*** Veterinary Surgeon- Abbey Vets- Abergavenny, South Wales ***
Do you wish to work in an environment where your input is valued and respected?
Would you like to work somewhere where there is plenty of room for progression and development?
Abbey Vets in South Wales has a fantastic opportunity for a Veterinary Surgeon to join their friendly, experienced team, where you can achieve your full potential!
Our Practice:
Our experienced team has been providing excellent Veterinary Care to pets across Monmouthshire, Gwent, and Powys since the 1980’s.
Our practice is spread across 4 well-equipped RCVS accredited sites with exciting refurbishments under way and we have a varied and interesting caseload. Our main site is in Abergavenny, with branches in Monmouth, Tredegar, and Brecon.
We have all the usual equipment, and all 4 branches have ultrasound, digital x-ray, and blood analysers. In the last 18 months we have invested in brand new ultrasound, DR X-ray and new dental X-ray, as well as laser for our main site in Abergavenny. It is an exciting time to join the team, as we have upcoming refurbishments to further improve two of our sites, thus ensuring we continue to provide the highest standard of equipment and facilities.
Very little is referred, although full clinical freedom is given where this is required.
There is 24-hour care for in-patients available Monday to Friday at our main site in Abergavenny, with our RVN team providing on site care throughout the night, allowing our team to continue providing fantastic patient care overnight, with great case continuity for both us and our clients.
Team:
We have a knowledgeable and experienced team with a diverse range of specialist skills and interests, including internal medicine, orthopaedics, and feline care.
Our team consists of 13 vets, including certificate holders in Surgery, Medicine, and Radiology as well as a visiting Cardiologist- meaning there is excellent case support when required and great learning opportunities.
Rota:
Join our dynamic team in a full-time Veterinary role, where you will have the opportunity to work across our 4 branches, with the possibility of a bias towards one branch. This position will be worked over 4 days a week, including 1:5 full Saturdays and 1:20 Saturday mornings. Additionally, you will contribute to our in-patient only on-call rota on a 1:6 pattern.
At our practice, we prioritise work-life balance and quality patient care. Our out-of-hours responsibilities are outsourced, ensuring that you won’t be burdened with new cases during nights or weekends. However, you will provide essential on-call support to our dedicated night RVNs who care for our hospitalised patients.
Our caseload includes a variety of cases, ranging from orthopaedic procedures to general medical care for unwell animals. Our orthopaedic cases would routinely be kept overnight post operatively for ongoing pain relief, which is something we feel strongly about continuing to offer. Each evening, a comprehensive treatment plan is established for every in-patient, and our night nurse remains on-site throughout the night to execute these plans, administer medications, and monitor patient progress. In the event of any emergencies or changes in a patient’s condition, our on-call vet is readily available for support. The number of admitted patients is of course variable, but averages 1-2 per night.
This role offers the perfect balance of continuity of care for our patients, minimal stress for animals undergoing treatment by avoiding transfers or early discharges, and a supportive work environment for our veterinary team.
There is a great mix of consulting and operating both in Abergavenny and at our branches.
We rota in set breaks in the diary throughout the day for phone calls/ case work, and with a dedicated hours lunch break.
We are open to flexible working requests, as it is important to us to find the right candidate, and the right fit for our team.
Why us?
We appreciate the importance of work-life balance, as well as job satisfaction – and really strive to ensure all our team feel fulfilled in their career aspirations as well as being able to enjoy and cherish their free time out of work.
We strongly believe in developing our vets, and certificates are fully supported, along with all other career aspirations. We want you to be able to grow and develop as part of our team!
The practice is in a beautiful part of the country near the Brecon Beacons National Park, with great transport links and easy access to Bristol and Cardiff in 45 minutes and 2.5 hours to London. Abergavenny, where our main branch is situated, has been named the Best Place to Live in Wales in the annual Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide, with the judges commenting: “Few locations in the UK are as friendly, practical and picturesque as this friendly market town on the edge of the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park. There has been a market here since the 13th century and food remains a strong point, with the Abergavenny Food Festival celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Community spirit is off the charts and there’s a strong and varied sporting scene.”
Rowing, fell running, knitting, cooking, and enjoying the many “foodie” opportunities our area provides are just some of the activities our team enjoy outside of work.
We also believe in winter/summer parties, pizza, and cake (we have a resident baker) and having fun outside of work!
We have experience supporting colleagues at all points in their career, from newly graduated vets to those returning after a career break, to those working towards a certificate and those wanting to pursue leadership/management roles.
Some comments from our team:
“I started at Abbey in September 2022 following a career break. Coming back into practice initially seemed daunting but was made much easier with a friendly and supportive team. There is a collaborative approach to cases and fabulous nursing and admin support. There are new ultrasound and x-ray systems and time built into the day for work ups and admin. Flexibility with hours and a family friendly approach has allowed me to find a better work life balance.” Rhiannon, joined us in 2022
“Starting at Abbey Vets as a New Grad has been a great experience and has helped me to develop my skills and confidence in both surgical and medical cases. Being part of a great team of both more experienced vets, and vets at my experience level means there is a great range of support to draw from, and the environment encourages learning and improving skills. ” Eileen, joined us in 2021
Some of the benefits of our role include:
- A competitive salary of £35,000-£60,000 FTE, DOE
- 4 day per week (flexible working patterns considered)
- CPD: 5 days and £1750 pa FTE
- 28 days Holiday including Bank Holidays FTE
- 15-minute appointments
- 8.45am start. Last appointment 6.15pm
- Pension
- Access to HealthShield and optional health insurance
- Visa sponsorship
- Employee pet discount scheme
- RCVS + VDS + One other professional membership paid.
- One day paid for volunteering (your choice of where)
- Option to buy and sell Holiday + Enhanced maternity, paternity, and sick pay.
- Wellness programmes
- Cycle to work scheme.
- And more!
For further information about the practice please view our website www.abbeyvets.co.uk, Facebook page or contact Meg on 01873 852 391.
If you’re interested in this opportunity, please do get in touch! You can apply with a CV and covering letter to Maegan Potter at Maegan.potter@abbeyvets.co.uk
We look forward to hearing from you!