V e t e r i n a r y S c i e n c e . . . f o r a l l

W a l k s o f L i f e

ContentsFor all walks of life 03The diversity of the profession

Walk in the park? 05Do you have what it takes?

Spread your wings 07The first few years

Best foot forward 09Where to start

Don’ t fo l lowthe herd“Farm animal practicehas changed a lot. Weare heavily involvedwith herd health andreducing disease –improving animalhealth and welfare. There’s nothinglike seeing positive economic effectsthat have come from your advice. Itcan be a mucky old job, but it’s greatto be working in the fresh air, out onthe road. Some days you go out to adifficult calving and come away witha healthy cow and live calf - everyone’s happy!”

Jon Reader, large animal vet, says:

02

Walkth is way. . .

Do you thrive on problem-solving?

Does science inspire you?

Would you like to be your own boss?

Fancy the outdoors as your office?

Would you like to be a surgeon?

Do you enjoy meeting people?

Would you like to work with animals?

One or more ‘yeses’, and veterinary science couldbe for you.

A career as a vet will bring you into contact with allwalks of life, from furry or feathered creatures whotrot, fly and pounce, to those of us, including animalowners and keepers, who walk about on two feet.

This brochure will walk you through what it takes tobe a vet, its rewards, and where to start.

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For a l lwalks o f l i feVets work to diagnose and treat sick animals. They are also involved inmanaging disease outbreaks to protect both animals and humans.It’s a profession full of variety andthe opportunities are diverse.

Vets are healthcare professionals forthe animal kingdom. One vet takeson roles carried out by many sepa-rate individuals in human medicine,such as surgery, radiology, pharmacyand preventative healthcare – andon animal species from aardvarks to zebras. You could call vets themedical superheroes!

A veterinary degree not only givesyou the opportunity to work in clinical practice, but can also be apassport to a range of other careers,at home and abroad.

You could end up in scientificresearch, the pharmaceutical or ani-mal nutrition industries, travellingabroad on wildlife projects, working ingovernment to maintain biosecurity in the UK, in referral practice dealingwith specialist cases in hi-tech envi-ronments, as a lecturer or researcherin a university, or even treating snifferdogs in the army.

The opportunities are as diverse as the people in the veterinary profession.

The work of a vet is not restricted toanimals. Bird flu, salmonella, rabies,CJD – you will have seen them inthe news. They are all diseases thataffect humans as well as animals and in helping to control them, veterinary surgeons are effectively gatekeepers for human health.About two-thirds of new infectiousdiseases that threaten humans comefrom animals. Vets have made otherdirect contributions to humanhealth too, for example, developingtechniques for joint replacements ororgan transplantations.

Vets behindthe headl ines

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Other diseases that mainly affect animals – such as foot and mouthdisease, BSE and bluetongue – canhave a huge impact, costing the UK hundreds of millions of pounds.The role of the vet in identifying and containing disease outbreaks,not to mention researching vaccinesand treatments – is critical to the UK economy.

A veterin ary degree means

Leading the f ie ld

Diverse opportunities

Career stability – very low levels of unemployment1

Packages starting at about £31,000for newly-qualified vets, rising toaround £70,000 for vets qualifiedmore than 20 years2

Being your own boss

Respect within the community

Ability to make a real difference to health and welfare for both animals and people

Rare combination of a caring profes-sion and good earning potential

A passport to work abroad

1RCVS Survey of the Profession 20142SPVS Salary Survey 2014

Richard Irvine, from the Animal andPlant Health Agency, says:

“At the APHA I am deal-ing with the diseasesbehind the headlines,such as Avian Influenza,as well as the overallhealth and welfare offarmed animals. It’sabout ensuring the food we buy andeat is healthy and safe. We investigatethe spread of diseases and communi-cate to government, vets, farmers, thefood industry and the public about disease diagnosis, control and manage-ment. Using the scientific grounding ofthe veterinary degree, I am constantlylearning new things. It is challenging,but very rewarding work. ”

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Walkin the park?What does it take to be a vet? It canbe a demanding career – physically,emotionally and mentally. But it alsobrings tremendous rewards.

