Statement

My unconventional career makes me an unusual candidate. During my time in clinical practice, my confidence as a clinician held me back. I didn’t seek out or receive the support needed and despite my passion for the profession, I nearly left.

Instead, I became involved in practice management, loving the challenge of successfully managing and supporting a variety of personalities. I recognised the importance of skilled people management and its impact on employee satisfaction and performance. To address recruitment and retention challenges we must continue to offer accessible support to employees, but also address issues at management level. Developing management skills to create happy, healthy and rewarding working environments is key.

I recently found my niche by launching my export business and I am passionate about providing rewarding working environments for all, whether as a valued employee, a successful business owner, someone diversifying or someone setting out on their own.

Issues of particular interest:

• People management – Supporting managers to create positive working environments, creating job satisfaction for employees

• Business skills - Identifying members’ appetite for knowledge/skill development and creating relevant, concise and accessible information resources

Career diversification

• Supporting others to find their niche

• Providing new business information, support and guidance

Nursing empowerment

• Using my experience to support the development of nursing team roles to improve efficiency, job satisfaction and clinical care standards.

Providing a voice

• Representing people who find it challenging to engage with available resources, e.g. career coaching, CPD, other support initiatives and socials events; and exploring how to make participating in these opportunities more comfortable.

Social license to operate - beyond equestrian sports: building public trust and improving transparency

• Educating the general public on industry specific issues and the challenges encountered with the provision of veterinary services.

Statement

Unfinished Business!

After what has felt like a whirlwind first term there remains work to be done! We’re now completing Phase I of the review of BEVA’s Euthanasia Guidelines which will be familiar to you all and will shortly commence Phase 2 which is to list as many conditions as we can and determine suitability for Emergency Euthanasia or not. This will be a mammoth task and one I hope to complete during my next term.

The splinting and bandaging project has been another huge undertaking and one that is very near to completion. Due to be launched later this year the interactive project will integrate with BEVAs current app allowing quick and easy guidance on what bandage to apply and how for any given limb injury.

Sitting on the Social License to Operate Working Group has also been a key part of my role as we continue to support the role our horses in competition both in the UK and abroad.

I also hope to continue liaising with Wetherbys and helping them develop their app as we begin to move to digital passport systems in the EU and Uk and continue the great work between BEVA and the principle equestrian authorities.

Statement

I have worked in equine ambulatory practice for 19 years. Recently I have taken a career change and now work solely in Thoroughbred stud and racing practice whilst simultaneously being part of the veterinary referral team at Equine Medical Solutions. I feel I represent the majority of our members as I’ve been lucky enough to have a varied career working in many aspects of equine practice. I believe that the variety available to us and the ability to change roles within the industry is what keeps being an equine vet interesting and has been key to my own retention within clinical practice. As well as being a vet I am also a mum of two girls. Having the time to be at home whilst being fulfilled in my career, is really important to me. Balancing these responsibilities is challenging but gives me understanding of the challenges facing many vets today.

Issues of particular interest:

I have been proud to be part of BEVA council for the last three years and have been involved in projects that are important to me:

I have updated information and support for parents navigating pregnancy and return to work after maternity leave. I am keen to develop this further in other issues affecting women in practice such as menopause.

I have undergone coach training to be 1 of the 5 coaches leading the ‘Back in the Saddle’ scheme to support experienced vets who are looking for support in their careers. This is the project that I am most proud of; supporting positive change and improving retention.

I am keen to continue current projects but also look at developing strategies for ethical equestrian practices, where we can improve public awareness and education, enhance horse welfare, and secure a social licence for the use of horses in pleasure and sport.

Statement

Encouragement from colleagues in veterinary education and equine practice has inspired me to put my energy and enthusiasm into standing for BEVA council.

Teaching at Bristol Vet School places me in the enviable position of influencing the development of the next generation of equine vets. My experience gives me direct appreciation of the needs and pressures of new graduates, and those of the equine veterinary industry. We can do better to match these and enable both to thrive.

