A big warm welcome to Animal Trust!

This was the first time our grads were able to come together to get to know each other and share their experiences of their first few weeks in practice. The transition from university student to ‘real life’ vet can be challenging, but we want to ensure our grads feel supported and fulfilled during this start to their careers. 

Gracie, Aoife, Lindsay, Matilda and Ina spent the day taking part in different sessions and discussions. Owen, our CEO, delivered a session all about how Animal Trust came to be, and how our mission, vision and values are reflected in our teams’ daily practices. We also had members of our Operations Team, Recruitment and Retention and Finance Team all getting the chance to chat to our grads and give them that bigger picture of the company as well as answering any questions and discussing new ideas. It was brilliant to see our vets get so involved in the discussions. 

Our graduate programme coordinators were able to talk about the learning and development our grads can expect throughout the scheme. This will include weekly online lessons delivered by vets and nurses from across our sites and monthly training days where they can come together to catch up, alongside gaining new knowledge and skills. We can’t wait for next month’s session where we’re really excited to be welcoming The VDS who will be delivering workshops on communication challenges, time management and thriving in practice. 

It was an enjoyable and interactive day for everyone involved and we hope this is just the start of a fantastic year for this cohort of fabulous new veterinary surgeons.  

I’m sure you’ll join us in wishing them well during their first year in practice – we know they’re going to smash it!