These notes give you brief details of the job as one of our Housevets, or Interns. There will be four vacancies in the team during 2011 and we are currently advertising to recruit and select suitable candidates to join our team.
We are an equine practice of over 20 vets, supported by some 70 nursing and support staff, based at an R.C.V.S. certified Tier 3 Equine Hospital covering both first opinion and referred cases from a wide variety of types of patients, which range from pleasure ponies to racehorses; more details about our practice are available elsewhere on this website. We are just about to embark on a large rebuilding programme on the site so that 2011 may well be a challenging and interesting time.
Currently, four Housevets are employed (although we are considering increasing the team to five) and their main responsibility is to look after the veterinary needs of all of our in-patients. Their prime duties are emergency assessment, anaesthesia, intensive care monitoring and the day to day management of the 50 hospitalised in-patients, including both diagnostic procedures and treatments. Orthopaedic investigations, including nerve blocks, are an important part of the role and, in addition, there will be ample exposure to other diagnostic techniques (such as radiography, scintigraphy, ultrasonography and MRI) as well as to colic and lameness work up. The Housevets work under the direction of recognised Specialists in both Surgery and Medicine and are well supported by a large team of excellent nurses, who work shifts to provide full 24 hour care.
The position is challenging and the hours are long but there is a tremendous amount of experience to be gained by applicants with suitable enthusiasm and a desire to learn. Accommodation is provided free of charge but as the house is shared with the other members of the Housevet team it is, unfortunately, not suitable for couples. No pets are allowed in this accommodation. The team of Housevets work a shared rota for their part of the out of hours’ system whilst other veterinary surgeons in the practice are responsible for the ambulatory calls and for the surgical and medical rotas; duty nurses take all phone calls outside normal office hours.
These positions are offered for a fixed term contact of 18 months. Following the term as a Housevet it is not expected that any vacancies will occur in the practice for assistantships but we have found that, in past years, our Housevets have had little difficulty finding suitable employment either in practice or in residency programmes. Indeed, there seems to be a widely held view in the profession that our Housevets have received some of the best post graduate training and clinical exposure currently available in the UK.
We are looking for enthusiastic team players to join our friendly but hardworking Hospital team, who are all dedicated to providing first class care to the horses, ponies and donkeys entrusted to this practice. The majority of the hospitalised cases are referred patients but we also have a large first opinion clientele and there may also be a limited opportunity to become involved directly with first opinion out patient cases during your stay. As one of our Housevets, you will be in frequent contact with the owners, and referring veterinary surgeons, of in-patients a good, confident and sympathetic manner with both clients and professional colleagues is essential. For this reason, we look for those who have been qualified for at least a year, preferably longer, and candidates who have not previously worked in practice in the UK for at least one year or who do not have English as their mother tongue may be at a disadvantage in the selection process. The position is not suitable for new graduates.
In addition to a generous salary and rent-free free accommodation we also provide a car, telephone in house and mobile phone, private health insurance and a free private accident/disability insurance scheme. More importantly perhaps, we also offer good working conditions and, we believe, a happy and supportive environment. There is ample scope for your professional development and continuing further education within the practice.
The closing date for applications for all of the 2011 vacancies is 15th October 2010 and it is anticipated that short-listed candidates will be interviewed during November. It is our intention to select at these interviews suitable candidates to fill all the vacancies, not only those that will become available in the Spring but also, hopefully, those not due until the Autumn. Some limited financial help towards the cost of interview expenses will be available but long distance or foreign travel or flights will not be paid for.
To apply for an Application form please contact Barbara Thornley, our Practice Administrator, at post@TheLEH.co.uk
