Veterinary Careers Video Demonstrates Varied Routes To Vet School For Greater Inclusivity
1 year ago 
464 views
Posted
14th December, 2022 22h14
A new video resource has been launched, aimed at empowering secondary school students to follow a career in the veterinary profession. Entitled, ‘So you want to be a vet or veterinary nurse?’, the video features Remi Onabolu, a veterinary nurse and fourth year student at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), who took a less traditional route into her veterinary studies. Available free of charge, it has a target audience of 13 to 16 year olds so is suitable for school careers presentations as well as for work experience students in practice. Designed to inspire and empower, the video explains how Remi navigated obstacles in her path to gain a place on the veterinary medicine course at the RVC, and it can be accessed here.
Data from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons shows that in 2019, only 37.9 percent of veterinary surgeons attended non-selective state schools, while only 3.5 percent of vets were from black or ethnic minority backgrounds. It is hoped that the video will encourage applications from a wider demographic, opening up the profession to those who would not have previously considered it.
Filmed at Pride Veterinary Referrals, the video is a collaborative project between JHP Recruitment, Companion Consultancy (a PR and marketing agency serving veterinary business) and Scrub Mentors (an online mentoring service for students interested in a career in the veterinary or dental professions) and it aims to empower students from all backgrounds to consider veterinary medicine or veterinary nursing as a career choice.
Alongside her studies, Remi currently works as a locum veterinary nurse as well as for the veterinary careers group, Vets: Stay, Go or Diversify. She is passionate about encouraging students to follow their veterinary career goals and explains that the cause is very close to her heart, “I wasn’t the typical straight A student and I certainly had set-backs along the way. I hope my story will inspire students to aim high and have confidence in themselves. In particular those students who aspire to a career in the veterinary profession but currently think it is out of their reach. I firmly believe that if you can see it, you can be it!”
A flyer ‘Want to be a vet or vet nurse?’ has been produced to accompany the video, which outlines where students can access the practical information and support they need to help them succeed in their chosen career path. Veterinary practices can direct work experience students, or those that get in touch to enquire about a veterinary career, to these resources.
As well as supporting students to access their chosen career, with a well-documented recruitment crisis it is hoped that encouraging applications from all backgrounds will benefit the profession as a whole. The video can be accessed here and copies of ‘Want to be a vet or vet nurse?’ can be downloaded here.
To find out more, contact JHP Recruitment on [email protected], Companion Consultancy on [email protected] or visit www.scrubmentors.com
More from
- IVC Evidensia assembles expert team to run new £10m referral hospital
- Home delivery service can increase pet health plan sign-ups by 25%
- Research reveals vital clues to help fight anthelmintic resistance
- Lifetime Achievement Award recognises Harrogate vet’s dedication to improving the health and welfare of rabbits
- Bake sale at Leicestershire vet practice for good cause
