Veterinary Surgeon – Cutting Edge

Vets Now; Portsmouth, Teignbridge; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Vets Now is seeking candidates for its Cutting Edge training programme, designed to prepare veterinary surgeons for emergency and critical care roles. Successful candidates will undergo a comprehensive 10-week training, followed by full-time employment in Portsmouth, with a competitive salary and extensive benefits.

Benefits

Private medical insurance

Enhanced sick pay

Family-friendly policies

Seven weeks pro rata annual leave

Paid volunteering days

£1500 CPD allowance

Death in service of two times annual salary

Qualifications

• Minimum of six months small animal experience required.
• Confidence in consulting and performing routine surgical procedures.
• Ability to manage emergency cases effectively.

Responsibilities

• Participate in the Cutting Edge training programme.
• Work full-time in the Portsmouth clinic post-training.
• Manage emergency and critical care cases.

Skills

Teamworking

Clinical reasoning

Communication with pet owners

Job description

A structured and supported route into emergency and critical care

Vets Now is the UKs leading provider of emergency pet care, treating diverse emergency cases from our out-of-hours clinics. We are committed to developing vet surgeons, so we invest heavily in our CPD-led training programmes. Cutting Edge is designed to prepare Vets for an emergency and critical care role in one of our 60+ locations spanning the UK, by equipping you with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to thrive in these settings.

300 hours of CPD delivered by world renowned experts

Cutting Edge is a 10-week training programme comprised of lectures, interactive seminars and practical training four weeks of the programme are spent in your clinic with a senior clinician, learning to manage the caseload, getting to know your new team, and developing your skillset. You will spend some time in our central support hub in Scotland (accommodation is provided) participating in practical sessions, seminars, and lectures. You will have the opportunity to build a network with your fellow Cutting Edge participants.

A wide range of both professional and clinical topics are covered including how to approach

• Recognising and managing Shock
• Fluid Therapy
• Respiratory emergencies
• Cardiac emergencies
• Neurological emergencies
• Surgical emergency wet lab
• Blood gas analysis
• Point of care ultrasound (POCUS)
• Transfusion therapy
• Trauma
• Clinical reasoning and decision making in ECC
• Teamworking and pet-owner communication
• Adjusting to nightwork

The work-life balance you deserve

After the Cutting Edge programme, you will work full-time in our Portsmouth clinic. The rota is comprised of an average of 40 hours per week which includes a fair share of weekends and weeknights. The rota is developed with your work-life balance in mind, with no more than three nights in a row and downtime for the things you enjoy. Our Vets typically work an average of 3 shifts per week.

You will be paid a training salary of £42,250 for the first ten weeks, with a substantial increase up to £65,000 in week 11.

Our employees are our greatest asset which is why we offer a first-class benefits and rewards package that includes:

• Private medical insurance
• Membership of employee wellbeing programme
• Enhanced sick pay
• Enhances maternity policy, including 6 months full pay
• Family-friendly policies including paternity and adoption pay schemes
• Seven weeks pro rata annual leave
• Your birthday as a paid day off
• Paid volunteering days
• £1500 CPD allowance plus 35 paid hours pro rata
• RCVS fees, VECCS membership and VDS cover
• Vets Now For You – reward gateway giving discounts and cashback with 100’s of retailers
• UK Standard Pension contributions – 5% Employee/3% Employer
• Death in service of two times annual salary

Expansion, innovation, and opportunity

To reflect our commitment to the Cutting Edge programme and developing the next generation of veterinary surgeons, we have opportunities across the UK via Cutting edge in the following clinics:

To qualify for Cutting Edge, you should have a minimum of six months small animal experience and be confident consulting and performing routine surgical procedures sole charge.

The next Cutting Edge intake is 18th August 2025.

To discuss the Cutting Edge programme in more detail and for further information on our clinics please get in touch with Jess in our Talent team; [e-mail].