Twilight Veterinary Surgeon

The team and practice

Village Vet Milton is a thriving 24-hour hospital just north of Cambridge and one of only a handful of RCVS Tier 3 accredited hospitals in Cambridgeshire.

Vet24 provides emergency and critical care for our five-site Village Vet group, as well as around 20 surrounding veterinary practices. As a result, the caseload is both high and varied, giving you exposure to a broad range of emergency presentations rather than the more predictable caseload you might find in a typical first opinion practice.

During your twilight shift, you'll work closely with the daytime team of 4–5 vets and 4–7 RVNs, before handing over to a dedicated overnight team consisting of another vet, 2 RVNs and additional support staff.

Our approach to OOH care is something we're particularly proud of. We don't operate on a "stabilise and ship out at dawn" model. Where appropriate, patients are admitted for proper investigation, treatment and ongoing hospitalisation, giving our clinicians the opportunity to provide genuine continuity of care.

You'll have the opportunity to follow cases beyond their initial emergency consultation, becoming involved in diagnostic work-ups, ongoing hospitalisation and surgery where appropriate. This means you'll be able to see the impact of your clinical decisions and work alongside the wider hospital team throughout the patient's journey.

The team also works closely with the ECC clinicians at Dick White Referrals, building a strong local clinical network when additional advice or expertise is needed.

You'll have access to an impressive range of equipment, including digital X-ray, advanced ultrasound, handheld Clarius ultrasound, endoscopy and extensive in-house diagnostics. Our blood analysis capability goes well beyond a standard profile, with equipment supporting blood gases, coagulation, cortisol, phenobarbital monitoring and more.

Perhaps most importantly, this is a team that genuinely enjoys working together. We have twice-daily rounds, strong communication between day and night teams and a culture where people support one another. There isn't a divide between the day and night teams – we're one hospital team, working together to give patients the best possible care.

What we're looking for

We're Looking For a Veterinary Surgeon With

• At least two years' UK, small animal experience, with confidence managing emergency presentations.
• A genuine interest in emergency and critical care and a desire to develop your ECC skills further.
• The ability to assess, stabilise and prioritise emergency cases confidently.
• Good clinical judgement and a calm approach when presented with challenging cases.
• Excellent communication skills and a collaborative approach to working within a multidisciplinary hospital team.
• Someone who enjoys learning, asking questions and sharing knowledge with colleagues.
• A vet who values proper case work-ups, continuity of care and doing the very best for every patient.

You won't be working in isolation. The twilight shift is deliberately designed around collaboration, with experienced vets and RVNs around you throughout the transition from day to night.

A Little More About Us

Village Vet is a progressive, forward-thinking veterinary group with small and medium-sized primary care practices, three large 24-hour hospitals and a referral centre across London, Hertfordshire and Cambridge.

We're committed to supporting and investing in our people, our facilities and the care we provide to our patients and clients. Our teams are encouraged to develop their skills, gain additional qualifications and progress their careers within the wider group.

Our Vision Is Simple

To be recognized as an exceptional and trusted provider of primary veterinary care to our patients and clients within the communities that we serve. Every patient, every client, every visit.

Benefits

• 5 weeks holiday + bank holidays and birthday off (pro-rata for part-time)
• No out-of-hours (OOH)
• RCVS and VDS fees paid
• External CPD funded
• Extensive free online Linnaeus CPD program
• Career progression opportunities
• Staff discount schemes
• Enhanced sickness pay
• Enhanced equal family leave
• Wellness program including:
  • Employee assistance program
  • Eyecare voucher scheme
  • Free annual flu jab
  • Cycle to work scheme
  • Recruitment referral reward scheme.

Village Vet is part of Linnaeus and Mars Veterinary Health, the largest family-owned veterinary company in the world. Being privately owned, we can truly be driven by our purpose, to create a better world, and think long-term as opposed to being focused solely on short-term profits.

At Linnaeus, A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS starts with a better world for our people. Our Associates are over 6000 strong and empowered to speak up, step up and deliver quality services. You’ll have access to a huge network of specialists, worldwide development opportunities and an easily accessible, comprehensive wellbeing package that prioritises your physical and mental health, allowing you to focus on what you do best – care for pets.

We are committed to fostering a culture that is inclusive and diverse, we care about you and want you to be authentic, with everything you need to perform at your best. We are all individual but two important things bring us together: a commitment to excellence and our passion to achieve our purpose.

If you would like to apply for the role or for an informal chat to discuss it further, please get in touch with Joanne in the recruitment team joanne.gray@linnaeusgroup.co.uk.