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Tag: Careers

  • RCVS council election manifesto: Cheryl Scudamore

    RCVS council election manifesto: Cheryl Scudamore

    CHERYL SCUDAMORE

    Cheryl Scudamore.

    BVSc, PhD, FHEA, FRCPath, FRCVS

    Mary Lyon Centre, MRC Harwell, Harwell Campus, Didcot OX11 0RD.

    T 01235 841017

    M 07714 484522

    E c.scudamore@har.mrc.ac.uk

    PROPOSERS: Nicky Paull, Susan Rhind

    I graduated from the University of Liverpool in 1988 and completed a PhD at the Rowett Research Institute in Aberdeen. I continued my research interests and pathology training at the University of Edinburgh’s Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, becoming a senior lecturer in veterinary pathology.

    Pursuing an interest in human health research, I moved to the pharmaceutical industry in 2001 to work as a pathologist in the safety assessment of new medicines and managing a large technical team. While in industry, I maintained strong academic links, with particular interests in transferring technical skills between industry and academia, and encouraging vets to explore alternative career options.

    In recognition of these interests, I was awarded an Medical Research Council (MRC) skills gap grant, moving back to the RVC in 2009 and on to my current role as pathologist at MRC Harwell in 2012. I am an RCVS recognised specialist in veterinary pathology and hold visiting chairs at RVC and the University of Surrey.

    I have experience of serving on and chairing professional committees. I was part of the stakeholder group for the Vet Futures project and chair the Royal College of Pathologists’ specialty advisory committee for veterinary pathology.

    Manifesto

    The profession is undergoing modernisation and facing challenges that require new ideas to resolve. Key to development and innovation in any profession is the cultivation of diversity. Diversity includes the individuals within the profession, working practices and career pathways.

    Increasing diversity means, firstly, looking at our student intake, working with schools and aiming to attract a better balance of applicants that reflect our society today and will make resilient vets.

    A veterinary education provides a great starting point for a variety of potential career pathways. The Vet Futures project has shown the RCVS and the BVA recognise different career options are important for individuals and the professions. We need to build on this project to ensure graduates are prepared for different roles, practice and non-practice career paths are equally valued, career paths are signposted and people are supported throughout development in their chosen career.

    Mental health is another pressing issue for our profession and ensuring a satisfying career choice, with manageable levels of stress, are essentials for good mental health. We need to develop career pathways within the profession that offer progression and working practices that accept a good work-life balance is essential, not just desirable. We need to find ways to support vets through their early years and as they develop greater responsibilities later in their career.

    Diversity in the profession means having a range of resilient veterinary graduates able proactively to engage with a range of different career options and to adapt to changes in the external environment. Having worked in the university, research institutes and pharmaceutical industry as a lecturer, mentor, careers advisor, researcher and manager, I believe I have a range of skills and experience to contribute to the debate in these crucial areas.

  • RCVS council election manifesto: Lucie Goodwin

    RCVS council election manifesto: Lucie Goodwin

    LUCIE GOODWIN

    Lucie Goodwin.

    BVetMed, DipACVIM, MRCVS

    Axiom Veterinary Laboratories, The Manor House, Brunel Road, Newton Abbot, Devon TQ12 4PB.

    T 01626 355655

    M 07834 784385

    E lucie.mrcvs@gmail.com

    PROPOSERS: Katherine Hall, Hayley Mitchell

    I graduated from the RVC in 2004 and spent the following two years working in a busy small animal hospital in Bristol. Having been firmly bitten by the medicine bug, I returned to the RVC in 2006 to undertake an internship and, subsequently, a residency in small animal medicine.

    Following completion of my residency, I returned to the west country to work for the University of Bristol and Langford Veterinary Services as a teaching fellow and internal medicine clinician. I worked at Langford for a very enjoyable two-and-a-half years, before taking a short career break to help to establish the charity Brighter Bristol.

    Since qualifying, I have also had experience of working in the veterinary charity sector and private referral hospitals, both in the UK and US. In my current position as an internal medicine consultant for Axiom Veterinary Laboratories, I am able to combine my enjoyment of veterinary internal medicine with a role that allows me to offer support to practitioners with their cases.

    Outside of work, I love to travel and enjoy being creative. I also continue to volunteer for a number of charities in the Bristol area.

