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C A R E E R S A D V I C E
11
EQUINE MATTERS
CAREERS
ADVICE AND GUIDANCE
Careers:
Veterinary Surgeon
Jack Ashby from Glenthorne Veterinary Group
describes his first year
in practice and offers advice for those considering a career as a vet.
N
ine months into my first job as a
mixed practice vet and I’m already
managing to feel confident enough
with things to relax a bit and enjoy work. I
knew being a vet wouldn’t be easy, but I’d
hoped that once I gained MRCVS status it
would all become much easier...so only now
are the words of advice given to me at my
graduation hitting home; ‘You’re qualified, but
it’ll be a good 5 years until you really feel like
you can call yourself a vet.’ So with the next
major leg of the journey to becoming a ‘vet’
ahead of me, it’s comforting to be able to
look back and see how far I’ve already
come. Working within an XLVets practice has
made my life as a new graduate much easier.
I have in-practice help from a large team of
17 vets, on top of that are the resources and
support made available by working for a
practice that is part of the XLVets group and
yet I’m not pressured by dictation from above
on how I have to treat and manage cases. In
the next five years I’ll be drawing heavily on
this support network for advice, but this article
gives me the chance to give something back
and offer advice to the younger generation.
If you are thinking about a career as a vet,
where do you start
?
The only ways you can
practise as a vet in the UK are with a
veterinary degree from one of the 7 UK Vet
Schools, with a recognised veterinary degree
from an EU university or with a non-accredited
veterinary degree from a foreign university
and then passing an involved RCVS
entrance exam.
Unfortunately veterinary degrees are amongst
the most oversubscribed in the UK. This is due
in part to the relatively static intake levels of
the vet schools, only increasing gradually in
line with the demand for vets, but also due to
veterinary surgery being made increasingly
appealing over the years, starting with the
‘James Herriot’ books and furthered in recent
years by countless television programmes
glamorising the profession. Given the level of
competition this causes, applicants need to
demonstrate not only academic prowess but
also commitment to animal care, initiative, a
good work ethic and more!
Getting a place at your chosen university
is going to rely on a strong application.
High grades in science and having work
experience under your belt by the time you
apply is a minimum. To increase your chances
it’s best to keep up with extra-curricular
activities, sports, DofE and anything else
that makes you stand out from the crowd.
Veterinary Surgeon
Jack Ashby
XLVets Practice
Glenthorne Veterinary
Group, Staffordshire
Application to UK Vet Schools
Universities with veterinary courses
Bristol
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/vetscience/
Cambridge
http://www.vet.cam.ac.uk/
Edinburgh (Royal Dick School)
http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/vet
Glasgow
http://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/vet/
Liverpool
http://www.liv.ac.uk/vets/
London (Royal Veterinary College)
http://www.rvc.ac.uk/
Nottingham
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/vet/