After 18 months, being a vet is still my dream career, says Georgia

After 18 months, being a vet is still my dream career, says Georgia

Being part of the VetPartners New Graduate Programme helped Georgia Miller get her career off to a successful start.

Here, Georgia explains why the programme is the perfect bridging gap between university and practice life….

Being a vet is everything I hoped it would be – it’s challenging, exciting and it stretches me and I get to build relationships with some lovely clients and their pets.

Being part of the VetPartners New Graduate Programme has provided  me with a great opportunity to progress my career and really settle into my role.

My first job after graduating from Nottingham University in 2020 is at Station House Vets, which is part of Willows Veterinary Group. At Willows, the graduates really benefit from a rotation programme which sees us spend two months at our various branches and two main hospitals, gaining great experience and finding out what kind of practice you’re best suited to.

I opted to join a small branch, where you really get to know the clients and their pets, as well as the close-knit team you’re part of, but I’m also doing weekends at one of our veterinary hospitals, Beech House in Warrington. I work one in 12 Sundays and I’m on call every two weeks, providing me with the beneficial experience of working at a busy veterinary hospital.

You’re dealing with more inpatients and making a plan for their care while they’re in hospital. You’re also working up cases, dealing with emergencies and helping clients who don’t have insurance for their pets.

This all adds up to a great learning experience in my first job.

I’m extremely happy in my current role but, as I progress and gain more experience, I may want to work in a bigger hospital and being part of a much larger veterinary group opens up all sorts of opportunities, all over the UK.

Everyone is so supportive and caring, and there’s a culture of openness where we can discuss anything.

Being part of VetPartners, I have access to great learning material that is helping me to develop into a competent and confident vet.

Not only can you access great CPD resources, you get to meet other graduates and share experiences and support each other.

Being part of a larger veterinary group also gives us the opportunity to ask for help if we need it. We have access to orthopaedic surgeons, cardiologists and members of the Clinical Board.

I also had a mentor from another VetPartners practice, who I could chat to in one-to-one meetings discuss CPD.

The Graduate Programme turned what could be a daunting experience into something really enjoyable as it provided me with a stepping stone between university and practice life.

What is the VetPartners Graduate Development Programme?

  • The VetPartners Graduate Development Programme has been designed to build on the knowledge and skills learnt at university and provide recent graduates with the necessary support to allow them to develop as small animal clinicians.
  • With a truly blended approach, the programme is delivered through a variety of formats, including online workshops, webinars, classroom-based workshops and practical CPD.
  • The programme is supported through VetPartners Learning, our online learning platform.
  • The aim of the VetPartners Graduate Development Programme is to develop our graduate vets into confident and competent members of the profession.
  • The programme gives each graduate a career development pathway at VetPartners.

For more information or to enquire about a place on the 2022 programme, email careers@vetpartners.co.uk