Case studies: Veterinary associate: Emily

After graduating from Cambridge Veterinary School in 2009, Emily accepted her first position at Paws Veterinary Health Centre in Nuneaton. Emily had previously completed some of her EMS (Extra Mural Studies) at Paws, so she already had the opportunity to meet the staff and showcase her abilities.

My EMS took place in different settings. In order to be successful, I found that it was important to build effective working relationships with the vets during this process. This enabled me to gain the trust of the vets and, therefore, become involved in more in-depth procedures.

I am qualified to work with both small animals, bigger animals and also farm animals. Currently, a typical working week for me would involve spending up to a couple of days looking at farm/equine cases. I also often spend up to a full day being involved in surgical procedures at the health centre. I spend some afternoons doing consultations, which are booked appointments. Where possible, I try to work with the same clients to ensure some level of continuity.

I prefer to work with large animals as I enjoy being outside. I also enjoy the atmosphere of the health centre, which is laidback yet professional. I find that the disadvantages of working as a vet are the unsociable hours. I also find that putting animals to sleep is a difficult part of my job.

I am hoping to gain a couple of years of good experience in my current role in order to refine and develop my skills. Further training is definitely a possibility beyond that. Eventually, I would like to further develop my work with larger animals. One possible way to do this would be to pursue options in herd management.