Job Description
The George Veterinary Group is a large, independent practice providing farm animal veterinary services across Wiltshire and Gloucestershire. We are a progressive and enthusiastic team who strive to always provide an exemplary service to our farmers. Our team holds itself to core values of Respect, Trust and Integrity, and we endeavour to be a practice where great people chose to work and can thrive.
We understand the demands being placed on our farmers, navigating public perception and regulation changes while adapting their businesses for a sustainable future. We are looking to recruit open-minded individuals who want to be an active part of the on-farm advisory team, providing support and guidance to farmers on their business as a whole.
Sustainability is a real focus for us, both in the workplace and in supporting our farmers. The ‘Sustainability Group’ constantly reviews the environmental impact of the whole practice and how this can be improved. We have a ‘Sustainable Farming’ discussion group which focusses on regenerative agriculture.
We have much to offer new graduates; high quality dairy and beef cattle work, beautiful countryside to work in and proactive, engaged clients. We promote and prioritise clinical excellence and have a strong emphasis on preventative medicine, herd health and productivity. We run a busy calendar of farmer discussion meetings and enjoy attending agricultural shows and events. We host regular charity evenings and pride ourselves in being part of the local farming community.
We run a well-supported and rewarding new graduate programme that produces confident and competent young vets. All new graduates will have a named mentor for clinical support, and we aim to meet with you monthly to discuss any current issues and agree goals going forward. We run weekly tutorials with specific vets to cover common procedures and discuss cases.
Your working hours will be 8.30am until 5.30pm, with a half day every week and an extra half day following a weekend on call. You will be on call one weeknight per week and 1 in 4 weekends. While on call you will be backed up by two other experienced vets who will screen the calls and support you as needed. The aim of this is to allow you to have maximum exposure to emergency calls, while always having back up.
A typical week for you would include day-to-day sick animal calls, disbudding and castrating, and accompanying colleagues on surgeries or emergencies. You will have fortnightly scanning practice on one of our larger dairies (with experienced vet supervision and coaching). We have four TB testers and all of us do our fair share of TB testing. We believe TB testing is an opportunity, particularly for newly qualified vets; it gets you out on farm and helps you build client relationships whilst seeing a variety of different farming systems.
Our team is made up of multiple certificate and diploma holders, and we very much encourage vets to develop specific interests and niches. We see value in having a team of vets with a diverse range of interests, where we can refer cases in house. We will always support someone who has skills they want to advance. Within our team we have vets who have in depth knowledge and qualifications in embryo transfer, mastitis, lameness, sheep medicine, sustainable parasite control, grazing management and more! In addition to this we encourage our team members to develop their wider skills such as communication, emotional intelligence and resilience. We run a calendar of in-house non-clinical CPD and ensure our new graduates have access to external CPD on these topics.
We provide a car, phone, laptop and your RCVS fees will be covered. We have several VetGDP advisors and will fully support you through completion of your vet GDP during your first year in practice.
As a team we enjoy a range of sports from cycling, running, rugby, cricket, climbing, kayaking, surfing and banger racing. We socialise together on a regular basis, with drinks in the pub post work and team nights out where possible.
Don’t take our word for it, here are some quotes from recent employees:
Elina Body, new graduate 2022-2023
“Starting as a new grad at the George has allowed me to grow and challenge myself while being supported by a friendly, knowledgeable and experienced team – I’ve been able to get to grips with the basics via planned tutorial and regular catch ups with my mentor plus given opportunities to further my own interests”.
Jonah Dickie, new graduate 2022-2023
‘’The New Graduate Programme was the perfect start to my career as a farm vet. The programme provided a personalised level of support; allowing me to get out on calls from the start with the reassurance that there was always someone to help, either in person or over the phone. Fortnightly fertility scanning, frequent tutorials and an additional vet on call with me throughout the year allowed me to build confidence and gain experience quickly while never feeling overwhelmed by the pressures of my first year in practice.’’
Hannah Alexander, new graduate 2024-2025
“The New Graduate Programme has been the best start I could have hoped for in my farm vet career. The continued support from my mentor, line manager and the entire team, has allowed me to challenge myself whilst having the reassurance that help is always available. The structured tutorials and regular scanning practice have really helped me to solidify the fundamentals and approach cases on farm. Working with an enthusiastic, fun, like-minded and supportive team has made settling into a new area and job so much easier!”
Jessica Chambers, new graduate 2024-2025
“The GVG New Graduate Programme has been the perfect start to my farm vet career. We were able to get stuck in from the get-go, and with a big team behind us for support, there is always someone available to help. We have regular catchups with our mentors, where we're encouraged to discuss cases, which is really helpful. Being exposed to a varied and interesting caseload, along with ongoing training and scheduled tutorials, has massively supported our learning and progression. Plus, the social side outside of work has been a great bonus—making it really easy to settle in and feel part of the team!”
Enquiries and applications to:
Beatrice.yates@georgevetgroup.co.uk or Chris.warren@georgevetgroup.co.uk
Find out more about us at: https://georgevetgroup.co.uk/farm/