Victoria shares her inspiring journey to becoming a vet and her experience with the IVC Evidensia Graduate Academy. She opens up about overcoming setbacks, including initial rejection from veterinary school, before finding success through a Graduate Accelerated Program. Now part of the Graduate Academy, Victoria has flourished with the perfect blend of mentorship and support. From treating an injured swan to emphasising the importance of teamwork, Victoria reflects on the dedication, compassion, and rewards of working in the veterinary profession.
Like many vets I know, working with animals has been my goal since a very young age. Despite not growing up on a farm or having any pets in my family I always felt drawn to a career in which I could handle and work with animals. This, combined with my love of science and maths, made Veterinary Medicine an easy choice for me.
Unfortunately, I did not get accepted onto a course when I first applied, during my A-Level studies. This left me devastated and sadly I did not achieve the grades I needed to re-apply. Instead, I took a year out, completed a Year in Industry working in Animal Diagnostics and then started my Bachelors degree in Biology. Still determined to involve animal care in my life, I worked as a part-time Animal Care Assistant for Vets Now, working evenings and weekends throughout my 3-year degree. It was the time spent working for Vets Now that made me realise that working in veterinary was still my goal, and I should not give up.
I applied for the Graduate Accelerated Program at the University of Bristol and was accepted, immediately following my graduation from Biology.
During the 4-year accelerated programme, I continued my work with Vets Now and used my experience and knowledge to help me through the intense course.
Working at Vets Now as part of the wider IVC Evidensia network enabled me to see the real benefits of working for a large group. I was involved with the student ambassador programme while studying, which involved arranging talks with themes such as life as a new graduate, mistakes and learning opportunities and more.
When it came time to look for a role after graduation, I considered the range of options available. For me, the main difference was the level of support available to me. I knew that, although it would be so exciting to be thrown into the deep end of the veterinary world, I would be far more comfortable knowing that I would be eased into my new role and that my day-to-day experience could be more tailor-made to exploring my strengths and working on my weaknesses, rather than being expected to perform all duties at a good standard.
I was honest about my skill level during the interview process and highlighted surgery as an area in which I was very keen to develop. My practice was very understanding and ensured I was given as much assistance, supervision and guidance as I wanted when I started in surgery. This would range from having another surgeon scrubbed in with me, helping at each step, all the way to having someone in the next room who I could ask questions, but was not directly supervising. For me, this was the exact amount of support and flexibility I wanted, without the pressure of having to perform at the standards of the other highly qualified vets.
The first few months were hard work, and I think it’s important to acknowledge that. There is so much about being a vet that goes beyond knowing which vaccines an animal is due and what medication to give a seizing dog. It takes a lot of energy when you start a new role as a vet, you’re getting to know the team and the regular clients, building rapport, managing grieving clients and also absorbing all of the rules and protocols of that particular practice. This improved massively with time, once I became used to the ways of working and things became more routine, requiring a bit less brain power than before. Now, 18 months in, I feel very grateful for the opportunity to be able to follow my cases through and to see clients come back every few months and remember my name or ask for me specifically.
I feel honoured to help someone through the process of saying goodbye to a pet, and to be able to help them through such a difficult time. The clients are so appreciative, and I have been overwhelmed at times as to how grateful they are, and how much of an impact my work has made on them and their pets’ lives.
It would have to be the swan! A member of a local Wildlife Rescue got in touch to say they were bringing in an injured swan that a member of the public had found. It was a fully grown male, with a suspected broken leg. Naturally, a fully grown angry swan does not cope so well with being bundled into a bag and brought into a white, bright and busy hospital, so I’m sure the swan was probably just as shocked as I was.
Fortunately, after the initial disbelief (and plenty of Hot Fuzz jokes from my colleagues), we got to work on examining the swan and determining a plan on how best to help it going forward. The swan was surprisingly cooperative, perhaps still in a state of shock, and we managed to assess it!
Being given plenty of time and support during my first month – I was an “extra” at the hospital, so had no fixed consults or surgeries, I was able to pick and choose my work from the other vets’ rotas. This meant that if I overran on a consult, or needed some extra support during a surgery, the team would not fall behind. This alleviated the pressure of needing to perform and be quick and efficient; it also meant that if I needed to come out of a consult to discuss the case with my supervisor, I had the time and did not feel rushed to finish within 15 minutes.
Being allocated a mentor meant that I had someone I could turn to for any of my queries – whether they be clinical e.g. differential diagnoses or which antibiotics to use, or personal such as how I am coping after a challenging consult or euthanasia, or how to “switch off” when I got home. My mentor provided plenty of reassurance, without judgement and pushed me to have confidence in myself and my decisions, trusting my instincts.
The Graduate Academy has provided a great opportunity to explore a wide range of subjects and specialisms within Small Animal through CPD and training classes. This has helped me to determine my areas of interest, but also those which I don’t enjoy as much as others! For me, canine medicine and anaesthesia are the areas I’m drawn to. Although I love surgery, orthopaedics and dentistry are not for me. I would love to be able to undergo further training, whether that be through an internship/ residency or by completing a certificate. I would like to spend a bit more time working on my skills as a GP vet before embarking on this journey.
The team and friendships I have developed. The people you work with have an enormous impact on how you feel at work. I have been so fortunate to have such a diverse team of vets, nurses, ACAs and receptionists across the branches who have welcomed me into the team, laughed with me about the silly things and made me a great cup of tea for those bad moments. I have formed some really strong bonds over the last 18 months and am grateful to have found people who share my values and sense of humour!
We are human beings, and we all strive to do our best wherever we can. We are doing this job because we have an interest in animal medicine, and we want to help our patients and ensure high standards of animal welfare.