BEVA resources help me to educate stakeholders about sustainable husbandry and management practices that better meet horses' needs, with ethology and ecology forming the basis of psychological, physiological and environmental health.

BEVA CPD has allowed me to develop my passion into establishing my own business in equine behaviour services, and it is my goal to continue to build resources to inspire everyone to find their niche and to love their work.

Issues of particular interest:

I am involved in integrating the behaviour teaching in the veterinary courses at Bristol, resulting in increased confidence in students unfamiliar with horses and upskilling those who are already confident. I have also incorporated clinical skills teaching with the equine post-mortem sessions for the final-year vet students, linking gross pathology findings with clinical disease presentations and treatments.

Alignment of these approaches across UK vet schools could help provide tangible opportunities for all students to engage and feel safe with equine work. This would be a fantastic way to increase the diversity of those entering equine clinical practice and break down perceived social barriers.

I believe we can evolve and grow by embracing individual strengths and values of members of the profession, increasing job satisfaction, self-worth and subsequent retention. My position on the council would allow me to explore these ideas with all the expertise, knowledge and reach that BEVA has.

Statement

Graduating in 2022, I spent my first year in first opinion practice, then was fortunate to spend six months at a referral hospital in Australia.

Being part of BEVA Council for two years as the new/recent graduate representative on Careers Committee is enjoyable and insightful - something I would love to continue.

I don’t come from a traditional “horsey” background, initially causing doubt about entering the profession, a common feeling for many students. I am proud to be part of the equine profession and want to ensure everyone feels encouraged to pursue an equine career, regardless of background.

Since graduating I have encountered many challenges in my developing career. I empathise with the transition of entering the profession and the inevitable highs and lows encountered. I am approachable, enthusiastic, and determined to provide guidance and mentorship to graduates, preparing them for clinical practice and the reality of what the job entails.

Issues of particular interest:

Recruitment and retention – I want to encourage final year students, new and recently qualified graduates to consider a career in equine and understand how brilliant the profession is! I want to offer support to help retain those entering the profession, to be the voice which represents their views and to inspire positive change.

Encouragement and support – I will motivate and encourage all graduates to enter the equine profession, making them feel valued regardless of whether they have experience of riding prior to becoming a qualified vet.

Transition – I want to be able to mentor, support and guide those entering the equine profession, and aid an empathetic approach to transition between graduation and easing them into the complex, yet highly rewarding role of an equine professional.

Vet welfare – I want to actively promote welfare and safety in the profession, focusing on both the mental and physical health of vets.

Statement

Having grown up with no interest in horses, I graduated from the Dick Vet in 2013 with the equine bug and have experienced a range of working practices since then from a hospital internship to private ambulatory practice, and now back at the Dick Vet in teaching practice. I am in the fortunate position of being able to combine the day-to-day job so many of us enjoy with undergraduate teaching, but I am also painfully aware of the many difficulties our future colleagues are facing and the barriers (perceived or real) preventing them from entering equine practice. There is so much we can do to help people realise that equine practice is not only an option but a rewarding career irrespective of background and previous interests, and it is for this reason that I am running for BEVA Council.

Issues of particular interest:

• Supporting undergraduate education and engagement
• Raising awareness and accessibility of equine practice
• Accessibility of EMS placements
• Improving mental health support within the profession
• Sustainability in equine practice

Statement

At the start of my final year I boldly stated that I would NEVER be an equine vet, seeing no opportunity for my non horse-riding self to enter this seemingly terrifying sphere of veterinary medicine. Fast forward several years and I've been an equine vet for 12 years, spoken at BEVA Congresses, volunteered with BEVA Trust, been a part of working groups such as CANTER and ProtectMe Too and helped out with the Mumsvet initiatives. What changed my mind was a couple of lucky breaks and more importantly, time spent with qualified vets, mentors and organisations, that showed me the diverse opportunities an equine vet can have. If I am elected I will champion raising awareness of the richness an equine based career can bring amongst students and recent graduates and work with members to identify what they need to stay being happy equine vets and how BEVA can help.

