Spring 2025 Small Animal Graduate Programme

Are you searching for a supportive graduate programme for your small animal graduate? XLVets is looking to run a Small Animal Graduate Programme for students who have recently graduated or are due to graduate in December 2024, or those who have taken a break before starting their first role in practice.

Programme modules include:

• Professional Skills
  Managing yourself and in practice, finance and time management. The course will also provide an understanding of how finance works in practice, the basics of a profit and loss account, pricing principles and the perils of discounting. Time management; how to organise and plan time to allow greater productivity, enhancing relationships with clients and colleagues, reducing stress and achieving personal goals. An opportunity to consider your career development and the pathways and opportunities available.

• Dermatology, Pharmacology, Clinical Transition & Driver Skills
  Practical pharmacology, graduates in action and dermatology. Module three continues with graduates spending half a day looking at best practice dispensing and pharmacy, including the legal aspects of dispensing, controlled drugs and the use of antibiotics. Including an interactive session with the trainer discussing the nose-to-tail examination and common differential diagnoses, the repeat offender, imaging and surgical tips. Graduates will take a practical approach in looking at dermatology, aiming to give them confidence when dealing with skin cases in practice.

• Emergency Management and Euthanasia
  For this clinically focused module, graduates will focus on developing their clinical decision-making skills in order to save lives, protect the animal from harm and develop a toolkit to use in out-of-hours situations. Graduates will look at how to keep the animal alive, other common emergencies such as seizures, trauma, caesarean and euthanasia. The module will finish with a session on managing one’s own wellbeing.

• Practical Dentistry, QI, Recommendation Culture, Contextualised Care
  A full-day dental day, a practical session with cadavers covering extractions, suturing techniques, and using hand tools. We will cover the basics of routine dentistry and the common problems encountered in first-opinion practice. We will also focus on the science and art of being a great first opinion practitioner, and the value of developing your communication skills to successfully offer a range of suitable treatment routes and recommendations. Rachel Clay, who currently sits on the RCVS Quality Improvement Advisory Board will share the latest research and opportunities on how quality improvement can be integral in supporting your role in practice.

• Alumni Get Together
  Bringing together your learnings from the past year and honing the skills developed. Sharing your experiences with the next year’s new graduates who are about to embark on the programme.

Content: 80 hours of CPD, including practicals and both clinical and non-clinical content. Practices will be supported by our Mentoring Matters Online programme and will also have access to VetGDP Adviser support. All graduates will have access to an external mentor for monthly goal-setting meetings.

Included: Accommodation, evening meals and lunches, as required for the course.

Cost £3,750(+VAT).

Register your interest Please email admin@gradstovets.com or use the contact form below to register your interest in the programme.