Carving Out Your Own Career in Veterinary

A common theme this month has been the need for change within veterinary when it comes to how we recruit and retain our veterinary teams. With lots of talk both around how to attract the right candidates as well as how to carve out your own career in veterinary that is bespoke to you.

In our recent webinar in partnership with SPVS the importance of role models really shone through. With representation being a key element when it came to progression. The highly influential panel of female veterinary professionals from across the UK and US agreed that being able to ‘see it’, had been hugely valuable for them when it came to developing their own careers in veterinary. With networking and being able to speak to others and hear their stories being vital when looking for new opportunities within the community.

“Speak to people who have already done it and been through it.” -Ami Sawran, Practice Principal at West-point Farm Vets

Honouring Your Dream

Dr. Donita spoke passionately about wanting to be more than a veterinarian without undermining her vocation; she also did not want to feel defined solely by the work that she did. Expressing the need for flexibility in the work that she did in order to honour all her roles equally; whether that be as a mum, a body builder, a friend, a business owner or qualified medical professional.

And Donita is not alone when it comes to advocating the need for flexibility in the workplace. Government research in the UK highlights that flexible working has a positive impact on employee relations engagement, motivation and loyalty.

“Flexible working is often correlated directly with maternity or childcare issues. But the truth is that flexibility is beneficial to everyone. A study recently showed that companies that reduced their working week down to just 4 days a week found that they were far more productive and profitable as the quality of work provided was far more effective.”

- Angela Jones, Equine Veterinary Surgeon & Content Creator for Flexee

PetsApp CEO, Dr. Thom Jenkins couldn’t agree more, with the need for a hybrid approach to the way in which we work being one of the key driving forces for establishing PetsApp.

Speaking Up

Across the panel it was clear that tailoring their career paths and making sure what they did professionally was bespoke to them and their lives outside of ‘work’ had been an active part of fighting burnout and maintaining both mental and physical wellness, but had also helped them create careers that kept them driven to maintain their childhood dreams of becoming vets.

“Don’t let the bias stop you from speaking up. Live within your strength and don’t be afraid to speak up.” - Dr. Donita McCants, Veterinary Concierge

Great resources:

Whether you’re looking for support to enhance your own career pathway, some empowerment of knowledge or help in sending the elevator down to help others following in your footsteps, there are some great veterinary specific resources available:

• BVA: My Vet Future provides valuable content whether you're interested in becoming a vet, or you're already a vet and looking to develop your career.
• SPVS: Become a member to access key insights into the latest salary stats for the industry.
• VSGD: Empowering veterinary professionals to create satisfying careers they love.
• Veterinary Women in Leadership: A joint collaboration between XLVets & Veterinary woman.
• Flexee: The resources hub for flexible working in the veterinary industry.

For more insights around career pathways and recruitment why not also explore some of our own educational content: