absorbing advice by osmosis? [/quote]

A 'mentor' should be something or someone that happens naturally - just appointing someone to the role and giving them the label doesn't guarantee anything. I'm with Evelyn on the osmosis thing.

[quote user="Clare Tapsfield-Wright"]Is it acceptable to take a job intending to move on after six months or a year despite the investment in you from the practice ? [/quote]

If you've told the practice those are the terms then fair enough, if not then it's dishonest. You owe it to the practice to be as open with them as you would wish them to be with you at the interview. How would you feel if a practice took you on with the intention of sacking you after 6 to 12 months?

Niall

RE: Starting out on a veterinary career

Catriona MacIntyre — Sun, 04 Oct 2015 20:15:47 GMT

[quote user="Clare Tapsfield-Wright"]

Yes that was my first foray into writing. i am finding it difficult to work as a clinical vet but don't want to lose touch with the profession so trying a bit of writing.

[/quote]

Best article I have read in ages. Well done on a very thoughtful piece. I tried to find it online but can't at the moment.

I thought it contained some excellent tips, including (can't remember word for word) one about asking colleagues questions: don't be afraid, but be sensible and use your common sense.

I would add that when you need to ask a colleague for help or a second opinion on a case, remember to complete your clinical examination first. Sounds obvious but most of us have done it at some point - found something weird and panicked. Take all your basic obs and check all systems. It gives you a much fuller picture and shows that you have made a proper effort and don't appear to be "dumping" a case. It might even answer the question you were going to ask!.

Try and have a bit of a think about the case first - what is the main problem? What do you think your differentials might be? What steps do you think you could take next? Not only are you taking a contructive approach, but it can really help build your confidence when you realise that often your colleagues will be guiding rather than telling you what to do, and confirming that you are on the right tracks - that's really encouraging!

RE: Starting out on a veterinary career

Clare Tapsfield-Wright — Sun, 04 Oct 2015 19:55:47 GMT

Yes that was my first foray into writing. i am finding it difficult to work as a clinical vet but don't want to lose touch with the profession so trying a bit of writing.

RE: Starting out on a veterinary career

Catriona MacIntyre — Sun, 04 Oct 2015 19:53:07 GMT

Clare Tapsfield-Wright - was it you who wrote the article re new grads in the Vet Times a few weeks ago?

RE: Starting out on a veterinary career

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Sun, 04 Oct 2015 19:32:30 GMT

[quote user="Clare Tapsfield-Wright"]Do you all think a small practice or a large one with more vets nearer your age ? [/quote]

Small. Unless you are bold and forceful, you will just sink unnoticed in a large one.

[quote user="Clare Tapsfield-Wright"]Wouled a designated mentor help or just absorbing advice by osmosis? [/quote]

The osmosis one.

Too much like still being a student otherwise.

But it would all depend on the individual.

That's my opinion, based upon practically nothing.

RE: Starting out on a veterinary career

Clare Tapsfield-Wright — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 08:33:42 GMT

Do you all think a small practice or a large one with more vets nearer your age ? Wouled a designated mentor help or just absorbing advice by osmosis?

Is it acceptable to take a job intending to move on after six months or a year despite the investment in you from the practice ?

RE: Starting out on a veterinary career

Nicola Cole — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 23:36:07 GMT

1) Unless you're 100% sure which area you want to work in try and get a mixed job (seeing practice is never the same as being the vet and until you're the one doing it and making the decisions it's very difficult to truly know which aspects you are going to enjoy the most).

2)Try and find a practice with support when you need it but that isn't too hand-holdy (not a word but you know what I mean) and ideally with a spectrum of experience/skills that you can learn from.

3) Have some sort of life out of work eg. sport, or if you're new to an area try and make friends quickly so you have someone you can go down the pub with or go for a run with etc.

4) Try to relax, and most of all enjoy it!

RE: Starting out on a veterinary career

mariette asselbergs — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 21:34:50 GMT

My first job was on an island in the North of Holland. My boss had been the only vet there for 9 years. We shared the job each working 24hrs on, 24hrs off. We did a bit of absolutely everything: large and small of course, meat inspection, keeping an eye on the restaurants (the meat side of them) and the transport of products of animal origen by ferry, postmortems of all stock dying on the island, agricultural politics since half the farmers wanted to become organic (1975) and the others wanted to become modern large scale modern farmers. What made the job one in a million was the combination of enormous variety in work and enough time to do it well, talk about it, doing all the testing ourselves, and following all our curiosities and interests. I was extremely well supported and gained gradually a lot of experience and confidence. It ended with my colleague going off on a 2 month trip through Canada and leaving the Island to me sole charge. After which i was well prepared to be off to my next life in Mozambique.

So: try to find a job with guaranteed good and enthusiastic support, as much variety as possible, and as much time to dedicate to things. Variety is good, "busy" can be less good for a beginning vet. because you need a lot of time in the beginning to read and talk things over. There is no joy in being rushed through cases which you never can really work out and read up on. Also a job with enough time to immerse in the local social life, participate in whatever is on, make friends, become a part of the community.

So that is my experience and advice for a beginning vet.

Mariette

RE: Starting out on a veterinary career

Hannah Wynne Richards — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 18:26:09 GMT

Try to make sure that your "colleagues" in your 1st job aren't prima donnas

Wynne

RE: Starting out on a veterinary career

Anthony Todd — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 17:48:43 GMT

Spend as much of your spare time, and then some, at your favourite vets.

Hold animals, bandage feet listen [silently] in consults ask, enquire, question, clean kennels, handle cats, dogs, rabbits.

Go on LA calls, hold horses, lift feet, go with the course vet to the races, hold the bloody things whilst they're swabbed, ask, ask, ask.

Get a temp. job at a stable too.

RE: Starting out on a veterinary career

Clare Tapsfield-Wright — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 16:30:47 GMT

[quote user="Michael Woodhouse"]

You know about the two VBF books?

http://www.vetlife.org.uk/students-help-advice-and-support/free-pdf-pocket-book-tips

Along with the other links and resources on the site

[/quote]yes thanks Michael , all good stuff

RE: Starting out on a veterinary career

Deborah Anwyl — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 16:29:43 GMT

The vetgrad website is also very helpful for cpd and getting new grads together.

RE: Starting out on a veterinary career

Michael Woodhouse — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 16:14:36 GMT

You know about the two VBF books?

http://www.vetlife.org.uk/students-help-advice-and-support/free-pdf-pocket-book-tips

Along with the other links and resources on the site

RE: Starting out on a veterinary career

Clare Tapsfield-Wright — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 15:52:29 GMT

[quote user="Mark Hedberg"]

You bet - also, http://www.vetcoach.info/ is a good one, Richard Nap has been collecting this kind of advice for a few years now!

[/quote]thanks Mark , I don't know how I have missed reading about this and it's great , thank you

RE: Starting out on a veterinary career

Mark Hedberg — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 13:49:22 GMT

You bet - also, http://www.vetcoach.info/ is a good one, Richard Nap has been collecting this kind of advice for a few years now!