Veterinary Care Assistant/Student Nurse

At inspiring vet care, our people are at the heart of everything we do. As the UK’s number one vet care provider, we're trusted with the care of over 2 million animals, delivering our purpose of healthier animals and happier owners. We are seeking an enthusiastic, team-orientated Veterinary Care Assistant to join our team at Summerhill Vets on a part-time basis. Summerhill Veterinary Centre is a small animal, single site, well equipped practice and has been based in Fakenham, Norfolk since 1993. We recently relocated to a purpose-built site in April 2026, to allow further expansion of our services and facilities. We are an RCVS accredited first-opinion practice, which also takes local referrals in multiple disciplines. We are a training practice for veterinary nurses. We aim to provide a high quality, professional, friendly service, and all work together as a team, and with our clients, to provide the best care for their pets. All members of our team are equally important to this process, and we are keen to ensure all staff reach their potential and find their own niche within the practice, thus external referrals are rare. Quality of life and the wellbeing of our employees is of paramount importance to enable us to deliver the best service possible. We have a low staff turnover, and are a stable, experienced team in all 'departments'. We are a rural practice in a market town in a close-knit community, close to the North Norfolk beaches, pinewoods, the Norfolk Broads and equidistant between Norwich and Kings Lynn. We are 1.75 hrs from central London by train. How You’ll Make a Difference As a Veterinary Care Assistant, you will play an important role in supporting the clinical team to deliver high standards of patient and client care, while helping to ensure the practice environment runs smoothly and safely. Working under the direction of a Veterinary Surgeon or Registered Veterinary Nurse, you'll support inpatient care, assist with patient handling and restraint, help maintain clinical areas and equipment, and contribute to a positive and compassionate experience for both patients and clients. Working Pattern Normal working days are Monday to Friday and shifts vary between 08.00-20.00, this can be flexible within these times to suit you as much as possible. The position is up to 28hrs/wk. We provide our own on-call, out of hours service to our own clients. You will eventually be part of the on call team. On duty times are between 17.30 and 08.00 Monday to Friday, and Weekends from 08:30 Saturday to 08:00 Monday. There are no routine consultations during these times. Weekends on duty are either a Saturday or Sunday. Key Responsibilities We are looking for a VCA who would like the opportunity to train in house to assist the nurse team and then enrol to become a Student Veterinary Nurse. The role includes care of inpatients and day patients, theatre nursing (supporting the vet and nurse), and eventually monitoring anaesthesia, pre-op planning, admit and discharge and post-op monitoring. We have daily nurse led clinics which include chronic care packages, blood pressure monitoring, vaccinations, puppy, adult and senior health and wellness assessments and many more to support the veterinary surgeons providing holistic care. The rota has specific roles: ops support team, hospital nurse team, clinic nurse team and vet consult support nurse team. We aim to train you to work within a team of motivated and skilled vets and nurses, and excellent support staff. Eventually leading to a RVN qualification. You Might Be a Great Fit If... We are looking for an VCA who would like to become a veterinary nurse to start in our newly relocated practice from July 2026, who is able to work within our skilled, experienced and supportive team and also in time be happy to work with a vet on call and be part of the on-call rota, benefitting from an all-round experience of the role. We would like the candidate to progress within the practice, and will support them to follow their professional aspirations, find their niche, and/ or offer their existing skills, leading to the candidate thriving and the team growing, together. How We’ll Support You At inspiring vet care, we’re committed to supporting your ongoing development and wellbeing. When you join us, you’ll benefit from:

• Structured development opportunities, including access to VCA development programmes and apprenticeships
• Clear career pathways with progression opportunities into Student Veterinary Nurse roles and beyond
• Supportive, collaborative teams focused on delivering high-quality patient and client care
• A values-led culture focused on care, community and continuous improvement What We Offer Our Team
• 6.6 weeks' annual leave FTE
• Increasing holiday allowance based on length of service
• Enhanced family-friendly policies, including maternity, paternity, adoption, shared parental and surrogacy pay
• Employee wellbeing initiatives including Healthcare Cash Plan and Cycle to Work scheme
• Learning and development opportunities via the inspiring vet care Academy
• Pension scheme
• Discounted veterinary care
• Voluntary benefits including Green Cars salary sacrifice scheme and access to discounts and cashback with hundreds of participating retailers We’re committed to supporting our people through career development opportunities, wellbeing initiatives and access to world-class learning resources. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to take the next step in your career, inspiring vet care offers the support, opportunity and community to help you grow. \n

\n £0 - £0 a year Up to £18,505.76 per annum \n