Navigating the return to veterinary practice after a career break

I qualified from Royal (Dick) Vet College in 1993 and spent 10 years in small animal, mainly hospital, practices. I left practice to have and raise my children.

I had not intended to return to practice, so I hadn't continued with CPD or my Royal College membership. I was asked to return to my previous practice on many occasions and was eventually persuaded to do so after 14 years.

Returning to work

In my case, I was invited back to practice, and they were very aware of my concerns. I arranged to see the practice two mornings a week for three months prior to my return. I was able to choose a starting date once I felt ready, and a working pattern that suited me and worked around family life.

Family, friends, and the practice all thought it was a good idea for me to return to work. Even though I was very scared and unsure, in the long run, they were right. I genuinely didn't feel that I would remember anything, especially on the medical side. I did find, however, that I still had the muscle memory for routine surgeries. This was a welcome surprise!

Adapting to changes

I found a big issue was the significant increase in pharmacy drugs and their usage, and I recognised very little on my return. Management of medical cases was significantly more advanced, and many protocols were new to me. I also found that terminology had changed, e.g., CKD and GDV.

I hadn't considered how slow I would be when I returned to practice, especially consulting. On a daily basis, I was worried about letting down the rest of the team. I had a lot of support to go at my own pace and step up my rota as I felt appropriate. I did, however, set a timer on my phone to vibrate in my back pocket two minutes from the end of each consult to make sure I would stay on time.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions! The entire practice team were incredible and didn't seem concerned about the thousands of questions I fired at them daily. I genuinely felt they wanted me as part of the team and were happy to support me. 

Developing skills

I was happy to learn on the job from colleagues - being in a busy hospital practice was very helpful. Webinars were also a perfect way to learn, fitting it around family life. I had a ‘little black book’ where I wrote everything down: cheat sheets for vaccine and flea and worm protocols, dose range charts (cut from data sheets), dental charts, etc. I found that reading around cases I was seeing, rather than trying to learn everything again all at once, was a better way to update my knowledge. Having time to discuss cases with colleagues and using the advice request facility from referral centres was invaluable.