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Tag: salary

Commonly held beliefs that don’t do us any good, pt 4

Belief #4: A career in veterinary science doesn’t pay well

Compared to many other professions, veterinary science is not what you would call a high performer on the salary front. Depending on who you ask, vet wages fall somewhere between that of a plumber and a hat rack. But is this always true?

Here’s a little secret: a lot of wealthy vets are out there. We’re talking fancy sports cars and boats, holiday houses in top-notch locations and early retirement.

Many of these stories of above-average financial success contain healthy doses of good timing and luck, but I can tell you what none of them have in them: someone plugging away in a salaried position for 20 years, complaining about the fact they don’t get paid enough.

So, what is the secret to going from wage slave to financially successful vet? Here are a few things that seem to be common trends among financially satisfied vets.

Attitude

They’re not embarrassed to expect to make a good income from their profession, and to actively pursue it.

Many of the loudest complainers about low wages are also the first to accuse others of unethical behaviour, gouging and exploitation. Many vets probably err too far towards the side of the ethical. But I have seen time and time again it is possible to strike a sustainable balance.

Adding value

Vets who fall on the right side of the income bell curve never just do what is expected of them. They find ways to add value wherever they are – whether it’s as an employee in their workplace, or to their communities.

It’s very simple: if you want to earn more, find a way to generate more.

Note that “more” does not have to simply mean “more dollars”. You can add huge value to a business in ways that don’t directly equate to an immediate increased dollar income. It’s not all about billing more.

Business ownership

It is entirely possible, and likely mostly overlooked as an option, to create a profitable niche for yourself within an employed position. Having said that, most of the high-earning vets I know are business owners or partners.

Maybe it’s a personality thing. Or perhaps it’s the increased feelings of autonomy, of being in charge of your own destiny, and the incentive of “work more, earn more” that causes business owners to invest more time and energy into work, which usually equates to higher earnings.

Either way, owning your own business certainly seems to be the most common path towards more moolah.

Hard work

Our wealthy vets put in the work. We mentioned luck before, but even the luckiest ones put themselves in a position where they were ready to be the receiver of any good fortune by generous amounts of sacrifice and elbow grease.

The good news is that, in most cases, these hard workers are also the ones who eventually end up with more free time after those initial periods of increased effort.

Taking risks and extending themselves

My favourite story that illustrates a willingness to take risks came from one of the MiniVetGuide Vet Vault podcast guests, who started his first practice when he was in his 20s with AUS$40,000 (£20,000) borrowed from his gran. It was pretty much everything she owned. No pressure, right?

It’s that kind of measured risk-taking that paves the way to financial security. While the rest of us stick to our risk-free salaried positions where we haggle about pennies and sulk about how bad the pay is, the risk-takers are making decisions that could irrevocably alter their financial futures.

Diversification

It’s the eggs-in-one-basket theory: our fiscal achievers usually have many eggs in multiple baskets. They seldom depend on their income solely from their primary vocation.

Some side gigs are hobbies that have the potential to generate income, while others have become a primary source of income. Whatever they are, it’s clear these vets do not live with blinkers, and are not scared to venture outside their traditional roles as “vet”.

What’s great about our profession is that it can provide a stable, predictable and flexible income stream that allows you to keep your head above water while you dip your toes into the streams adjacent to the familiar clinical practice pond.

So, what’s it going to be? Accept the conventional wisdom, do your work and grumble about your pay, or pull your head out and look for opportunities?

The money is there for the making, but it’s not going to come looking for you.

April 8, 2020
New locum matching service unveiled
A service is being launched to help practices across the UK fill their locum job vacancies in minutes.

Locum Vet Finder (LVF) has been designed to help solve some of the problems created by a recruitment crisis that has left hundreds of practices struggling with unfilled locum vacancies.

Based on an innovative technology platform that matches locums’ professional profiles to practice vacancies immediately, LVF promises to reduce the amount of time spent sourcing locums.

Transformational

”We believe Locum Vet Finder can make a real difference,” said Jo Woods, managing director of Veterinary Business Development, the company behind LVF.

”As a company, we thought long and hard about our audience, and how we might develop something that would really transform this process for them.

