Vets Now, provider of emergency veterinary care for small animals in the UK, has launched a new small animal surgical residency programme at its hospital in Glasgow.
The hospital has an established residency programme in emergency and critical care, but a recent £1.5m expansion has led to the creation of the first residency programme in small animal surgery, which will allow vets to achieve specialist status in this field.
The residency announcement comes following significant expansion of the site last year which added an entire floor dedicated to emergency and critical care, a new specialist oncology treatment area, as well as additional theatre space.
Vets Now small animal surgery specialist, Davinia Arnott, is leading the new residency programme with her team at the Glasgow hospital.
She said: “To be awarded the ability to run a residency, you have to be accredited to the highest possible standard, and there is a range of stringent ECVS criteria that we needed to meet. We were able to put ourselves forward following the expansion of our hospital and all the new facilities we have added. We are all really proud to be in a position to offer this new small animal surgical residency.
“We now have four theatres so we can do multiple surgeries at the same time, allowing us to greatly increase our caseload. We can also do fluoroscopy for orthopaedics and soft tissue. We just didn’t have that capability before.”
She added: “To achieve specialist status, the standard is exceptionally high so we’ll only have one resident every three years. This is to ensure they’re mentored and guided properly throughout.”
Leo Roses is the first small animal surgery resident to join the new Vets Now programme. She began her three-year tenure in January after completing a surgical internship in the hospital. Roses, is originally from Majorca and has also worked for Vets4Pets..
She said: “I realised during my degree that I wanted to specialise in surgery. I did two surgical internships before coming to Glasgow to do a third. I applied for a position here because I was aware of the incredible reputation of the surgeons and had been told they were really keen to teach.
“I work very closely with the surgeons and I’m gradually getting more and more responsibility over cases. The refurbishment has made a really positive difference as we have new equipment so we can cover more conditions, offer new techniques and new treatment solutions.”
To achieve specialist status vets have to complete their veterinary degree, usually at least one internship, a three to four-year residency programme and a tough examination at the end. During their residency, they complete several key elements including a certain number of cases and all types of soft tissue and orthopaedic surgery. They also have to be published at least twice and speak internationally on soft tissue or orthopaedics.
Glasgow is one of three UK 24/7 emergency and specialty hospitals run by Vets Now, the others being in Manchester and Swindon.
All hospitals have emergency and critical care at their core, with complementary referral services including internal medicine, diagnostic imaging, oncology, soft tissue and orthopaedic surgery in Glasgow and Manchester and a specialist exotics referral centre in Swindon.
