After university, Amelia Foo was looking for a role where she could continue to grow her veterinary skills whilst navigating the transition from being a student to a working vet.
VetPartners’ Graduate Programme has provided the perfect support to help her to develop her confidence and knowledge.
We have four graduate programmes – small animal, equine, farm, and mixed practice – developed to give newly qualified vets the best possible start to their career.
Here, Amelia, who works at Westway Vets in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, reflects on her first year as a small animal vet…
I HAD previously done a small animal clinical placement at Westway Vets during my university course. It was a six-week placement spread over two years and it involved me shadowing vets and nurses at the various Westway Vets branches across the North East. During the placement I got a real feel for the practice, and I became quite familiar with the team and the friendly atmosphere really appealed to me as somewhere I could picture myself working after university.
Whilst I was on the placement, the practice offered me a position to start as a graduate vet after I finished my university studies. I was really happy to have the role offered to me as I knew I already liked the team. They also explained that I’d get to be part of the VetPartners graduate programme in my first two years with the practice and I thought having the structured CPD sessions and support alongside my role sounded perfect for me.
What has the learning experience been like so far?
We have so far covered a variety of topics including surgery, dentistry, feline medicine, emergency critical care, exotics medicine as well as wellbeing in practice. The sessions are a mix of online and in-person sessions, and they take place once a month.
My favourite sessions so far have been the exotics and surgical CPD. The exotics CPD was a whole day dedicated to the topic and we had a specialist talk us through various typical presentations and how to approach a species we don’t see very often. During the surgical CPD day, we covered lots of different principles including surgical technique, anaesthesia, analgesia, and dentistry. In the second year of the programme, we have some practical sessions which I’m looking forward to, especially the ultrasound practical as this is a skill I’d particularly like to work on.
What kind of support do vets receive on the graduate programme?
I feel grateful for the support I’ve had access to on the programme and from my practice colleagues. Adjusting from being a student to a vet is quite a big jump and I would have struggled a lot more had it not been for the support system that I’ve got. My practice team has always been on hand to answer any questions, discuss difficult cases and scrub into any tricky procedures. I have definitely felt supported during my first year as a vet, my colleagues are always there for me if I ever need help with anything. They look out for me, especially if I have had a difficult day and I feel lucky to be a part of such a special team.
Outside of my practice, other support on the graduate programme has been fantastic. I have an assigned graduate development programme mentor, Ruth Stevens, who emails me regularly to see how I am and asks if I have anything I’d like to chat about. We also have monthly face-to-face catch ups which I find useful, and I use this time to speak to them about what I had been enjoying and anything I have been struggling with at work.
I’ve also felt supported by the range of health and wellbeing resources that I have access to as a VetPartners colleague. One of my team members recommended I take a look on HealthShield after I was having a difficult day and after looking into it, I easily arranged some talking therapy sessions. I’ve found these really beneficial as they help keep my mind clear at work and it’s great to know that there’s other support available on there too if I ever need it.
How are you adjusting to life as a vet since starting the graduate programme?
I’m really enjoying the variety and excitement that comes with working in a busy hospital. Every day is different, which keeps things interesting. My team and I handle morning and evening clinics, where we see a mix of regular check-ups and consultations. When I’m working at one of our branches, I run all day consultations independently which has been great for boosting my confidence. If I am working at the hospital in the middle of the day, I carry out surgeries, perform various diagnostic tests and help deal with any emergency cases. It’s when I’m doing these that I’ve really had the opportunity to use some of the new skills I’ve picked up during the CPD sessions.
The CPD sessions have also boosted my confidence when it comes to handling consultations. It’s been incredibly beneficial to engage in discussions about the various cases I’ve come across with the other graduates, as well as keeping up to date with the most recent guidelines and research findings in the sessions. The various vets who lead the sessions have been excellent at answering any questions I’ve had about real-life scenarios I’ve faced in practice too, which has helped increase my confidence in handling certain situations.
What would you say is the biggest benefit of the graduate programme?
The greatest benefit of the programme so far has been the connections I’ve made. My fellow new graduates and I frequently share our experiences and discuss various cases from our practices which is a great way to learn from each other. It’s also been incredibly valuable to meet the experienced vets who lead our CPD sessions, they have such a wealth of knowledge and practical experience, so they are great to go to for advice and reassurance on anything I’m unsure of. Whenever I encounter uncertainties in my work, I know I can turn to them for support, as well as my team at Westway, which has been incredibly comforting as I’ve transitioned from a student mindset to that of a vet. I’ve also found it fascinating to talk to my colleagues who have been working in the veterinary industry for a while and the vets who lead the CPD sessions about their career journeys as it has opened my eyes to future possibilities within the profession.
What would be some of the best advice you could give to veterinary students about to graduate?
Make sure you have a really good support network around you. There are going to be bad days as well as good, so it is important to have people around you to help guide you through.
Amelia graduated from the University of Nottingham in Veterinary Medicine in July 2023. She started her role at Westway Vets in September 2023 alongside the VetPartners Small Animal Graduate Programme. She has just started her second year on the programme.
Are you interested in taking part in the VetPartners Small Animal Graduate Programme in 2024?
Details of all of our graduate programmes and how to register can be found here: https://vetpartners.co.uk/graduates/
For an informal chat about the programmes, email careers@vetpartners.co.uk
Article written by Rachel Neill, PR & Communications Executive. Email rachel.neill@vetpartners.co.uk