Firstly, you will be expected to complete a five- or six-year degreecourse, where you will learn to work hard and play hard, in a funand supportive environment.

While at university, you will also beexpected to carry out 38 weeks ofExtra-Mural Studies, such as workingin private veterinary practices, onfarms and in food hygiene.

Getting on to the course requireshigh academic standards, but thisisn’t to make the profession elitist.

The veterinary curriculum includesmany ‘ologies’ – epidemiology,microbiology, parasitology, path-ology, pharmacology, physiology,immunology…not to mention anatomy, biochemistry and bio-physics.

This provides an excellent broadknowledge that is well respected inthe scientific community. Some veterinary graduates go on to forgeinspiring careers in scientificresearch, often in human medicine.

In addition, veterinary degree coursesinclude, among other things, animalbehaviour, husbandry and welfare,law and ethics, nutrition, practicemanagement, public health, commu-nications, rural economics, medicine,surgery and diagnostic imaging.

On graduation you will join a relativelysmall profession of about 20,000 practising vets in the UK. The supportof your peers will help you cope with life as a vet, which will have itschallenges. Some days you mighthave to deal with difficult clients,euthanase (put to sleep) a much-lovedpet in order to end its suffering, orstand on a cold and windy hillsidetreating a reluctant sheep.

But there are immense benefits...

Science f irst

The simple fact is that you needstrong brain power in order tostay the course.

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Do you have what it takes?

L ive l i fe at a ga l lop

“At Vetcell, we com-mercialise technolo-gies based on veteri-nary research. We aimto provide veterinaryservices throughoutthe world and move into human medi-cine. Running my own business hastaken me all over the world, meetingfascinating people. My vet degree gaveme an analytical approach to problem-solving and the ability to communicatewith different types of people – it’s definitely opened doors for me.”

Good communication skills

Problem-solving skills

Ability to think independently

Practicality

Good business sense

Interest in people as well as animals

Patience and good humour

Strength of character and stamina

High personal standards

Ability to supervise support staff

...delivering a new-born animal,

saving the life of someone’s

beloved pet, nurturing the vets

of the future, running your own

business, discovering a vaccine

for an economically-damaging

disease – these can be priceless

satisfactions.

David Mountford, Director at VetCellBioscience Ltd, says:

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Spread your wings:start ing in pract ice

become Partners, which means theytake a financial stake in the businessand have greater control over theway in which it is run.

Over time, you may own your ownpractice, or string of practices – theonly limit is your ambition.

One thing all vets share is being partof a profession. This brings benefitsand also responsibilities. Vets arelooked up to as respected membersof society and need to ensure theylive up to this in the way they think,speak and act.

On graduation, the majority of vetsstart their careers in general prac-tice, although many will continuewith further studies. Practice couldbe companion animal (pets), farmanimal, equine (horses) or ‘mixed’.You might also get the opportunityto work with exotic animals that arekept as pets, in zoos or in the wild.

There is no National Health Service foranimals. Veterinary practices are runas private businesses, including manylarge corporate chains, although thereare also animal charities – such as theRSPCA or PDSA – offering discountedservices for those in need.

Most graduates will start in practiceas an Assistant, working closely withmore senior colleagues. After a fewyears, Assistants may be invited to

Div ing inThere can be a lot of routine work inclinical practice, especially in theearly years, such as vaccination,worming and neutering. You alsoneed to be prepared for long hours.But there is plenty of variety. Givingemergency care to a run-over dog at3am will get the adrenaline flowing,and performing surgery is a privilegeas well as a skill.

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Practice makes perfect

Take a walkon the wi ld s ide“Vets play an importantrole in conservation.Many of the animals atBristol Zoo are rare orendangered – evenextinct in the wild. Weneed to preserve their breeding andkeep them as healthy as possible.Veterinary skills also help in terms ofthe bigger picture, for example, I’vebeen to a rehabilitation unit for chimpsand gorillas in Cameroon and workedin Indonesia on bird flu. It’s the varietyand intellectual stimulation that keepmy work interesting!”

