Small Animal Veterinary Surgeon (Recent graduates are welcome and encouraged to apply)

Who are we?

We are an independent modern small animal hospital based in Meopham, Kent with 3 sister practices in Tonbridge, Sevenoaks and Swanscombe. We have a great reputation and see a wide variety of first opinion and referral cases from all over the Southeast.

We are a 17-vet team with 11 certificates between us, including 3 in surgery and diagnostic imaging, 2 in medicine and 1 in ophthalmology, anaesthesia and ECC. A further 4 vets are studying for certificates in cardiology and medicine and imaging. As you can see CPD, and training is especially important to us. We often do in-house training and recent surgical teaching sessions.

We have superb facilities including laparoscopy, 16 slice CT, DR radiography, doppler ultrasound, endoscopy (including paediatric bronchoscopy), multiparameter monitors, syringe drivers, blood gas and coagulation analysers. Everything you need to provide great care.

We have a culture of listening; your input and ideas really matter here. We believe in evidence-based medicine and are constantly reviewing what we do and are always striving for the best. We  run clinical clubs every Thursday morning.

We’re a really sociable bunch.. Many of our vet team also attend clubs in the evenings; cricket, hockey, amateur dramatics are some of the activities our vets enjoy. We are keen to make sure they can attend, so they just give us their evening commitments and we build the rota around this.

We have low staff turnover. EMS students and visitors to the practice comment on how well all areas of the team get on; nobody is too busy or too important to stop and help.

New graduate and certificate support

We have 2 Vet GDP advisors at Meopham and one at Tonbridge and Sevenoaks.  We have dedicated time allocated in the diary for mentoring 1:1 sessions. We love teaching and are an approved practice, facilitating IMR training for students on rotation from the University of Surrey at Meopham, Tonbridge and Sevenoaks.

We have a well-structured induction programme for any new members of the team, but for new graduates we also have a phased approach to consultations, initially blocking out every other slot in the diary so you don’t feel rushed. We also have a dedicated surgical day at the hospital once a week with your own mentor, and we make sure you can work your way through your surgical check list, initially developing your confidence in neutering, then moving on to other procedures as your skills develop. You will also have the support of a more experienced vet when needed during any weekend work.

We offer additional CPD days for vets studying towards certificates and they also have their own mentors. Their level of teaching steps up a gear, so for someone who is doing a surgical certificate for example would be scrubbing into things like patella luxation’s, getting involved in basic orthopaedics and learning to use the lap spay equipment.

About the role

The role will involve time spent at both Meopham Veterinary Hospital and normally one branch surgery – with dedicated days and VetGDP advisors at each site. A modern house is available if required.

We run a dedicated night team of vets and RVNs so that we could provide a better service for both our clinicians and our patients. This means there are no routine nights for our day vets.

The package

Salary £36,000-£48,000 depending on experience.

Visa sponsorship is available.

Standard CPD allowance is 5 days and £1000, but we frequently support particular courses above this, for example one of our clinicians undertook a TPLO course in America and we were happy to fund all the costs involved. We support certificates with up to £3000- and 10-days CPD.

5 weeks holiday plus bank holidays and increases to 6 weeks with length of service.

The Area

Meopham is a great area to live; there is a direct train to London Victoria which takes 35mins, nearby Ebbsfleet International will whisk you to London St Pancras in just 19 minutes, or give you access to straight to Europe. You can drive down to the Kent coast in an hour. There are great connections to the M20, M25 and A2/M2. The surrounding countryside is gorgeous, and there are ample sports clubs nearby including rugby, hockey, cricket and sailing. Gatwick is 45 minutes away.

How to Apply

Send CV with covering letter to enquiries@meophamvets.co.uk

RVN or Final Year Student VN

Required at The Meopham Veterinary Hospital

 

The successful candidate will join our busy and friendly hospital of 28 nurses and 16 vets

across our main hospital and two branch practices.

Our practice has excellent facilities such as CT scanner, digital radiography, orthopaedic equipment, hydrotherapy and grooming. We are lucky enough to see a wide variety of cases with many of our vets and nurses studying for various certificates.

We are looking for an RVN with the desire to take on clinical coaching of trainee nurses, or a final year student wanting to progress into a larger and busier environment.

We can offer a great team and friendly environment, the opportunity to gain more experience with excellent equipment, as well as the opportunity to develop and progress

Please send CV and cover note to Katie Piper RVN Head Nurse at katiep@meophamvets.co.uk