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VetGDP Adviser case studies

VetGDP Advisers are integral to the Veterinary Graduate Development Programme, VetGDP. Over the next few months, we’ll be speaking to VetGDP Advisers to learn more about their experiences of supporting graduates in their workplace.

We hope these interviews will help you gain insight into the VetGDP Adviser role, as well as the positive impact the programme has in supporting graduates.

Please do keep an eye on this page, as there will be more case studies to come!

Q&A with Sandra Thomas MRCVS

Sandra Thomas Why did you want to become a VetGDP Adviser?

We were thrilled when one of the students who had done EMS at our practice accepted a job offer, but to employ him we needed a VetGDP Adviser within the practice, so I decided to do the training.

What did you think about the online training?

The online training ensures that everyone approaches VetGDP in the same way and all new graduates get similar support.

How many graduates have you been a VetGDP Adviser to?

I have been a VetGDP Adviser to one new graduate so far.

Could you tell me about your experiences?

I help our graduate vet understand what they are doing well, assist with any gaps in their knowledge and guide them on how to reflect on their performance and what they have learned. Sometimes this involves discussing surgery beforehand, observing and commenting as they are operating, answering questions as they arise and being available for support when they need it.

With medicine it is similar - either planning cases before they are seen or giving guidance during them or reviewing them afterwards. It also involves regular scheduled meetings to chat about progress, goals and any concerns the graduate has, including how they were coping.

Has anything been challenging?

The most challenging part is trying to help the graduate with whatever they’re finding difficult.

What has been the most rewarding part?

The most rewarding part of the process is definitely seeing the graduate improve and successfully and confidently complete operations and cases that they may have struggled with initially.

Interview with Fay Pooley MRCVS

Any questions?

If you’d like to learn more about becoming a VetGDP Adviser, or have any questions, please visit our Advisers page.

If you are due to graduate or would like to know more about VetGDP as a first-year vet, please visit our graduate page.

If you have any further questions or are interested in being featured in this series of case studies, please email our Education team at [email protected].