”We know it is tough, but we genuinely believe it’s the right time to put this technology into the hands of practices.”

A central hub for both locums and practices to advertise their availability or requirements – by species, working hours and salary – LVF allows locums to apply for roles in minutes, while market-leading smart matching technology ensures practices get the locum that best matches their need, alerting practices and locums to their matches instantly.

Features

LVF features include:
- Smart matching aligns skills to the needs of practices.
- Complete control – instant notification of matched vacancies.
- Bookings can be made directly via the platform, with no third-party involvement.
- Practice and locum profiles for practices and locums to build their LVF brand.
- Star rating reviews.
- A 24-hour service.
- Free for all locums and cost effective for practices.
For more details, visit www.locumvetfinder.co.uk
March 18, 2019
Corporate vet school
The announcement of a corporate veterinary group’s collaboration with the new Keele University/Harper Adams veterinary school struck a few chords, and seemingly opened a figurative can of worms that (like their literal parasitic counterparts) just doesn’t sit well in my gut.

A few points to consider here, the first of which I have written about before, although not about this particular arrival on the vet school scene.

More vet schools needed?

Do we need more vet schools? The short answer, in my opinion, is no. The employment crisis in the veterinary industry as it stands is multi-faceted – pluck a reason out of the air and it almost certainly has some impact on why practices are begging for vets:
- compassion fatigue
- poor working conditions
- work-life balance
- salary
- lack of long-term prospects
- Brexit
- client pressure
- under-supported young vets
I could talk about any one of these reasons at length (and have done), but, for the purposes of discussing the above gem of veterinary news, I will focus on the last point: support for new graduates or young vets.

Vicious cycle

“This lack of support leads to high stress levels, young vets becoming fed up and looking elsewhere for a different career that provides them with the mental stimulation they desire, but with better support, hours and pay to go with it.” Image © Michael Brown / Adobe Stock

Some practices are excellent at providing a nurturing environment for young vets, but many are not and often not through any fault other than lack of staff.

This lack of support leads to high stress levels, young vets becoming fed up and looking elsewhere for a different career that provides them with the mental stimulation they desire, but with better support, hours and pay to go with it – thus the vicious cycle of extremely talented young people leaving the profession after a few years begins.

Problem solver?

Will opening more vet schools help the staffing problem? No. It is a short-sighted, temporary solution to fill a gap nobody seems to be able to plug. But the more graduates that accept jobs from practices who ideally wanted an experienced vet and can’t source one, the worse the retention problem will become. It is unfair on both parties to take on a new grad if a practice does not have the resources to sufficiently train and help them through their first few years.

To solve the retention problem, the profession needs to improve working conditions and encourage vets to stay, not just find more avenues to farm out new grads to try and bridge the gap.

Are corporates good for the profession?

I could (and probably will) discuss corporates at great length, but there is no clear answer for them being good for the profession. Having been stung with the sore end of the corporate tail once before, I’m inclined to say no, but that would be based on my experience of one particular practice. Conversely, I have colleagues who work for corporate practices that seem to be very well run and provide a great environment for learning.

My opinion is not fact and, to keep it short and sweet, is summarised below:
- The idea behind corporate practices is often well meaning, but does not always work when put into practice. For example, the graduate schemes sound great, but only work if they are implemented correctly on an individual practice level.
- Some corporates are extortionately priced compared to independents – there is a fine line between charging appropriately and taking the biscuit. This is likely exaggerated because many independents have been selling themselves short for years; however, it is not okay to triple prices in a week when an independent practice is taken over. All it does is feed the myth that vets are only in it for the money.
- Long-established corporately owned practices seem to have better client satisfaction than practices newly acquired under a corporate brand as the shock of takeover, staff changes and price increases are long gone.
- Corporates aim to provide better working hours (a four-day week, for example) and flexible working patterns, but, again, this varies on an individual basis.
- The hand of many partners in independent practice has been forced as the profession continues to change. Young people do not have the disposable cash to buy into partnerships, as was the tradition. Corporates have taken advantage of this by buying out those wishing to retire without any new blood coming through.
Corporate practices can vary wildly even within the same group – much of it comes down to the individual practice, as with independents. As much as corporates offer many benefits with their nice shiny contracts, many independents match or better these. Likewise, an independent or corporate practice can be an equally catastrophic place to work in if managed badly at the practice level.