Majority of new graduates start in clinical practice

Practice types include companion animal, horses, farm animal, exotics or mixed animal

Graduate packages sometimesinclude a car and accommodation

Flexible career that can accommo-date breaks for travel or family

Many part-time opportunities

Typical vet in general practice works around 41 hours a week1

and, in addition, many take a share in on-call emergency work

1RCVS Survey of the Profession 2014

Sharon Redrobe, zoo vet, says:

You will typically be working with veterinary nurses, practice managers,kennel staff, lab technicians, veteri-nary colleagues and clients, so theability to work in a team is critical. Dr Doolittle may have been able totalk to the animals, but for most vets the challenge is to convey complex, often technical, messages to other humans.

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Best footforwardIf you think a career as a vet soundsright for you, it’s never too soon totake the first step.

It’s really important to experienceveterinary work at first hand, to make sure it’s a lifestyle that will suityou. Talk to your local vet as soon as you can about work experience.

To practise as a vet in the UK youneed to be a member of the RoyalCollege of Veterinary Surgeons(RCVS), the governing body of theprofession. To do that, you need tohold an approved degree, follow ethical and professional standardsand agree to keep your skills andknowledge up to date. UK veterinarydegrees enable you to practise acrossthe EU and in places further afield,such as Australia and New Zealand.

So a veterinary degree could beyour passport to working abroad!

There are seven RCVS-approved UKveterinary degrees, from the universi-ties of Bristol, Cambridge, Edinburgh,Glasgow, Liverpool, London (RoyalVeterinary College) and Nottingham.A new course at the University ofSurrey is undergoing an approvalprocess in time for its first graduatesin 2019.

Your application needs to be madethough UCAS by 15 October in theyear before you hope to start:www.ucas.ac.uk. This is earlier thanfor many other degrees, so jump to it!

Qual i f icat ionsrequiredEach of the veterinary schools asks forslightly different entry qualifications.All expect applicants to demonstratetheir commitment by carrying out relevant work experience, for example,in practice, on a farm, in kennels or ata pet rescue centre.

The profession is keen to recruit talentedindividuals, whatever their walk of life.The Royal Veterinary College, supportedby the veterinary schools at Liverpool,Bristol and Edinburgh Universities, offersthe opportunity for those from disad-vantaged backgrounds who do not holdthe right qualifications to take a founda-tion year before joining the main course.The University of Nottingham has a similar course and also aims to increasediversity through a six-year degreecourse designed for high-achieving students with non-science backgrounds.

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If you have a disability that you think might affect what you are ableto do, please talk to the veterinaryschools to which you intend to apply for guidance.

More opportunitiesAlthough vet school places haveincreased in the last few years, it’sstill a very popular course. Think abouthow you can make yourself stand out from the crowd when writingyour UCAS personal statement – theprofession welcomes diversity.

If you want a career in an animal-related area, veterinary medicine isjust one option. Veterinary nursing,zoology, animal science, conservationwork or animal health, behaviour orwelfare…these are just a few of theoptions that you could also explore.

Appl icat ions

Paws for thought

Eight UK vet schools – each with specific qualification requirements

General guide: AAA/AAB at A Level, AAAAB at SCE (usually including Biology and Chemistry)

BMAT required for Cambridge and London – www.bmat.org.uk

Demonstrate your commitment in the form of work experience

Options for those without standard qualifications: one-year pre-degree course or six-year vet degree

Vet school places increasing

Apply through UCAS by 15 October

Sanjay Mangabhai, small animal vet, says:

“My parents wantedme to be a doctor butI thought a career as a vet offered memuch more. I enjoyworking with pets andfeel I play an important role in the community. Being my own boss was always the attraction and I knew I wanted to own a practice when I graduated. There are time commit-ments working in small animal practice, but it’s a very rewardingcareer. I’m where I wanted to be!”

www.walksoflife.org.ukFor more information, and links to the veterinary schools and entry requirements, please visit: www.rcvs.org.uk/education/i-want-to-be-a-vet or email education@rcvs.org.uk. To view the videos that accompany this leaflet,please visit www.youtube.com/vetcareers

Produced with the support of (in alphabetical order):Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills; Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge;Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow; Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Liverpool; Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons; Royal VeterinaryCollege, University of London; School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham; School of Veterinary Science, University of Bristol.

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