Part-time veterinary nurse position in a 4-year old, independent, privately owned, well-managed small animal practice with a refreshing and delightful atmosphere, where old-school, personal client care meets clinical excellence and modern standards.
We pride ourselves on our stellar reputation, which is a result of outstanding client communication, transparent and reasonable pricing strategy, and delivering high standard veterinary care, with a particular emphasis on early diagnosis by working up cases in-house at an early stage. Most cases are managed and resolved in-house, with very few requiring referral. We hardly ever do any advertising, new clients find us almost exclusively based on personal recommendations and online reviews (see both on Google and Facebook).
We are looking for a candidate who is willing to embrace the coherent work ethos and unique values of our company.
The founder and owner of the practice graduated in 2007, holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care, and currently studying towards a second Postgraduate Certificate, this time in small animal surgery, with the goal to broaden the palette of surgeries performed in-house with orthopaedic procedures. He built up the practice from the ground, following a number of disappointing experiences both in small, independent and corporate-owned, hospital practices where he worked before, so if you are in a bit of a career crisis, starting to struggle with burnout, and looking for an invigorating change to restore your faith in the ideal that it can and should be enjoyable to work as a veterinary professional, you are reading the right advert
This is a part-time position (ideally around 20 hours per week on average, with some flexibility) with the following benefits:
* Well-equipped, neat practice - ultrasound (Mindray), digital X-ray (XenOR 43-139WF), dental X-ray (iM3 Revolution 4DC & CR7), full in-house lab (IDEXX ProCyte One, Catalyst and Sedivue, extensive range of slides and SNAP tests), Tonovet Plus, slit lamp, GIMA MB160 Electrosurgery unit, orthopaedic kits for external and internal fracture repair, lateral suture, sulcoplasty, FHNE, etc., platelet-rich plasma and mesenchymal stem cell kits, and the list is steadily growing
* Spacious consulting rooms with natural light
* 15-minute consults - dedicated 'on-the-day' and 'book-the-day-before' appointments, and emergency surgical slots scheduled in daily, to minimise double-booking with urgent cases and emergencies
* No-nonsense primary care - IV fluids and post-op analgesia included in the cost of all routine procedures / IV fluids, post-op analgesia and dental radiography included in the cost of all dental procedures, etc
* Large number of complicated second opinions - new cases nearly every day, frequent diagnostic work-ups (including imaging, organ biopsies, CSF taps, etc) and advanced treatment options (including regenerative medicine)
* Modern, cloud based practice management system (integrated client chat and telemedicine, paperless consent forms, easy management of result files and diagnostic images)
* Modern communication system (hybrid phone system, all calls are recorded and stored indefinitely for enhanced protection of our team, in case of any disputes about treatment plans, advice or verbal consents)
* Balanced surgical and nurse consult rota
* Part-time rota subject to discussion, opening hours 8:30 - 18:00 on weekdays, 8:30-12:00 on Saturdays
* ideally 1 in 3 Saturdays (8:30-12:00) - subject to discussion and to review
* No on call / OOH - covered by Vets Now
* No Bank holidays (may be subject to change in future as the practice grows)
* NEST pension with employer contribution (from the first day of employment)
* Paid RCVS & VDS fees
* Private medical insurance (access to private GP & specialist referral services, fully covered in-patient care in private hospitals, including advanced scans, outpatient diagnostics, full cancer cover, BacktoBetter pathway for musculoskeletal conditions including physiotherapy, mental health cover including online, remote and face-to-face therapy and 45 days in- or day-patient treatment, private ambulance, home nursing and stress counselling)
* Full in-house training to confidently use all our equipment
* Staff discount
* Experienced team, that don't take themselves too seriously, but go out of their way to help
The ideal candidate will be comfortable with all areas of nursing, including routine and emergency soft tissue surgical procedures, and exotics. However, this is not a requirement, as we firmly believe that a lack of experience should not be an excuse for a lack of understanding, knowledge or interest. Providing occasional reception cover is also part of this role. We are really seeking to find someone with these latter values (and not necessarily with comprehensive hands-on experience), who is:
* eager to learn and improve their clinical skills
* willing to get up to speed with the protocols and practices of our surgery
* prepared to venture beyond the limited challenges of routine appointments and surgeries
* interested in getting involved in advanced procedures and second opinions on our level of confidence and efficiency
The starting salary we offer for the role is £28,000 - £31,000 PA (full-time equivalent), pro rata according to agreed part-time hours and dependent on experience.
Working in a small team comes with a number of challenges, one of which is that all team members are expected to engage in client-facing activities on the level that is in line with our practice's reputation, but more importantly it provides invaluable benefits in terms of professional job satisfaction and personal growth
Job Types: Permanent, Part-time
Pay: £28,000.00-£31,000.00 per year
Benefits:
* Company pension
* Employee discount
* Free parking
* Private medical insurance
Work Location: In person