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Navigating the return to veterinary practice after a career break

17 Apr 2024 | Ruth Stevens

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Small animal vet Ruth Stevens discusses her experience returning to practice after 14 years.

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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. 

Return to work toolkit 

To help tackle the ongoing recruitment and retention challenge within the veterinary profession, we've developed a 'Return to work' toolkit to support our members returning to veterinary workplaces, and for employers and managers welcoming 'returners' to their teams. 

Access now 

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