Thank you for your interest in the full-time Veterinary Surgeon Position at Acorn House.
About Us
Acorn House is a 12 Vet RCVS Accredited Small Animal Hospital in the beautiful county town of Bedford.
We are an experienced and knowledgeable team with a busy and varied caseload and excellent facilities including laparoscopic and orthopaedic kits, gastroscopy, bronchoscopy, dental suite with digital radiography, and ultrasound. We have dedicated dog, cat and exotics wards and are currently undergoing an extension which will increase our space to 3 theatres, 2 dental suites, a new dog ward, and surgical supplies room.
Acorn House runs as an independent practice but since 2018 has been owned by the Royal Veterinary college operating as a flagship practice modelling high quality first opinion care to their veterinary students. We are an ISFM Gold Standard Cat friendly Clinic, Dogs Trust Dog Friendly Clinic and RWAF Gold Rabbit Friendly Practice. We are proud to be an RCVS approved Graduate Development and Veterinary Nurse Training Practice.
Our team
Our 12-vet team includes many experienced clinicians including Advanced Practitioners in Dentistry and Zoological medicine and vets working towards certificates in Small Animal Medicine, Small Animal Surgery and Diagnostic Imaging. We have a fantastic nursing team, led by our Head Nurse who holds an RCVS diploma in Advanced Veterinary Nursing (surgical) and an ECC certificate. Amongst our nursing team are certificate holders in anaesthesia, exotics, feline nursing and veterinary education.
Our Client Care team, including Accredited Veterinary Receptionists, provides vital support to our clients and the clinical and management teams. Each team has regular meetings with representatives from other areas of the practice, and there are quarterly practice meetings where everyone can share their ideas, celebrate successes, and discuss challenges.
Wellbeing
Our team's wellbeing is as important as our high-quality patient care. We focus on improving everyone's work-life balance, providing weekly yoga classes and a private garden for team lunches. We have trained mental health first aiders and provide an employee assistance programme through BUPA. We are also proud to be a member of the Living Wage Foundation and have an EDI (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) group that meets bi-monthly.
Career progression
We encourage our vets to follow their interests and further develop their skills. If you want to take on a certificate, we have the facilities and caseload to support this. If you already have a certificate, we will help you achieve and maintain Advanced Practitioner status. Vets with AVP’s have the opportunity to join our Senior Vet team with additional management responsibilities.
As a teaching hospital, the RVC provides all our vets free online CPD including courses to help mentor and support veterinary students and new graduates.
Our rota
Our rota is designed for a good work-life balance. Our vets work a 4-day week with a fixed day off and just one Saturday shift (8-4.30) every month. Each week includes consulting, operating, and a late shift, with a support shift every two weeks. We provide our own out-of-hours service with minimal on-call duties.
Location
Bedford is a lovely market town surrounded by beautiful countryside, with excellent transport links to Luton Airport and London. There are many activities available, from boat rides to cinema trips.
The Role
* Full time
* Experienced vet (3 years qualified with previous experience of on call preferred but not essential)
* 4-day fixed week with Wednesdays off. 6 Saturday day shifts a year (8.30am-4.30pm)
* Equal share of consulting, operating, support and on-call shifts
* On call: Until 11pm (11pm-8am for inpatients only)
* Fixed night every other week, 6 weekends (Saturday day shift then on call) and one bank holiday a year)
The Package
* A salary of £46,000 - £68,000 based on experience, plus out-of-hours bonus scheme and additional supplements for Certificate holders and AVP’s.
* Transparent salary banding with clear career progression
* Five weeks holiday, plus bank holidays, and holiday increases with length of service
* Two paid personal days to help with unexpected events
* CPD is actively encouraged, with certificates and AVP status supported and funded
* Professional fees paid for RCVS, VDS and BSAVA
* Weekly Yoga classes
* Employee Assistance Program
* Enhanced maternity/paternity/adoption pay
* Cycle to work scheme
* Happy to sponsor visas
If you like what you hear and want to know more, call us for an informal chat, or apply now with your CV and covering letter by clicking the Apply now button.
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