Medivet for Training

Re: Medivet for Training

Anonymous — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 17:08:41 GMT

just wondering how far are you from the college ....? i go to medivet to and will be starting college soon hopw much pet mone do you get aswell xx

Re: Medivet for Training

JennyG — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 21:30:16 GMT

Up to Yorkshire from Gloucestershire! So just a short way ;)

Re: Medivet for Training

BengalcatRVN — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 19:20:12 GMT

200 mile move? Wow! Where are you moving to?

Re: Medivet for Training

JennyG — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 19:05:43 GMT

Thanks for all the responses guys. I am a very happy (lucky) bunny as after only 6 months of leaving my previous career I have a training practice and start work in 2 weeks! Moving 200 miles to make this dream happen!

So excited and just can't wait!

Re: Medivet for Training

Victoria Nielsen RVN — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 16:48:38 GMT

I agree with the above as well. My vet owns half of the practice so has a say in how the practice is run and yes I have thought about leaving due to questioning Medivet's ethos after the BBC programme aired but have stayed due to my loyalty to my vet and the fact that I love working with the team that I have. And Medivet itself have worked hard to address the issues that was aired much to their credit.

The QVN wage isn't brilliant but it's better than away from London I can ensure you. And you earn more than I did as a student, I was on 10K a year and that was in a private 24 hour veterinary hospital, then At the end of the day, veterinary nursing isn't well paid and ultimately, it's not about the money at the end of the day, it's about loving the job and the people you work with. And I certainly have that.

Re: Medivet for Training

Dreamcatcher — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 16:54:38 GMT

I work for a small Medivet practice (outside of London) so I will try and be as honest/balanced as possible. There are lots of pros and cons with working for them, as with any other practice I suppose. Since Panorama they do seem to have made a massive effort in addressing the issues raised, and I would like to echo what somebody else has said in that the people featured in the program in no way reflect how the rest of us work. There are still things I don't particularly agree with.... I don't really like some of the 'bonus' type schemes as I think it can bring out the worst in people. Having said that, they are a partnership, and my particular practice is owned partly by them and partly by the vet, so he does get a say in how things are run. He really does care about his clients and patients and it certainly isn't 'all about the money' with him. Since the program, I have often thought about leaving as it led me to question Medivet's ethos, however I have stayed (and still will stay, for the time being) because the business also belongs to my vet who I enjoy working for and whose judgement I trust - I would worry about leaving and working for a vet who didn't care.

Medivet's treatment of their staff has caused a lot of friction in the past. It wasn't uncommon for them to make members of staff work illegal amounts of hours although it appears that this has also been addressed and at present I actually have no issues with them.

On a positive note, as a Student I do feel as if I am getting a fairly decent deal. £13k+ a year, college fees paid for and being paid for the day a week I am at college, as well as a small amount towards petrol for getting to college. I don't know many other SVN's who get all of that. They own their own college so I guess that's how they manage to make it work.... the education I've received so far has been pretty good I'd say - the college staff are lovely and very helpful.

Probably wouldn't stay for much longer after I've qualified to be honest... but that is because I'd like to end in a referral hospital or something eventually. (Although their QVN wage isn't very encouraging even if I did want to stay.)

Re: Medivet for Training

Kim Buckley — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 11:09:04 GMT

I'm not saying corporate companies give less care at all. They normally have great facilities and purpose built practices. Having worked for one though and hearing some comments from head office and being made to feel like the practice needs to make lots of money, I wouldn't want to work for one again.

I locummed at a practice where the facilities weren't great and it needed a lot of modernising. However the owner was passionate about what she did and the kennels always had a couple of strays in who she would get better and find nice homes for without fretting about the money side of things. I would much rather work for someone like this.

Re: Medivet for Training

marieeccles — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 10:56:59 GMT

I think that every practice should be judged on its own merits regardless of who they are owned by. The good and bad are both out there and I think everyone needs to make their own assesments on what they think of a practice.

Re: Medivet for Training

Polly P — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 01:19:28 GMT

Though the thought of 'Medivet' makes me go 'boo!' I cannot deny that I would be more than confident to take any of my own pets to be treated by any of the Medivet vets and nurses I worked with personally... I would trust them more, having seen them at work, than I would a lot of small practices.