Now, to the elephant in the room…

Should a corporate group be running a vet school hospital?

Is a corporate running a vet school hospital any different from the outsourced rotation format of the other newest veterinary schools – Nottingham and Surrey – whereby they have no on-site university clinic, but rotations are undertaken in nearby hospitals?

“The hand of many partners in independent practice has been forced as the profession continues to change. Young people do not have the disposable cash to buy into partnerships, as was the tradition.” Image © MHChristine / Adobe Stock

The concern with new veterinary schools popping up and proposing this sort of final-year teaching is the associated practices are then less available to provide EMS placements for local students. The purpose-built corporate hospital that is to be partnered with the new veterinary school avoids this particular hurdle in part, at least (there’s no mention of an equine hospital or farm clinic), but is it still a good idea?

Remaining impartial

It comes down to whether the corporate presence is going to be ingrained into the teaching. Will the graduate scheme offered by the group be heavily recommended? Would the business structure and branded drugs be taught to the students?

At university, we were always told to learn drugs not brand names to remain impartial. Would that impartiality be maintained appropriately in a hospital that uses own-branded drugs and whose bigwig advisory boards dictate which products should and shouldn’t be offered?

Encouraging research into all available treatment and diagnostic options is a key aspect of learning and practising evidence-based medicine on rotations.

Familiarity breeds

Even if no direct corporate emphasis exists, surely the undercurrent is going to sway the students into applying for jobs in sister practices under a graduate scheme.

As a new grad, you are bewildered by everything and getting a heads-up on even the smallest of obstacles can make a huge different to your day in the first few weeks. Therefore, simple things, such as the practice management system used in every practice the group owns, may be enough to sway the decision between accepting one of two jobs, simply because using a system you’ve gotten used to on rotations will make your life that bit easier during day-to-day practice.

Conclusion

It remains to been seen if a corporate partnership with the new vet school will be a success for the students under their care and the profession as a whole, and I’ll withhold judgement for now.

However, with predictions corporate takeover will saturate at 70% of practices in the profession, it is undeniable the veterinary landscape is moving further adrift from its once independent roots as the corporate giants continue to tighten their grip.
August 1, 2018
Being a millennial vet

Millennials are stereotypically considered lazy, entitled and always wanting something for nothing. And having previously discussed the many advantages of employing new graduates (and, therefore, millennials), this sort of labelling angers me.

The choices our generation makes are not due to lack of work ethic and naiveté about the future, but rather a reflection on the hand we have been dealt by society.

Recent statistics show the average baby boomer had to save for 3 years for an average-sized house deposit in comparison to the predicted 19 years it would take for millennials to do the same. By the age of 30, the number of millennials still renting is double that of their predecessors in “Generation X”.

At my age, my mother owned a house, had her first child (yours truly) and had been married. I can’t even comprehend the possibility of being able to afford one of those things at this stage in my life, let alone all of them.

We may prioritise our meagre disposable income in different ways, but, despite all the jokes, our love of avocados and lattes are not the reason we can’t afford to get on the property ladder. (For the record, I can’t stand avocado).

Unyielding abyss

It is excruciatingly impossible, says Jordan, to save enough in today’s financial climate to even consider a house deposit. Image © zimmytws / Adobe Stock

It is excruciatingly impossible to save enough in today’s financial climate to even consider a house deposit, while pouring money into the unyielding abyss of renting.

One of the biggest snags in the rental black hole is the deposit and associated agency fees. Shortly after leaving university, I had to magic £1,500 out of somewhere to rent a place close to my first job (and that’s a lot when your bank account hasn’t been above zero since you started uni).

Six months after that, I was faced with having to do the same again because I quit that job.

As vets, we bang on about being happy, having a supportive first job and leaving if it’s not right. That’s all very well, but what if you’re trapped financially?