    Manifesto

    Like all vets, I have worked hard to become a member of the RCVS and am incredibly proud to be so. With ongoing challenges facing us, these really are exciting times for our profession and, as members, we should be engaged with our college to help create and shape our preferred future.

    Having worked in a variety of clinical and academic settings, it is of no doubt to me a happy, healthy vet makes a good vet. As a role that has significant emotional and physical demands, it is no wonder a recent survey of BVA members reported reducing stress was the single highest priority for many. I believe there needs to be a culture change within the profession to support mental health and well-being, and the launch of the RCVS Mind Matters Initiative must be applauded as there is much work to be done to provide support to our members.

    Veterinary education needs to meet the demands of the modern profession and it is essential the college reflects and promotes all aspects of veterinary work. It is alarming half of the vets surveyed who graduated within the last eight years reported their careers had not matched their expectations (reference: Vet Futures). Action must be taken to ensure we meet their aspirations and do not lose the skills of these highly qualified individuals.

    I am passionate about the advancement of knowledge within veterinary science, particularly making use of evidence-based medicine and clinical governance. With a number of groups promoting these in practice, there is great potential for input from all areas of the profession.

    If elected, I promise to contribute an enthusiastic and progressive voice to council and I would consider it a privilege to serve the veterinary community in this way.

  • RCVS council election manifesto: Melissa Donald

    RCVS council election manifesto: Melissa Donald

    MELISSA DONALD

    Melissa Donald.

    BVMS, MRCVS

    Otters View,
    Purclewan Mill, Dalrymple, East Ayrshire KA6 6AN.

    T 01292 560083

    M 07921 384852

    E melissadonald88@gmail.com

    PROPOSERS: Alison Lambert, Freda Scott-Park

    I started as a food animal intern at Iowa State University, having graduated from Glasgow (1987). After two children, my first full-time position was in a traditional mixed two-person practice in Ayrshire.

    For the next 25 years, I helped develop the practice to become a 100 per cent small animal, forward-thinking, customer-focused, five-vet business. I became the new graduate mentor for the practice and developed a special interest in small animal dentistry.

    In 2004 became an A1 Assessor for nurse training (now clinical coach), and later RCVS practical OSCE examiner for VN exams.

    Outside of work, I have my family to keep me grounded, several dogs, cats and sheep. I enjoy running, swimming, cooking, reading and have started writing children’s books. My husband and I have also run a 1,500-acre beef/sheep hill farm.

    In 2012, I set up our local “parkrun”, being event director until 2014, and enjoyed being a volunteer at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow 2014.

    I am a past president of Ayrshire Veterinary Association and represented Ayrshire on BVA council, also serving on its members’ services group committee. I am a BVA and BSAVA member and have voted in nearly every RCVS election since I graduated.

    Manifesto

    The veterinary profession continues to evolve as it has always done over its long history. I feel this is a really exciting time to be involved in the RCVS, with the Vet Futures project going into its next stage of actioning the recommendations made. Change is only frightening if it is unknown and with this we have some degree of control.

    I am pleased with the new updated practice standards scheme, which feels more like a useful tool to general practice rather than a regulatory “award”. It is also more client friendly and I hope more practices make use of the system to promote themselves, thus improving minimum standards.

    My experience with mentoring school, veterinary and nurse students (our future) over the years has allowed me to open their eyes to all the career options they have, as well as the reality about the hard work, stress, student debt and mental health issues they will encounter to some degree. But I also feel vets should be supported throughout their careers, not just as new graduates, and this should be looked at.

    The RCVS council needs to be made up of 24 diverse veterinary surgeons as it strives to represent the broad range of services vets provide. I have the experience to help with this. It also needs a good age and gender mix.

    We have a wonderful profession we are all passionate about, and I am as proud today of being part of it as I was when I graduated.

    I humbly seek your vote. I am an enthusiastic person with a half-full approach to life and almost 30 years’ general practice experience. I now have the time to fully commit to this important role.

  • Dress for success: tips for job interviews

     

    Image ©iStockphoto.com/YanLev

    We are all familiar with the adage “Don’t judge a book by its cover”. It is true that appearance is ultimately superfluous, but there is no escaping the fact that it has an effect, especially initially.