Big corporations don't have the monopoly on crappy either- shortly after I left Medivet I did some temp work in a large-ish solo private practice that was very busy, charged high fees and made a lot of money...

But the owner was money mad, to the detriment of the practice and the animals.

Events like washing disposable drapes to reuse was common place, there was even a note on the list of what goes into kits saying 'try to avoid having your vet place body parts on the drapes (this is those same disposable drapes) so that we can save washing them between autoclaving...'

She was too mean to buy test strips for the autoclave, instead thinking it ok to stick tape over the wrapped kit and assume that if the lines went black it was good...

The whole cost of washing and drying drapes, blankets etc was her personal crusade, she'd have a go at you if you took a blanket out of an inpatient kennel and put it in the washing bin if it 'looked clean' and would instead tell you to put it back in the pile for re use...

None of that would ever have been tolerated at Medivet, much less endorsed by the head vet/ owner!

Re: Medivet for Training

Louise B — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 22:25:15 GMT

[quote user="Victoria Willingale RVN MBVNA"]

I work for Medivet and obviously the Panorama programme had an significant effect however the people involved were bad apples which were 1% of the staff in Medivet. They have all been dealt with and we are all working hard to ensure this does not happen again.

I've worked in other places and the events that goes on filmed by the BBC do happen elsewhere as well. But thankfully, it's now very rare. Our eyes have been opened to these incidents and if I ever saw anything like what happened, I certainly will report them.

But please, all staff who work for Medivet are not all the same as the people featured on the programme - some of us actually work hard to provide the best care possible for our patients and are geniune dedicated nurses and vets.

Finally, I wish you the best of luck in your career within veterinary nursing :)

[/quote]

One of my closest longstanding friends is HVN at one of the larger Medivet centres. She is one of the most caring nurses and one of the most ardent animal welfare people I know. I would have no hesitation in letting her or her team treat my animals. If she says her team are good then they are good as far as I am concerned.

Re: Medivet for Training

Kim Buckley — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 21:14:58 GMT

Corporate vet practices are only in it for one thing... money!

The vets and nurses might care about the animals but the big bosses don't. I would never work for a corporate again!

Re: Medivet for Training

Polly P — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 21:08:42 GMT

I started with Medivet, I suppose I have the middle of the road view...

The nurses and vets were all 100% great people, but the company itself and the way it runs sucks.

My personal opinion!

Re: Medivet for Training

BengalcatRVN — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 20:26:59 GMT

[quote user="duncat"]

You had a lucky escape I used to work for medivet.

[/quote]

[quote user="Victoria Willingale RVN MBVNA"]

I work at an amazing branch as Head Nurse with a fantastic vet and my two wonderful student nurses and obviously we all got tarred with the same brush because we work for Medivet itself which was awful as I pride myself on my qualification and being a Veterinary Nurse that I had worked hard to achieve.......
......But please, all staff who work for Medivet are not all the same as the people featured on the programme - some of us actually work hard to provide the best care possible for our patients and are geniune dedicated nurses and vets.

[/quote]

2 very different opinions. I guess the honest truth is never judge a book by it's cover, you have to dip your own feet in and experiance it for yourself

Re: Medivet for Training

Tanya Traill — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 15:01:16 GMT

You had a lucky escape I used to work for medivet.

Re: Medivet for Training

Victoria Nielsen RVN — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 13:31:45 GMT

Finally, I wish you the best of luck in your career within veterinary nursing :)

Re: Medivet for Training

JennyG — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 19:29:42 GMT

Thanks for all the replies, unfortunatly I wan't offered a placement or even a full interview as would have to relocated but they wouldn't allow me to do so still on the hunt. I wouldn't have ruled them out straight from the documentry was just a bit uneasy!

Fingers crossed something comes up soon!

Re: Medivet for Training

BengalcatRVN — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 23:37:48 GMT

PM'd :)

Re: Medivet for Training

JustJordanAhoy — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 21:02:06 GMT

As said, the Panorama programme may put some people off. Its entirely up to you, and why not give them a try anyway.

Best of luck and congrats on getting a placement.

Re: Medivet for Training

Jenny Cook RVN — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 19:51:06 GMT

Im sure your aware of the recent panorama thing several weeks on Medivet practices and training and professional conduct? There are im sure mixed views...

BUT well done on gaining a training place, and good luck with it all.