I didn’t give much thought to my financial situation at the time because I was too unhappy to carry on. While I think it was ultimately the right decision for my mental health, I would carefully consider my situation before doing it again – two months of no salary left me in a very vulnerable position, and if it had been much longer, I would have been in serious trouble.

Luckily, I was offered accommodation for my second job, which was an enormous help, taking the burden of having to find a deposit again off my mind. This is one of the benefits of being a vet as a millennial – very few other jobs would offer a house as part of the package.

If you have to repeatedly uproot and keep forking out for rental deposits every time your circumstances change, it’s easy to appreciate how quickly you can find yourself in a mess.

And for me and my classmates, this is while holding down a respectable job with supposedly “good pay” for someone of the same age. But is the pay all that “good”?

Non-vet friends

My non-vet friends earn varying amounts dependent on their careers or jobs, but these certainly include plenty of non-professionals earning far more than me. However, multiple factors need consideration here.

Those who didn’t go to uni have six years of “work experience” and climbing their respective career ladders more than me. Those who did go to uni have a two or three-year head start, which is significant in certain industries.

While it’s understandable they have had more time to progress in the world of work, that doesn’t entirely quieten the resentment at having put so much money, blood, sweat and tears into a professional degree without the remuneration to reflect that.

And while we may have a decent starting salary in comparison to other graduate roles, we are very quickly overtaken.

The ceiling salary of the GP vet is a much-discussed topic, with an increase in salary seen early on, but thereafter very little difference is seen, despite further years of experience. In the current financial climate, the traditional partnership route becomes less and less tangible for the millennial veterinary graduate.

I struggled to be approved for a credit card, and with the very real possibility of never owning a house, I wouldn’t dream of asking for a loan for the kind of money needed to buy into a practice – and I think I’d be laughed out of the bank if I tried.

For my generation, the type of career, and therefore salary progression, is just not what it has been for previous generations.

Enjoy life in present

Perhaps this is why we value work-life balance more than our predecessors – for them, they worked hard in their early careers because there was a light at the end of the tunnel, being partnership.

Many of my millennial colleagues don’t even consider that as a possibility, with many of us not really knowing what we want to do long-term career-wise, and so we take each day as it comes, not just trying to survive, but striving to enjoy life in the present.

Millennials are all in the same boat – still young adults driving battered cars with bleak property-buying prospects. Image © Deyan Georgiev / Adobe Stock

It deeply upsets me that vets are still perceived as rich money-grabbers. I am not a rich vet, I’m just a millennial, struggling to make headway in an economy set up to put young people on the back foot.

The difference between me and my desk-bound friends, however, is I have the privilege to do a job that I love, and while it comes with all manner of stress, it’s worth it for being able to care for someone else’s beloved pets.

At the end of the day, though, millennials are all in the same boat – we’re still young adults driving battered cars with bleak property-buying prospects.

We didn’t choose to inherit this situation. We’ve drawn the short straw in the birthdate lottery, so all we can do is live the millennial lifestyle and enjoy our lattes and avocados.

May 3, 2018
The gender pay gap – don’t put up with it
I used to consider myself a bit of an anti-feminist – but before the majority of the profession tear strips off me, let me explain…

There are a number of very strongly opinionated feminists around – on your Facebook feed, in the news and also friends or colleagues – you know the type; those who rant on and on about how a builder whistled at them when out running or how it’s disgusting women can’t walk home alone at night without fearing some sort of assault.

Don’t get me wrong, these are issues that shouldn’t be ignored – but by the time I’ve read the 17th Facebook essay about an objectifying song lyric, it starts to get a bit boring.

Keyboard warriors

In my opinion, these sort of things need to be considered sensibly.

Yes, it’s horrible we live in a world where a female is less safe than a male at night in a city, but what are you going to do about it?

Moaning on Facebook isn’t going to save your life. Swallowing your pride and spending a couple of quid on a taxi, instead of walking, might.

I hated being associated with these hardcore, self-proclaimed feminists, because I think those who aren’t campaigning for equality – but are just man haters – give the rest of the female population a bad name.

