Taking the next step in their veterinary career after leaving university can be both an exciting and daunting experience for new graduates.
That’s why we’ve developed our graduate programme across species – small animal, equine, farm, and mixed practice – to help bridge that gap between university and life in practice.
The programmes are designed to give young vets the best possible start to their career and build upon the knowledge and skills learnt at university.
Here, Ben Crofts, a graduate vet at Stanley House Vets in Colne, Lancashire, shares how the graduate programme has boosted his confidence in his first practice role…
When I left university, I was eager to jump into the world of work. I was a bit nervous about taking this step but also excited to use and build on the skills I’d learnt at university. After graduating I wanted to work at a practice that would help me get a good grounding knowledge while also providing me with opportunities to gain experience and upskill. When I saw the role at Stanley House Vets advertised, I really liked the sound of the VetPartners graduate programme during your first two years at the practice. The CPD and support offered in the programme was just what I was looking for to help me progress as a newly qualified vet.
As well as this, I thought Stanley House Vets would be a great practice to start my career as it has a nice sized team, a good mixture of experienced and younger vets as well as an out-of-hours service that would help me see a greater variety of cases.
How did you enjoy the learning experience on the graduate programme?
The graduate programme was packed with lots of interesting topics. The first session we did was on mental health, and we also had sessions on topics such as cardiology, dermatology, lameness, orthopaedics, exotic species and emergency critical care throughout the course of the programme. These sessions were all in-person, and we were also provided with some online materials for us to fill in before and after the sessions to complement what we were focusing on.
My favourite topic was emergency critical care. I found this session particularly beneficial and the skills I’ve taken from it have helped me massively in my out-of-hours work. For example, it has helped me adapt my approach and anaesthetic protocol to the blocked cat as well as further my confidence and competence in surgery for gastric dilatation and volvulus (GDV). I’ve also found that since the session I’ve been able to make better decisions independently in high pressure situations. Another great topic was dermatology which is something I’ve never felt particularly confident with, but since the session I’ve felt a lot happier doing more cytology which helps me further my diagnostics and treatment protocols for my cases.
How much support do new vets receive on the graduate programme?
The support I’ve received has been amazing and it has definitely helped me find my feet at my practice. Support was from a variety of individuals and sources across the two years of the programme, and I would say it definitely played a part in my progression and confidence.
The support from our group leads, Gemma Black and Louise Mallinson was really helpful. They were always there for me both in-person and over email whenever I wanted to chat about anything or to get advice on any cases. They also put me in contact with clinical groups and clinical leaders too when I wanted to ask them specific questions or check anything.
I also found our clinical lecturers to be super supportive and understanding when we wanted to ask questions during or after the sessions and they always made sure we had copies of all of the information from the sessions to keep.
I found the support available throughout the graduate programme incredibly useful and it was reassuring to know that I had others as well as my practice colleagues to help me along the way.
What were the main benefits of the programme?
The graduate programme offered me a fantastic chance to connect with fellow new graduates, which has boosted my confidence since I joined my practice. I was in the same group of around 30 graduates for all of the CPD sessions, with most of us working across VetPartners practices in North West England. Some of them were familiar faces from university, while others I hadn’t met before. Despite our different backgrounds, we were all at a similar stage in our careers, which helped us form a close-knit group that stayed together throughout the programme which was really nice.
Engaging in discussions with other graduates about cases and challenges that we’d come across in practice was really helpful. In doing so, I realised that many of the challenges I was facing were common amongst the other graduates too. Knowing that I wasn’t alone in anything I was struggling with was incredibly reassuring and it gave me the confidence to tackle any challenges head-on.
How are you finding life as a vet since taking part in the programme?
Being part of the graduate programme has boosted my confidence and has improved many of my skills that I’ve been able to directly apply to everyday practice scenarios. Some of the skills that I’ve noticed the most improvement in after doing the sessions are ear cytology and choosing the right products, adapting my anaesthetic protocols in emergency situations and helping to advance my skills with general anaesthetics, intubating, as well as gut stasis with rabbits.
I’m really enjoying my role at Stanley House Vets, and I think the programme has helped me massively with adapting from being a student to everything that comes with being a vet. A lot of the challenges I faced when I first started at the practice came from not having the confidence to take on more difficult cases and not quite knowing how to apply the knowledge I’d picked up from my university studies to practical situations I was coming across in practice. The CPD sessions during the programme and having a really great support system around me both within the practice and from VetPartners helped bridge the gaps in my knowledge and skills and I now feel a much more confident individual because of it.
What’s your advice to veterinary students about to graduate?
Look for practice with a good support system in place. Getting support is crucial for
you in your first job to help you advance and grow as a vet. Also look for opportunities and try to take them when you can, spending that extra time watching or taking part in more obscure cases for example will really help you grow and learn as a person.
Would you recommend the programme to others?
Yes definitely! It was a really positive and rewarding learning experience. Being with other graduates who are at the same point in their careers as you offers a fantastic opportunity to share insights, grow together, and learn from one another.
Ben graduated from the University of Liverpool in July 2022 where he studied Veterinary Science. He started his role at Stanley House Vets in September 2022 alongside the VetPartners Small Animal Graduate Programme. He completed the programme in March this year and is looking forward to advancing his surgery skills further in the future and is also considering starting a certificate.
Article written by Rachel Neill, PR & Communications Executive. Email rachel.neill@vetpartners.co.uk