Pets

A vet’s diary: welcoming new vets to the practice 

Due to a recent expansion in our practice we are pleased to welcome two new vets to our team...

As the summer holidays are almost over, we are busier than ever. Now that the first day nerves have settled, they are in full swing and ready for whatever challenges the world of veterinary medicine has to throw their way (under our supportive eye). Both recent graduates did a lot of their training with us, so it has thankfully been an easy transition from student to surgeon. This has caused me to look back at my first few months in practice here at Pengelly and Mizen, just over six years ago.

I remember feeling, what I refer to as ‘fear and/or excitement’: that buzz of adrenaline as I walked through the door with my name badge attached and my stethoscope round my neck. One of the nurses described me as a border collie puppy. The phase ‘Where’s the ball?’ was used a lot. Everything was new and exciting, but I was worn out by the end of the day. There are currently eight vet schools in the UK. Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, Bristol, London and Cambridge have been churning out students for many years. Nottingham and Surrey are the newest schools so there is more choice than ever.

A veterinary course is five or six years long, depending on which vet school a student goes to. Each school has its own traditions and a subtly different structure, but having seen many students on placement at the practice the end result is the same. Final year leads to a transformation from student to confident and competent professional. However, in my opinion the most important part of the course, and the place where most of the learning happens, is ‘seeing practice’.

Throughout the final two or three years of vet school each student spends a significant amount of time seeing practice, usually in their holiday. This busy schedule allows them to really gain valuable experience prior to qualification. They get an insight into what the job is really like (not all glamour I am afraid), seeing surgical and medical cases right the way through from the initial consult until the animal is safely home. We talk about cases, difficult situations we have dealt with and pass on all of the little tips that vet school doesn’t teach you (usually passed down from boss to assistant over several generations – like how to restrain an angry cat by yourself in the middle of the night using only a lab coat!).

Our two newest recruits have spent months working with us as students and know the other staff and clients almost as well as we do. So on day one, when most people would be shyly sitting in a corner waiting to be told what to do, they were both cracking on as if they had been here for years. So my advice to anyone training as a vet, or thinking of going to vet school is this: most of what you learn happens in practice, so find a nice placement and try to go back to the same place again. They may even offer you a job!

laurafrostLaura Frost MRCVS MA VetMB is a vet at local veterinary practice Pengelly and Mizen.

Pengelly and Mizen Veterinary Surgeons 89-93 Park Road, Peterborough PE1 2TR T: 01733 554953 Emergencies only: 01733 896000 www.pengellyandmizen.co.uk

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