The ‘real’ working world

I also used to be naive to things like the gender pay gap, because it didn’t affect me at the time. However, now I’m about to enter the “real” working world, in a predominantly female profession, a recent headline caught my eye.

An article in The Guardian regarding the gender pay gap of university graduates stated: “Women who studied veterinary science experienced the widest gap, earning about half as much as their male counterparts”.

I’m not really sure about the accuracy of the study they refer to, and I’m certainly not aware of such a drastic gap among any of my colleagues, but it did get me thinking.

For new grads, I struggled to see how there could be such a gap, where so many internships and graduate programmes having standardised remuneration packages. However, concerning those who are a few years into their careers, there is the theory women are less likely to ask for pay rises than men.

In this day and age

Hardcore, self-proclaimed, man-hating feminists who aren’t campaigning for equality give the rest of the female population a bad name, says Jordan. IMAGE: dundanim / Fotolia.

The pay gap is undoubtedly noted across the profession as a whole, with the SPVS Salary Survey in 2014 noting a gap of 10%.

This begs the question, why? How on earth, in the 21st century, despite being a predominately female profession, can there be this difference?

This does, of course, depend on what is being taken into account.
- Do men progress quicker to partnership roles?
- Are there more men than women in these senior positions?
- Is that accounting for the increased number of women in part-time veterinary work compared to men?
We have a private profession where salaries vary so much depending on the employer, the value of an employee to a practice, location, and other benefits or job perks. Therefore, it is hard to speculate without being able to compare colleagues with similar abilities and experience in like-for-like roles.

Unacceptable

All that aside, there certainly is a pay gap in some form within the veterinary profession, and this is unacceptable. It should be unacceptable in any profession.

Maternity leave may well be inconvenient and expensive for employers, but that should not result in discrimination, purely for being born female.

To all the veterinary feminists out there, instead of getting angry at the world, do something for yourself and for the rest of us in the profession – ask for the pay rise you deserve and do not allow yourself to be undervalued purely because nature made you this way.

Don’t put up with financial discrimination. There are enough women in the profession to drive a change, and that we should do.
June 30, 2017
Don’t fear tuition fees
With the upcoming general election, the question of changing tuition fees has cropped up again.

People obsess over the fact rising tuition fees are putting poorer families off from sending their children to university. But I think they’ve got it wrong – tuition fees aren’t the problem.

Struggling with debt? Poor or middle-of-the-road people struggle because they don’t have enough “maintenance”, not because they have to pay tuition. IMAGE: pathdoc / Fotolia.

Tuition fees are only paid back once you earn enough to manage it. Therefore, they don’t affect the student in the present, while he or she is studying. Out of interest, I recently logged into my student loan repayment account and was presented with a pretty scary number.

Irrelevant

Having calculated what I’ll pay back on my starting salary, I found, to begin with, the debt will actually continue to increase because I would be paying off less than the interest that accumulates every year. That just seems ludicrous – how will I ever pay it off? The answer is I won’t. The loan is written off after 30 years; so, assuming I won’t come into a massive sum of money or win the lottery, the total owed is irrelevant.

I’m not really sure of the economics of how on earth the loan companies or government can find this sustainable, but I’m just discussing how it affects the students here.

The point is, we should ignore that big scary number of total debt and just think of it as a graduate tax. You go to university to get a good education, which should give you the knowledge and skills to get a better career or progress more quickly within that career. For that, you accept a (very small) proportion of your pay packet every month disappears into the ether of student loan repayment – and, since you don’t pay it back until you reach the threshold for repayment, it is not unaffordable.

Surviving during semesters

What is unaffordable is trying to survive at university with nothing in your bank account. Poor or middle-of-the-road people struggle because they don’t have enough “maintenance”, not because they have to pay tuition. The issue is having enough money to live off now.

It’s all very well suggesting students get part-time jobs to help them pay their way through university, but that can be detrimental to the end result as it takes away time from studying and, in some degrees – such as veterinary – it becomes near impossible due to contact time and, later, rotations and clinics.

Some people do manage it, and fair play to them, but it’s certainly tough.

Stuck in the middle

IMAGE: rutchapong / Fotolia.

