Veterinary Surgeon

Ipswich Vets4Pets are looking for a Vet to join them on a full or part time basis. We are a practice that places emphasis on each team member feeling valued, supported, and being able to impact the way we work. Whether you’re looking for a culture based on good communication, to be able to progress in the clinical area you want and/or flexible working options we have an opportunity for you.

We are a stand-alone practice just outside Ipswich town centre. We’re just a 15-minute walk from the train station, where you can get direct trains to London. Stansted airport is also within easy reach.  Our location also means that we enjoy all the benefits of being based in a town while you don’t have to travel far to find yourself in the beautiful Suffolk countryside or at the coast.

About us
We think the best thing about our practice is our people and our open and collaborative culture. We get great feedback from locums on how supportive we are of each other and how well integrated we are between disciplines. This is shown in the length of time our team have worked with us; we are a long-standing, established team and even when colleagues have left for various reasons they have come back. Whether you work on Reception, in the Nurse or Vet team everyone is valued and has a voice in impacting the way we do things.

"Your clients really do sing your praises and I had a couple of people call in and say they'd been recommended by friends as "this is the vets everybody goes on about". Feedback is entirely excellent! Lovely, friendly team and the high morale is evident in bundles!"

We are committed to and place emphasis on creating a culture that works for all of us where well-being- both physical and emotional- are a priority. Last year we set up a full team meeting to give us the opportunity to discuss what our culture is and what this looks like on a day-to-day basis. This has been followed up by check-ins to see what is going right and what isn’t so good so we can continue to work on this. Ongoing practice communication is an important part of this, and we hold quarterly full practice meetings and regular departmental meetings and have a genuine open-door policy so that our whole team get the chance to input into different areas of how the practice operates. We have a whiteboard in our kitchen, so everyone knows who is in which day and specific goings on. This is also used to co-ordinate any practice days out and currently we are planning a beach day for anyone in the team that wants to join.

"I have worked at Ipswich Vets4Pets for many years now and it is honestly the best practice that I have worked for. We have such a lovely team and I am proud to be a part of it. I travel an hour to get to work and a few years ago I left Vets4Pets to try working a lot closer to home. However, after only 3 weeks at the new practice I left and came back to Vets4Pets. For me I would rather drive an hour to work in a happy and rewarding environment!  During my early years of nursing, I worked at a variety of practices including OOHs. I have worked at Ipswich Vets4Pets for 9 years now and I cannot see myself working anywhere else in the future. "

Clinically our caseload is that of a general practice and we have one Vet completing a certificate in surgery and 2 of our Vets who have an interest in cardiology so we can keep cardiac scans in-house. We encourage development and offer an unlimited CPD budget as we know putting an allowance on this doesn’t allow for what everyone wants to do. If you have an interest that overlays with the business, we will fully support you in pursuing this, for example, we have just invested in a new ultrasound for our Vets carrying out cardiac scans.

Our Nursing team are experienced and pick up any procedures and consults they can and work closely with the Vets and Reception team to ensure our days run as smoothly as possible. Lucy, our other JVP and RVN, has a further qualification in behaviour, and the whole team use fear-free handling making sure each individual patient has the time needed so they can be handled with respect and in the least stressful way possible. We are accredited by both ISFM, RWAF and are about to begin working towards becoming a Dog’s Trust Dog Friendly practice.

As well as the support we lend each other we also have a subscription to VetCT, a practice WhatsApp and use Dick White referrals who are happy to give advice on cases should we need.

"I have been working at Ipswich Vets4Pets for 9 months now after a 5 year break from clinical practice and I can honestly say it was a brilliant move to make. The team are fantastic, everyone is really good at what they do and very supportive. It's a great atmosphere to work in and I feel valued and looked after. Their desire to look after the team is clear.  The emphasis clinically is on doing the right thing for patients and clients and as a Vet I feel I have the freedom and support to do that. Would really recommend Ipswich Vets4Pets as a place to work whether you have been in full time practice for a long time, returning from a career break or feeling dissatisfied with your current work situation and want to make a positive change." 

As well as being in practice we do like to socialise together occasionally outside of work and have just started a team games night and have an annual pancake night at our vet, and JVP Sandra’s, house. In practice our competitive streak is embraced in the form of a Grass Seed Championship with points given both for number successfully removed and obscurity of location. A recent event including a cake sale and some members of our team and clients cutting and donating their hair to the Little Princess Trust raised £875 for 3 local charities!

About the role
While we have the opportunity for someone to take on a full-time role, we are more than happy to consider two part time Vets and we already have 3 part time Vets working different rotas so are happy to discuss how your ideal working pattern can work around this. We are looking for a Vet with some experience happy with routine consults and surgeries to work alongside our more recent graduate and experienced Vets.

Standard consults are 15 mins with certain presentations and blood tests given longer as we do have the flexibility in our diary if needed for this. We also have slots blocked out for admin and reporting results. All our Vets do a mixture of surgery and consulting with specific surgery days allocated to them and we would consider Vets looking to take on consult only roles as well. Our weekend rota is 1 in 3 and you would work Saturday mornings only 8:30-2pm.

What we can offer you
We are offering a salary of up to £65k (negotiable depending on the experience you bring to the team) and benefits including but not limited to:

• 5.6 weeks holiday increasing with length of service
• Your birthday off after 1 year of service
• Paid professional memberships- RCVS, VDS, BVA
• Unlimited CPD allowance with support for long term development
• Discounts across the Pets groups and many supermarkets and high street retailers as a member of our reward hub.
• Contributory pension scheme

We want our colleagues to be as diverse as our clients. Our teams are inclusive and celebrate difference. So, if you meet our role requirements, we would love to know what passions clinically, or outside of work, you could bring to our team!

“It's an absolute joy to work with such positive, supportive, and inspiring people. We have weightlifters, marathon runners, talented crafters, and of course, expert cake bakers. (When you end up pottery painting with colleagues at the weekend, you know you've found a good bunch.) In short; we're kind to each other and committed to our work, and so far, in my experience, that's been the recipe for a fantastic place to work!"

If you'd like any further information about this vacancy, the practice or our company please contact our Talent Acquisition team via email; EastVets@vets4pets.com for an informal and confidential conversation.
 
Alternatively, you can submit your application directly to us now and somebody will be in touch with you to discuss this further. We look forward to hearing from you!

Location: IP1 2BH

We are on Equal Opportunities Employer!

Pets just see people. They aren’t biased and they don’t discriminate. We take our inspiration from pets, and we value and respect difference in all its forms. Our aim is to reflect the diversity of the communities we operate in, and every colleague can help us achieve this. We encourage our people to be themselves so even if your skills and experience don’t perfectly align, if you think you can make a unique contribution through your values and behaviours, we want to hear from you!