Job Description
We are growing and are looking for an additional vet to join our independent, 14-vet small animal Tier-3 hospital in beautiful Somerset. If you would like to join a practice where we value our team, where everyone is willing to work together to get stuck in but also enjoy their time away, then read on!
There is a lot of laughter in our practice, and we have created a professional but really friendly and supportive work environment. We will always help each other out and have a shared office where we discuss cases. We have a fun workplace budget that colleagues can use for meals out, theatre tickets, or days out at local attractions. We also have a monthly ‘Feast on Friday’, which is a fantastic way for the team from every department to get together. The practice regularly supports local and national charities, and we like to get involved in local events.
“I absolutely love working here. The team is incredible. Everyone is incredibly supportive, and you don't feel like you're left alone with your cases. The management and Directors are extremely approachable, and they very much care about your work-life balance. Every couple of consults, you get a little bit of a break to catch up and do your paperwork, so you never feel rushed. You never feel overwhelmed when you have something more complicated, as you can always count on the more senior and experienced colleagues in pretty much every field. Everyone is super helpful and super supportive, and we are one big family.” Julia MRCVS
“I’ve been here for two years, and the team is amazing and supportive. That is one of the reasons I started here as a new grad and why I haven't left. We get to see so many cool cases and some slightly more specialist things. The main reason I love it here is the team. We all get on well, and we’re like a family outside and inside work, but also, we've got an amazing facility to work in.” Alex MRCVS
Ideally, we are looking for a vet with some experience who has completed or is near completing their VetGDP to join the team. We have a great reputation for mentoring vets, and if you’re looking to start a certificate in your area of interest, we can fully support you.
We are lucky to have large, modern, purpose-built premises that we moved into in 2018, which we’ve recently extended to increase our consult rooms to six and provide an additional waiting room. Our small animal department is a busy, first-opinion practice that offers surgery (including orthopaedics) and ophthalmology referrals. We have a strong team of certificate holders, including three in surgery, two in medicine, two in ophthalmology, and one in dermatology. We also have a vet studying towards their ophthalmology certificate. Several of our 16 RVNs have also obtained certificates in emergency and critical care. Our 7 SVNs and 5 VCAs complete our fantastic nursing team.
“I’ve been nursing for 15 years now, and this is the first place where it's felt like home. I absolutely love it here. The cases are amazing. The team are amazing. The facilities are really top notch and we get to do a lot as nurses. The management is very supportive, both in work and out of work, and it's just a really good place to work.” Erin RVN
We work a 4-day week, with the same day off each week. We schedule our clinical work between 9 am and 6 pm, which leaves an hour at the end of the day to catch up if needed. Otherwise, we can head home from 6 pm if we're all finished. Consultations are 15 minutes long, with double appointments for more complicated cases and euthanasia. There are plenty of gaps in appointments, which enables time to catch up if running late or deal with any messages or inpatients. We have two vets operating for the whole day and a third vet who operates for the morning and then consults in the afternoon. Each vet has at least one operating day per week with the option of an additional 3/4 day as the third operating vet.
We do our own out-of-hours. After consulting with the team, we introduced a rota that allows everyone to enjoy an excellent work-life balance. For 7 weeks out of the 9 weeks, you will work a 4-day week, with no Saturdays, no weekends, and no on-call night shifts. We’ve achieved this by creating blocks; in Week 1, you do a Saturday morning consult and are on call for the daytime only for the rest of Saturday and Sunday. Following this, you then have Monday off in addition to the Friday off (so a 3-day week). Week 2, you only do nights (no days) and a short consulting shift on Saturday morning; you then have 7 weeks with no weekends or nights. It’s not as complicated as it sounds and works well for the team by creating large chunks with no weekends or duties. We also have night nurses in the hospital, so the on-call vet can be at home and only come in if required.
The package on offer includes:
- Salary range of £35,000 (new graduate) up to £70,000 for an experienced colleague
- VDS and RCVS fees
- CPD encouraged, with certificates supported
- AXA Private health insurance & employee assistance scheme
- Cycle to work scheme and discount with the local gym.
There is lots to explore in Wellington and the surrounding area; we are a stone’s throw from the Quantocks, the Blackdown and Brendon Hills, and just 40 minutes from the South Devon beaches. We are also very well connected; 5 minutes from junction 26 on the M5, so Bristol, Exeter and Taunton are all within easy reach, and we’re even less than 2 hours by train to Central London.
If you would like to discuss the role further, please do not hesitate to call for an informal chat or apply now.
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