    In a job interview situation, the way you present yourself is an important factor in the overall impression you portray. You could be responding brilliantly to their questions, but if your interviewer is distracted by the birds nest on your head and the evidence of lunch around your mouth, your efforts will be futile. The reality of the matter is that if a person looks as if they take care of themselves, they convey the subliminal message that they are more likely to take care in other areas of their life, including their job. Here are a few basic guidelines for ensuring you present yourself favourably.

    It may seem an obvious point, but it is important that you dress appropriately. Not all jobs will call for a suit-and-tie get-up everyday, but it is always best to err on the smart side on first introduction. If you look well put together, you give the impression that you take yourself seriously – not in a negative way, but in an I-can-be-relied-upon way (always helpful when you are trying to convince someone to give you a job). It is best to lean towards simple items of clothing with clean-cut lines. Avoid garish prints and shapes, outrageous colours and anything too fussy. T-shirts with contentious slogans are an absolute no-no. Basically, you don’t want anything you’re wearing to be a distraction for your interviewer. Think of your clothes as a frame and yourself as the picture: the frame can be attractive and understated, but its function is ultimately to draw attention to the brilliance of the picture: you, in other words. That is not to say, however, that you should dispel with your individuality completely. A couple of discreetly placed accessories can hint at personality and add interest.

    Secondly, make you what you are wearing is comfortable. It is no secret that clothes enhance the way you feel in any given situation; if you are heavily constricted, and in pain from that darn seam digging in, you are more likely to be flustered and thrown into a state of anxiety. If you are physically comfortable when interviewing for jobs you will be more inclined to feel at ease and more able to focus on the job interview questions being thrown at you.

    Your pre-job interview grooming should, of course, extend beyond what you are wearing. It is no good turning up in a bespoke, beautifully tailored masterpiece if your face and hair still make it look like you spent last night sleeping in ditch. Make sure your hair looks tidy and is away from your face: not only does good facial exposure allow for heightened expressivity, but constantly flicking wayward strands of hair from your eyes will eventually become very irritating for both for you and your interviewer.

    For the women, if you are wearing make up, it is important to not go overboard. Just as you should shy away from wearing clothes with excessively bold colours, so should you avoid putting said colours on your face. It all goes back to the being taken seriously issue: if the amount of blusher you have on makes you look like a clown, your interviewer may be inclined to treat you as such. In case of doubt, a couple of coats of mascara, a dab of concealer in crucial areas and a lick of a neutral lipstick will serve to make you look fresh-faced and groomed.

    With sensible dressing, a quick sprucing up, and of course a wealth of perfectly-prepared interview questions responses, you are sure to come across as an exemplary candidate in any job interview, hopefully enabling you to make the job a good’un!

    Article Source: articlesbase.com

    About the Author

    Xanthe Kershaw is a staff writer for VCCP Search and writes articles on careers and jobs for http://www.totaljobs.com, a leading UK Job site.

  • Vets aren't limited to life in practice

    Image ©iStock.com/nsj-images

    When many people think of veterinary jobs, they think of those in the industry who work in veterinary practices, dealing with pets and farm animals who need examination or treatment. The truth, however, is that veterinary training can make it possible to work in a variety of different roles for different organisations – it’s the key to a career that can be incredibly varied.

    Those who work in a general practice will find their roles are quite diverse: day-to-day tasks could include the diagnosis and treatment of animals, operations, diagnostic tests, health checks, vaccinations, neutering and more. However, there are other career options that those with veterinary training may like to consider.

    Some vets choose to work in industry rather than choose to have daily contact with animals, with industry roles available for those interested in working with biological products, chemicals and drugs to develop, test and work on the production of such substances.

    Others may opt for a career that is more about regulation and standards, choosing to focus on a career that involves inspecting premises such as pet shops, zoos, farms, cattle markets, riding stables, catteries and kennels, in order to ensure the standards of care and hygiene present in these places comply with legal requirements.

    Alternatively, there are openings available for those who are veterinary trained and are looking to work in the public health sector.

    Bodies such as the Department for Environment, Health and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) work to help to both prevent and control outbreaks of disease that are spread by animals, with roles like these possibly including such tasks as working on the prevention of foot-and-mouth disease, or visiting slaughter houses and food processing plants to assess the ways in which the risk of the spread of disease can be reduced.

    It is clear that good veterinary training – and the right skill set – can open doors to a variety of different careers. The important thing for you is to decide just which one is the right one for you…