It’s not just the poor who struggle. In fact, the poor are better off because of means testing. It’s often the people in the middle who are stuck – those whose fates have been decided by some higher power that has ruled they’ll receive less government funding because their parents’ income means they should be able to support their children.

Wrong!

That’s okay for the rich, but for those in the middle, the family often cannot afford to stump up the difference.

What about mature students? It’s ridiculous they are still means-tested even though they could well have been living independently for years without the financial support of their parents and may not even have anything to do with them anymore.

Measured maintenance

Maintenance should not be one size fits all either. Vocational degrees, such as veterinary, require many more materials than arts degrees, for example. Over the five years of my veterinary degree, I bought:
- protective clothing (boiler suits, lab coats, wellies, waterproofs, scrubs, gloves and hospital shoes)
- equipment (a thermometer, stethoscope and dissection kit)
- books amounting to an estimated £700 (not including my laptop)
On top of that, there’s the petrol and accommodation costs of EMS placements and rotations, not to mention the fact having to do EMS in holiday time takes away the opportunity to get a summer job.

Veterinary is an expensive degree, with many applicants not quite realising how much so until they’re in too deep. So, surely maintenance grants and loans should reflect that?

The political parties are isolating young people and students for various reasons, and part of me believes it’s because they don’t understand what we want or need. We need to stop obsessing over tuition fees and ask the students themselves why they are struggling.
June 2, 2017
Change for the better

The UK veterinary profession is suffering.

While a documented shortage of graduates does not exist as in previous years, significantly less fuss has been kicked up about the announcement of the new Aberystwyth-in-conjunction-with-RVC vet school, compared with the opening of the Surrey Vet School in 2014.

Surrey vet school: a bolt from the blue?

Is this because we knew Aberystwyth was in the pipeline so are not shocked by the announcement, or has the profession kept quiet because we do need more vets?

The problem is not a lack of graduates, but a lack of “experienced vets” and a shortage of vets staying in the profession after a few years of graduation.

This begs the question: why?

The simple answer is, as shown in last year’s “Voices from the future of the veterinary profession” survey conducted by Vet Futures, the profession, in its current state, does not meet expectations of those entering it.

Essentially, we feel undervalued, underpaid and overworked, and lack a sense of life outside veterinary.

Undervalued

The profession has an image problem, in many respects. It is becoming more commercialised, not just because of corporate takeover, but because clients expect more.

We seem to be moving away from the respected professionals who have dedicated their lives to helping animals and, as such, are praised for performing little short of a miracle in medical and surgical feats, and towards the providers of a service that, if not absolutely perfect and costs next to nothing, will only be complained about and bad-mouthed to other customers and competitors.

Sadly, the economic climate has caused much scaremongering, bringing vets to the absolute disposal of the pet owner for fear of losing clients and, therefore, not being able to balance the books.

I feel very strongly part of the reason our services are so undervalued is the NHS (See Jordan’s July 2014 blog post, “I Blame the NHS“).

The everyday person has no concept of how much medical procedures, diagnostics and therapeutics cost. I’ve done the research – prices for private medical care are found fairly easily, but NHS costs? Nigh impossible.

So how can we blame the public for not having a clue how much a radiograph costs? The public perception of veterinary in this country needs to change and I don’t think it will without transparency on human medical costs in conjunction with our veterinary ones.

Overworked

“I struggle to see how many full-time vets’ hours fall within the legal limit,” says Jordan. Image © alarts / Fotolia.

Depending on the kind of practice you’re in, or going into, the relative feeling of being overworked will differ. I realise my points won’t apply to every practice in the country and this is sweeping general opinion on the UK profession as a whole. However, I struggle to see how many full-time vets’ hours fall within the legal limit.

The legislation is complex, with loopholes in the Working Time Regulations 1998 (WTR) possibly allowing certain practices to skirt round some of the “rules”, such as the designated 11-hour consecutive rest break in each 24-hour period and the minimum 24-hour rest break in each 7-day period.

On-call work is difficult to classify, but, in essence, the signing of a workforce agreement (probably as part of an employment contract) means the employee is agreeing to to provide out-of-hours cover that impinges on these designated rest breaks.