Issues of particular interest:

After 7 years of mixed practice in the UK and New Zealand, volunteering abroad for working equid charities and over a decade with The Donkey Sanctuary, my background is very much first opinion horse work and, of course, donkeys. Although a niche area, this is still a role that sees me heavily involved in education, welfare, research opportunities and I have a keen interest in all things medicine related. Consequently I am enthusiastic about being involved in working groups exploring any of these topics.

I am a huge advocate for encouraging people to consider an equine career, including all those routes that are less 'mainstream clinical practice,' and working to identify barriers and solutions to staying within the profession.

As a Vet Sustain champion and a recent MSc in One Health graduate, those areas where equine, environmental and human health and welfare intersect are a major focus for me.

Statement

I have a real drive to support our profession and the people and horses it includes. I am well placed to represent its needs; over the last 18 years as a busy equine clinician I have worked in ambulatory and referral practices, as a locum and as a long-standing team member, and in university and private hospitals. Now, as a single Mum and equine surgeon, I appreciate the challenges of juggling family and professional life and attempting to fulfil my desire to do a good job at both! I have experienced the corporatisation of the business I work within, and, through my family life, the challenges and opportunities faced as a business owner of an independent practice. I am a good listener and a considered, proactive and organised individual and feel these attributes and my experiences mean I would have a positive and significant influence as a council member.

Issues of particular interest:

Career progression, fulfilment, and sustainability: Having collaborated with and mentored numerous colleagues I am aware of the importance of career progression, fulfilment and sustainability from graduation to retirement. The advent of large corporate and solo-vet independent businesses and the shifting gender demographic have impacted our profession’s structure. We need to recognise this and ensure career sustainability, job opportunities and stimulation are maximised.

Equestrianism’s social licence: Maintaining this is vital so we can continue to support all aspects of the equine industry. Promotion of welfare and evidence-based practice, education and clear communication will help maintain public support for equestrian sport.

Outcome of the market investigation by the CMA: This may significantly influence public perception and regulation. It is vital the profession responds in a positive and considered fashion.

Education and CPD: An area of my continued interest, having enjoyed learning from and teaching students, interns, residents and colleagues in various settings.

Statement

I've been a BEVA member since graduation from Liverpool University in 2007 and taken an active role on BEVA council since 2019. My time on council helped me visualise the opportunities and needs of the membership. Throughout my background in first opinion practice, and more recent experience within veterinary undergraduate education, I've been resolutely passionate about the equine veterinary profession and its members. My breadth of experience working as an equine vet allows me to understand the needs of our current members, alongside insights into the evolving expectations of future members. It is very important to me that BEVA is of value to all, catering for members at every stage of their career. The diverse needs of our community require tailored resources and support. I am committed to advocacy, maintaining integrity and furthering both the clinical and non-clinical resources BEVA provides.

Issues of particular interest:

• Supporting members throughout their careers
• Collaboration with veterinary & medical communities to advance knowledge and improve outcomes, including within our equine teams 
• Continued strengthening of our equine Registered Veterinary Nurse's role in ambulatory equine practice
• Practical non-clinical resources to support members in day-to-day practice

Only registered veterinary surgeons who are members of BEVA can vote in the BEVA elections. Unfortunately, this means nurse and student members are not eligible to place a vote. There will be a vote on allowing nurse members to cast their vote in BEVA elections at the BEVA AGM in September 2024.

All eligible members will receive an email from BEVA@cesvotes.com inviting them to vote. The email will direct you to a voting website where you will be invited to confirm your order of preference for the candidates, please note there are five vacancies plus our Junior Vice President position on BEVA Council this year.

Council elections are open from Friday 19 July to Monday 19 August 2024. Elected council members will be announced at the BEVA AGM at BEVA Congress 2024 on Friday 13 September.