Having graduated in 2020 during the Covid-19 lockdowns, I was apprehensive about starting my first job. Despite entering a profession that functioned differently from the one that vet school had prepared me for, I was inspired by my new colleagues. They worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to maintain the highest standards of care. 

As vets, I believe it is our ability to stay motivated in the face of adversity and collaborate to solve problems that helps us to find satisfaction in what we do. My own mentors at Shepherds the Vets in South Wales helped me to adjust to the ‘new normal’ by welcoming me to what became a brilliant first year in primary care practice – a year in which I learned so much. 

I quickly decided that my professional identity should incorporate more than my clinical commitments. As a result, I’m dedicated to nurturing a motivated and diverse cohort of vet school applicants who will ensure the sustainability and longevity of the profession. I feel it is my professional responsibility to encourage applications from students from a wider pool of backgrounds – young people who will enrich our workforce. 

School students who aspire to become vets are arguably among the most important individuals to have been affected by Covid-19. To achieve their goal, they need to develop a realistic and detailed insight into the profession, the vet’s role and the essential skills needed to be a good vet. 

Under normal circumstances, most students would acquire this vocational knowledge through in-person clinical and husbandry work experience; however, these opportunities have been severely limited by Covid-19, which created a high level of anxiety among students planning to apply for a place at vet school. 

As vets, we understand the hard work, sacrifice and perseverance needed to create a competitive vet school application. Although the vet schools made exceptions to their admissions criteria, I felt students shouldn’t be denied the opportunity to learn about the breadth of veterinary careers that are available to them. 

'School students shouldn’t be denied the opportunity to learn about the breadth of veterinary careers'

Developing Vet Mentor

Mentorship is the backbone of our professional development, so I brought together a team to create an alternative virtual work experience programme, one where aspiring students could view real vets interacting with patients and clients. 

The programme – Vet Mentor – is a social enterprise that aims to help grow our future leaders and game changers. 

The sessions cover small animal, equine, farm and exotic animal cases, and demonstrate a variety of career pathways. Each clinical scenario is followed by a teaching session that highlights the essential learning outcomes – usually demonstrating transferable skills and attributes such as communication, empathy, teamwork and leadership. 

Apart from providing unprecedented accessibility to a range of veterinary careers, a preliminary analysis of our attendees showed that we also reached students from increasingly diverse backgrounds.

As president of Vet Mentor, I support students across the UK. It is a rewarding experience and something that I do alongside my clinical responsibilities as a small animal vet. 

'If you would like to support the next generation of vets, I would be pleased to hear from you'

Future possibilities

I am excited to continue to develop Vet Mentor’s educational reach and impact on the future of the UK’s veterinary profession and workforce. 

Mentorship is one way I have been able to make a difference and I believe we can all share our experiences and insights to inspire an attitude of growth, resilience and motivation. I look forward to collaborating with leaders across the veterinary profession, or any vet who is passionate about mentoring. 

We all have a part to play and a responsibility to our patients and the profession to connect and innovate, and right now is a good time to start. 

We can all put a stamp on the future and contribute to the veterinary profession we are so proud of – a profession that needs to be sustainable, innovative, forward-thinking and diverse.

If you are a vet or vet student who would like to support the next generation of vets, I would be delighted to hear from you, dralexdavies@vetmentorfamily.org