Some final year rotations at university I know are well beyond the limits set by the WTR (although the legality is sketchy since we’re not employed while we’re students).

“It’s not a nine-to-five job,” was a comment given with regard to rotation hours. That’s tough love: you’re going to be worked into the ground when you qualify, so you may as well get used to it now. But why? Why can’t veterinary be a nine-to-five job? It certainly is in other countries.

The profession is changing and I really hope this is the kind of change that comes about nationwide. With the increasing popularity of outsourced out-of-hours cover and shift work, why can’t a vet clock off at 5pm, enjoy some exercise, cooking, social activity, whatever and come back to work refreshed the next day ready to put in 110%?

Achieving work-life balance

We have numerous talks at uni about mental health awareness and the importance of work-life balance. But how is it possible to achieve a work-life balance if you’re working from 8am to 8pm and, even on the nights you’re not on call, you essentially only have time to grab something to eat and sleep.

What kind of life is that?

“It’s all very well lecturing us on being conscious of having a work-life balance, but what if it is beyond our control?” Image © DOC RABE Media / Fotolia.

It’s all very well lecturing us on being conscious of having a work-life balance, but what if it is beyond our control, as in so many cases?

I know for a fact, if the profession remains stuck in its ways, I will become just another statistic and leave the UK, if not the profession entirely, within a few years.

Don’t get me wrong, I have loved my rotations so far and the sense of fulfilment when I’m actually getting a handle on things is excellent, but I know I will resent my job if it does not allow for some enjoyment outside of veterinary.

But will it ever change? I think something has to give soon, or the profession will find itself in dire straits before long. How would change come about? If we wait for one practice or chain to provide a great work-life balance and rely on the trend to catch on, I think we’ll be waiting a lifetime. But what if the regulations changed?

I don’t really want to talk about Brexit (I’m sure a little piece of me dies inside every time that word is uttered), but the potential change to employment law (which has mainly been derived from the EU) could allow for changes specific to medical professions to protect us from “burnout”.

Overtime pay should exist in the veterinary world, as it does in any other “normal” job, allowing for those maniacs who want to work 24 hours a day to do so at their leisure (or those who need the extra cash), but not at the detriment to those who don’t wish to. Working out a vet’s base salary as an hourly basis is just depressing. And it shouldn’t be.

I keep hearing phrases such as “the profession is changing” and “it’s an exciting time”. I genuinely hope that is the case and we become the progressive generation we like to think we are, and drag the profession kicking and screaming with us into the modern world of enjoying life outside veterinary and moulding our careers around our lives – not the other way around.

July 30, 2016
My first job – hopes and expectations

They are key to the future of the profession, but what are the next generation of veterinary surgeons looking for from their first job?

To find out, The Veterinary Business Journal headed up to SPVS’ “Your First Job” graduate seminar in Lancaster.

   FACTFILE

NAME: Zara Chowdhury

AGE: 22

COLLEGE: RVC

FIRST SALARY EXPECTATION: £25,000 a year

MY FIRST JOB: “I want to move into mixed practice where I will get the experience I want, but also the day-one support I need.

“There are lots of fears of course, and that is natural. Apart from the various clinical concerns, I am not looking forward to the financial side of things, pricing things up wrong and things like that.

“We have not done any business extramural studies. We have had a few business lectures, but it is something I would have liked more of – particularly earlier on in my course, so it would be good to get some kind of induction in the business side of things.”

WORK/LIFE BALANCE: “This is important to me, but I know I have to be flexible to get on.”

WHAT DID YOU GET FROM THIS EVENT? “It has helped a lot to see the various options laid out in such an accessible way.”

   FACTFILE

NAME: Fiona Laurie

AGE: 21

COLLEGE: University of Glasgow

FIRST SALARY EXPECTATION: £20,000 a year

MY FIRST JOB: “I grew up on a farm, so I have always wanted to move into mixed practice.

“Hopefully that job will provide broad experience on the clinical side, but it will be very important to me to see that I will be supported in the right way.

“Coming from a farming background, I have grown up knowing the importance of getting it right from a business perspective, but I would like to be shown the protocols and the pricing structures and have the computer systems all explained to me properly.”

