Small Animal Veterinary Surgeon

Job ID:

316a7a4

Location:

Liskeard, England

Published:

2 days ago

Salary 33000 - 60000 GBP ANNUAL

Company

Luxstowe Vets

Website

Headquarters

CEO

Revenue

Type

Sector

Founded

Job Description

Job Details

Do you want to be part of a team that’s been awarded for its world-class levels of workplace engagement? Then read on…

We are a progressive practice based in beautiful south-east Cornwall, with our main clinic at Liskeard, and branch surgeries in Looe and Torpoint. After over 120 years of looking after the local animals, both large and small, we became a small animal practice in 2017. We are very lucky to have a very experienced team; we currently have 9 vets with an average of 16 years’ experience each. We have exciting plans for 2023 and we would like to grow our team to 10 or 11 vets. This is what Sue one of vets said about her experience working at Luxstowe Vets;

"I came here as a locum five years ago and haven’t left! It didn’t take long to notice how well the team work together; the nurses are excellent (experienced, helpful, and cheery) as are the reception team. This practice is better managed than any practice I have worked at in my 27 years since qualifying. The vets have a range of different strengths and really pull together to support each other. I’ve just enjoyed a very pleasant lunch hour sitting on the quay watching the boats and the birds and feeling grateful that I work in such a beautiful area with such a great team." Sue Hassan MRCVS

Niamh one of our fantastic vets is sadly returning home to Ireland and had this to say;

‘’The team at Luxstowe are one in a million, which is why they have made the decision to move home to Ireland an almost impossible one.

I’ve worked as part of the Luxstowe family for nearly 6 years, and like any family there have been ups and downs, but I wouldn’t change my time there for the world.

If you’re looking for a busy, exciting caseload, where no two days are the same – this is the place for you. The team are so knowledgeable and supportive.

As a newbie vet or equally as a 6-year qualified vet – there was always someone to ask for help whether it was a second opinion on x rays or a medical mystery case. The vet team have over 130 years’ experience between them, which is hard to beat. They’re always looking to improve and up skill which means the standard of patient care and protocols are super as well as being lucky enough to have plenty of imaging and surgery toys which are totally my Achilles heel.

Aside of this, you have a team of superstar nurses who always manage to hit that vein when you have lost the will, yet they manage not to brag about it. There are also amazing receptionists who will always have a cup of tea (or a hot chocolate) waiting for you after a consulting block.

Hand on heart, couldn’t recommend a practice more – plus they throw an excellent summer BBQ and Christmas party!’’ Niamh O’Reilly MRCVS

We pride ourselves on improving everyone’s quality of life, by not only providing gold standard care to our patients and clients, but also to our team. We have a relaxed work environment, where everyone enjoys working together and are always willing to go the extra mile to help each other out. We have an open approach to the running of the practice that allows everyone to get involved, put forward ideas and help shape the future of the practice. We were recently awarded a 3-star accreditation in the Best Companies colleague engagement survey, which is the highest score possible and reflects world class levels of workplace engagement.

Whether you’ve only recently graduated or you’re an experienced vet looking to increase your skills and develop your own niche, we can offer you the supportive environment and guidance needed to flourish. We’re always keen to learn and embrace new skills, which is why we were the first practice in Cornwall to start using laparoscopy about 5 years ago. Currently 75% of the spays we perform are laparoscopic and we also have patients referred from neighbouring practices.

Our director Tom loves surgery and mentoring, he’s already trained 5 vets up in laparoscopy and along with Lindsay, who has a postgraduate certificate in surgery, often undertakes more complex surgeries including orthopaedic procedures like TTAs and fracture repairs, as well as soft tissue procedures including BOAS, diaphragmatic or perineal hernias and lap assisted gastropexies and biopsies. Our other director Ben holds a certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice and is studying towards a small animal medicine certificate. We also have Erin, our Vet GDP Advisor, who is helping Jenna our 2022 new grad get off to a flying start;

"The transition from university to work was most definitely overwhelming and I am so thankful I chose to start my career at Luxstowe.

From day one, I have been so well supported by every member of the team, encouraged, and aided to develop my skills and areas of interest, and have been able to learn from all the very experienced and knowledgeable staff. The practice is a great combination of busy without feeling overstretched and a great environment to work in.

I was amazed how much of a family the team are, and how welcomed into the group I have felt, with great social events or just laughs in the prep room! Thanks to Luxstowe, I love what I do and am excited for what is to come!" Jenna Buxton MRCVS

We have an extensive range of modern equipment including digital and dental x-ray, endoscopy/bronchoscopy, ultrasound, tonometer, slit lamp, diathermy, cutting-edge anaesthetic monitors, plus orthopaedic kit, and we’re always open to requests for new equipment to ensure you can follow your interests. We’re in the process of upgrading our ultrasound as 2 of our vets share a passion for cardiology.

We know everyone wants to enjoy a good work-life balance and that includes getting to enjoy your free time in the evenings – that’s why we close the practice at 6pm! Most nights you’ll be able to leave at 5.30pm as the duty vet starts at 5.15pm to help close up and take over any inpatient care.

We’ll make sure you have plenty of time to catch up on admin and make phone calls, with blocks of time reserved in the day’s diary, and we’ll also ensure you get a proper lunch break each day, with an hour to chill out and clear your head.

We provide our own out-of-hours care, and it is arranged in 10-week blocks, of which you have 8 weeks with absolutely no duties. During your on-call week, you are also not required to work in the practice during the day and as we have a dedicated Wednesday night vet, you’ll also have the whole of Wednesday off.

The weekend rota takes place over 2 consecutive weeks; on the first weekend you will just have Saturday morning consults (9am -12.30pm), then you’ll be off until 6am Sunday when you’ll be on-call until Monday at 8.30am, work until 1pm and then you’ll be off until Wednesday. The second week you will consult on Saturday morning, then be on-call until 6am Sunday, plus you’ll get the following Wednesday off.

We use Phoneta (previously known as Kernow vets messaging service), so any calls will be screened first and you only need to attend the practice to see genuine calls or to check on inpatients if necessary. We also have an RVN on-call to assist with both the OOH and inpatient care when needed. For newer graduates you will be fully supported with an experienced vet on back up.

We enjoy getting together outside of work, whether we go to the beaches, take on an escape room or do something more adventurous like our recent visit to the Adrenaline Quarry water park. We also have practice events including our Christmas party, summer BBQ or our vets meetings /curry nights.

Liskeard is a beautiful market town, full of independent shops, cafes, pubs and fantastic architecture. It’s also a great hub from which to explore Cornwall, due to its prime location between the stunning countryside of Bodmin Moors to the north and the dramatic Cornish coastline to the south.

We are offering: