Small Animal Veterinary Surgeon

Bicester Vets; England; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A small animal veterinary practice in the United Kingdom is seeking two full-time small animal vets. This role offers a supportive environment with strong mentorship for new graduates and opportunities for experienced vets to enhance their skills. The team focuses on high-quality patient care, and the practice is well-equipped with advanced technology. The position includes participating in an out-of-hours rota. Competitive salary and extensive benefits are provided, including ongoing professional development.

Benefits

7 weeks annual leave

£1800 annual CPD allowance

Staff discounts for pets

Regular team events

Qualifications

• Must be a licensed veterinarian with qualifications.
• Experience with challenging cases is preferred.
• New graduates will receive mentoring and support.

Responsibilities

• Provide veterinary care to small animals.
• Join the out-of-hours rota on a 1 in 8 basis.
• Collaborate with a team of experienced vets.

Skills

Team player

Surgical skills

Imaging skills

Diagnostic skills

Dentistry skills

Education

Veterinary degree

Tools

CT Scanner

Digital radiography

Ultrasound

In-house laboratory equipment

Job description

The Position

Bicester Vets is looking for two full-time small animal vets to join our dedicated team of 14 vets. One position is ongoing whilst the other is a 12-month maternity cover which has the potential to become permanent at the end.

About Us

Bicester Vets is an independent RCVS Small Animal Hospital which has recently changed to an Employee Ownership model. Our single site practice has been at its current location for nearly 50 years and has developed from a general mixed practice to a large, high-quality small animal hospital with over 50 team members, overnight nursing care and a solid desire to do the best we can for our clients and their pets.

We have recently completed a major redevelopment which has given us brand new spacious dog, cat, exotic and isolation wards. Our new CT scanner has been enhancing our imaging capabilities since early 2025. We now have a third operating space and an additional room for scanning/procedures. The recently upgraded waiting room is modern and comfortable with a separate cat friendly area.

Our Team

At Bicester Vets you will find a friendly, welcoming team. An ethos of helpful, collaboration will ensure that experienced vets and new graduates will both fit in easily. Morning rounds provides a lively discussion on in-patients and a chance for any quick updates for the day. Generally, three vets will be consulting for the morning session whilst four will be operating. You’ll find a wealth of experience in our team to ensure you never feel on your own.

Our nursing team, the majority of which trained at Bicester Vets, are brilliant at ensuring your day runs smoothly; preparing your work site, taking pre-anaesthetic bloods & placing IVs to ensure your patient is ready when you are. Our dedicated reception team will ensure consulting periods run smoothly and assist you with administrative tasks.

“As a practice we are proud to have an excellent array of equipment combined with a hard-working, talented team which allows us to offer a service nearing that of referral centres.”

“Coming to Bicester Vets as a new graduate and now being a 10 year qualified surgical certificate holder here, I can vouch for it being a supportive place to both learn as a recent graduate but also have the case load and environment to remain stimulated and engaged as an experienced vet.”

“With recent expansions and the addition of our CT scanner, Bicester Vets continues to offer an exceptional level of care to our amazing client base and an exciting opportunity to vets wanting to thrive in their career.”

Kyra Jennings BVM BVS PGCertSA Surgery MRCVS Nottingham 2016

We have veterinary certificate holders in Anaesthesia, Emergency & Critical Care, Medicine, Cardiology and Surgery. There is a wealth of knowledge in soft tissue & orthopaedic surgery, medicine and diagnostics including general ultrasound and echocardiography. Our in-house lab includes extensive biochemistry and haematology, urinalysis including automated sediment examination, clotting parameters, electrolytes, blood gases and T4. Doing our own after hours ensures vets can work up and treat our own cases to the level the owner desires. There are also a good selection of referral practices within easy reach when required including Willows (Solihull), The Ralph (Marlow), Hamiltons (High Wycombe) & Eastcott (Swindon).

The Vet team regularly have social catch ups outside of work and you’ll find them making extra efforts to ensure you settle into our friendly town. We are fortunate to have many great restaurants and pubs within a quick walk of the practice.

Outside of Bicester and its world-famous shopping outlet Bicester Village there is the beautiful city of Oxford with its “dreaming spires” and lively nightlife a quick bus ride away. We have the choice of 2 train stations which will get you to London Marylebone in as little as 45mins or Birmingham centre in 1 hour. A quick drive west will get you to Burford or Stow on the Wold in the beautiful Cotswolds.

“After spending a few summers of EMS at Bicester Vets as a student, I knew a career here could help me develop into the great vet I hope to be. I was delighted to be offered a job and have loved my four years at Bicester Vets. I felt like part of the team from day one and have had great support throughout.”

Dr Lauren Furey BVM&S (Edin 2020)

About You

We are looking for two full time Vets who are happy to join our out-of-hours rota on a 1 in 8 basis as outlined elsewhere. Doing our own after-hours work creates a better experience & case continuity for our patientsand provides an excellent opportunity for veterinarians to gain knowledge, skills, and independence.

You will need to be a team player, looking for a role where you will find friends as well as colleagues. You will be open to new ideas and be willing to share your thoughts about cases with the experienced team around you. If you have veterinary experience, then we’d like you to share your knowledge so that we can learn also.

You will need to be a hard worker who isn’t afraid of challenging cases and you must be prepared to develop your surgical, imaging, diagnostic and dentistry skills to ensure you can provide the very best care for our patients.

For a new graduate we will provide mentoring and support, back-up on call and a large variety of cases to develop your skills and confidence quickly and smoothly.

“I think we are a good team, helping each other out, collaborating with cases so that we all learn, and do the best for our patients. There is an atmosphere of enthusiasm to learn and develop, as individuals, and as a practice and enjoy a good rapport between ACAs, nurses, vets, reception and office staff. Everyone has pulled together during hard times, through COVID and pressured days; there is support within the practice and from the Directors.”

Rachel Marsden – MA VetMB CertVC MRCVS – Advanced Practitioner

Full-time Vet Rota – Currently 1 in 8

6 in 7 – standard work week of 4 days 8.30am – 6.30pm (Only 3 days after weekend on call)

• Day off is variable and can be requested in advance to suit your plans

1 in 7 – 5 days of night duties

• Mon- 2pm-9pm then on-call overnight
• Tuesday to Friday 4pm-9pm then on-call overnight
• When you arrive, you might help finish off the op list, do a house call, or assist with the inevitable “emergency”.
• There are repeat prescriptions to complete, perhaps some phone calls
• There are early evening appointments which start at 6.10pm for an hour. These are followed by “Red” appointments between 8-9pm which aren’t routinely booked, but are there to enable you to encourage owners to bring ill animals in at a reasonable hour, rather than waiting till midnight to call.
• If things are quiet, then you can leave the practice at 9pm in the capable hands of the overnight nurse who will take phone calls and contact you if necessary.

1 in 7 – Saturday shift 8.30am – 2.30 approx.

• Consulting from 8.30am
• Assist with procedures after consults

1 in 7 – full weekend duty

• 8.30am Sat to 8.30am Monday
• Saturday morning – care of inpatients, procedures, hospital admissions
• From 2.30pm Saturday – on-call for the remainder of the weekend
• Nurse at the practice at all times to take phone calls, give medications and nursing care
• Monday & Tuesday - off after weekend for recovery

Full time Vet Terms & Benefits

• Salary for a new graduate would be around £38,000 plus benefits, and up to £60,000 plus benefits for an experienced vet
• 7 weeks annual leave (7 x 4-day week = 28 days paid leave)
• £1800 inc. vat annual CPD allowance
• Certificates encouraged and funded above standard CPD budget
• 5 paid CPD days (7 days for advanced practitioners)
• RCVS fees paid, VDS insurance paid
• Enhanced company sick pay, workplace pension
• Excellent staff discount for your pets
• Regular CPD with pizza nights
• Christmas party for you and your partner – drinks, food and entertainment provided
• Summer staff BBQ for staff and their immediate families with food cooked by the Directors, drinks and team games by the swimming pool.

Equipment

• Separate dog, cat and exotic wards plus Isolation facilities
• In-house laboratory (including blood gas, clotting and urine sediment machines)
• Digital radiography – DR with floating table
• CT Scanner
• Ultrasound – incl. cardiology, linear & convex probes
• Dental room with digital DR dental x-ray, 2 x air powered dental machines
• Ventilator and several Multi-parameter machines for monitoring critical and anaesthetised patients
• Laparoscopy – ovariectomy, cryptorchid dogs, abdominal organ biopsy
• Ophthalmology - Tonovet for IOP, slit lamp, operating/examination loupes
• Rigid and flexible endoscopy,
• Monopolar and bipolar cautery
• Orthopaedic equipment incl. plating, external fixation, MMP cruciate