WORK/LIFE BALANCE: “If the rota was really bad I would look elsewhere, as having balance is important to this generation, but we are all coming into this job with our eyes open and I am not scared of hard work.”

WHAT DID YOU GET FROM THIS EVENT? “Free wine and a lot of ideas about the diversity of career options open to those getting a veterinary degree.”

   FACTFILE

NAME: Alexander Kilgore

AGE: 27

COLLEGE: RVC

FIRST SALARY EXPECTATION: US$60,000 to US$70,000 (£35,000 to £41,000) a year

MY FIRST JOB: “I want to move straight into first opinion, small animal practice back in the United States, where the money is better.

“Ideally, in a supportive environment with a mentor to help me grow and develop as a vet and as a business professional.

“For me, there isn’t enough emphasis on the business management side of things, but I think there is more that students could do to make themselves more business-savvy.”

WORK/LIFE BALANCE: “This is a big deal, I have no problem doing out-of-hours, but I certainly don’t want to be working on a crappy rota for crappy pay.”

WHAT DID YOU GET FROM THIS EVENT? “It has shown me there are plenty of other career options in this field – particularly in industry and the military.”

   FACTFILE

NAME: Alice Griffiths

AGE: 25

COLLEGE: University of Cambridge

FIRST SALARY EXPECTATION: £25,000 a year

MY FIRST JOB: “Will be working with small animals for a boss sympathetic to the fact I still have a lot of learning to do. I want some responsibility, but at the same time I will want guidance when needed.

“We have had a few talks about the financial side at university, so I feel I know what will be expected in that direction, but some sort of written guidelines on the business side of things would be great.”

WORK/LIFE BALANCE: “The more hours asked of me, the more important it would be for me to get some flexibility in those hours – I still need to have a life.”

WHAT DID YOU GET FROM THIS EVENT? “It’s a great chance to meet my peers from other universities and to pick up some really good ideas from the speakers here. I am just surprised by how few people decided to come.”

February 23, 2015
How to ace that job interview

Image ©iStockphoto.com/LuminaStock

There are many areas of an interview situation which can lead to candidate nervousness. Prominent amongst them is the knowledge that you are likely to be asked questions by the person (or group) conducting the interview.

These can be seen as a Paxmanesque interrogation where everything said is doubted and each view is challenged – but it shouldn’t be like that, and for your part doesn’t need to be. Four simple tips to help…

Avoid leaving questions that shouldn’t need to be asked

This means ensuring that your application form, or letter, plus any CV, is completed accurately and with all necessary information clearly provided. Even when you have achieved this, be aware that some interviewers still feel the need to check that what is written is correct. This usually reflects their nervousness, or lack of experience or skill in interview situations. Provide brief responses if asked; don’t add crossly: “As I said in my application if you’d bothered to read it…”

Treat a question as an opportunity to make a positive impression

Imagine, for a moment, you are sitting your driving test. Many people see it is a chance to fail, while others think it’s an opportunity to show that they can drive safely. It’s the same with interview questions. It’s easy to imagine the interviewer is doubting your skill, knowledge or experience, but you should see it instead as a chance, pleasantly and concisely, to show what you do know and can do.

Question any questions you are unsure of

Should a question appear unclear, a poor impression is made (even if it’s not really your fault) if you then answer what you think was asked, only to discover that the intention was completely different. Ask for clarification, but without using a form of words that suggests the person asking it has made an error.

Simply try: “To make sure I completely understand what you need to know…” then ask your question. This also makes you more part of a conversation, rather than an interrogation.

Have some questions to ask

Some people only ask about salary, holidays, benefits and the like – and this doesn’t make a great impression. In fact, the interviewer should cover this, so only ask these towards the end if they haven’t.

Instead, look for questions that show you have carried out some research about your potential employer and job. These should also be forward-looking, in terms of how your career might develop, training to be offered, as well as about the job itself.

Four simple ways to help you prepare for, and conduct yourself during, your interview. Not only does this help you make a fine impression, you may also help your (nervous) interviewer through the process – and get them on your side!

June 4, 2014