Graduate Development Programme
Graduates are an important part of the Medivet community. On our Graduate Development Programme, you’ll have one-to-one training and dedicated support to grow your confidence as a practising vet.
Find out more and apply todayGraduate Veterinary Surgeon
We take pride in supporting you as you embark on your career. Our Graduate Development Programme is designed to help you gain confidence in practice and settle into life as a vet.
What is the Graduate Development Programme?
Our 12-month programme provides you with an amazing learning experience after qualification. You’ll benefit from outstanding one-to-one tailored coaching and training, as well as a range of practical and e-learning modules. You’ll work under the guidance of an experienced mentor, learning practical skills and gaining that all-important confidence in a safe and supportive environment.
Best of all, you’re guaranteed a job at Medivet once your training is complete.
Our programme is available at multiple locations throughout the UK, and an ongoing intake means you can start at a time that suits you.
Salary and benefits
- £37,500 salary package during the programme
- Your RCVS fees and the first year of BSAVA membership paid for
- Four-day week
- Five weeks’ annual leave plus bank holidays
- A MiniVetGuide book for quick clinical reference
- Exclusive retail deals and days out
During our 12-month programme, you can expect:
- one-to-one training, mentoring and support: you’ll be off the rota for the first three months, allowing you to focus on learning every aspect of practice with full support
- practical modules in important clinical subjects such as surgery, dentistry, dermatology, ophthalmology, ultrasound, cardiology, exotics and so much more
- in-depth e-learning modules to strengthen your knowledge
- sessions on resilience, mental health and leadership
- night training in critical care and emergency medicine
- a fully trained VetGDP adviser/Buddy for the first year
- access to knowledgeable vets who can answer all your questions
- a rewarding and fulfilling career path.
We have over 130 trained RCVS VetGDP advisers/Buddies in Medivet who are dedicated clinicians to help you settle in during your first year in practice. They will be there for both clinical and non-clinical support, and their job is to help integrate you into the profession and the Medivet community. Regular one-to one coaching sessions and meetings for the whole year will ensure you are gaining the skills required whilst staying confident and feeling supported.
The Graduate Development Programme has the following start dates this year:
20th January 2025
7th April 2025
28th July 2025
18th August 2025
8th September 2025
20th October 2025
19th January 2026
13th April 2026
Why join the Graduate Development Programme?
Lauren spent time on EMS and enjoyed coming to Medivet so much that she decided to apply for the Graduate Development Programme.
Hear from Lauren on her experiences of the programme.
“It has been a great programme for me and has really helped me with the transition from university to working life.”
Emily
Career progression
After successfully completing the Graduate Development Programme, you’ll earn a guaranteed job as a Veterinary Surgeon with Medivet. From there, you’ll be actively encouraged to develop your skills and further your career in clinical excellence.
As a Veterinary Surgeon with Medivet, you’ll receive a CPD (Continuing Professional Development) package of £1,500 plus three days, which you can put towards external training in a wide range of areas. Certificate sponsorship is also available, allowing you to pursue any area of veterinary care and further your expertise.
We understand that life as a vet can be challenging, so we also offer internal courses to develop your soft skills, including stress management and handling difficult conversations with clients, ensuring you have all the tools you need to succeed.
There are several rewarding career paths available to our Veterinary Surgeons.
These include:
- Mobile Veterinary Surgeon/Assistant Veterinary Surgeon
- Lead Veterinary Surgeon
- Night Veterinary Surgeon
- Branch Partner
- Regional Director
- Deputy Head of Clinical Operations
Starting out as a vet is a challenging time. You can rest assured that there will always be support available, as our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) is here for you 24 hours a day. Whether you’d prefer to speak to someone on the phone or face to face, there’s a counsellor available to listen. The EAP also offers a whole host of wellbeing services to help you work through physical and mental health problems, and any legal and financial difficulties you’re facing.
Working hours can vary, but it’s generally a nine-hour working day for Veterinary Surgeons and a 14-hour shift for Night Veterinary Surgeons. We have a growing number of 24-hour practices that operate on a shift pattern. All working hours will be discussed with you at your interview.
Our annual leave varies depending on location, but on average, we offer 22 days annual leave (pro-rata for a four-day week) for full-time Veterinary Surgeons, plus bank holidays with time off in lieu and a share of the rota. Annual leave is on a pro-rata basis for part-time roles.
Yes, we welcome all applications. You’ll first need to register with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) to practice as a Veterinary Surgeon in the UK. As an accredited A-rated sponsor, we can support your move to the UK and issue a Certificate of Sponsorship for Tier 2 (general) visas to Veterinary Surgeons.
Most of our practices have parking facilities for our clients. When attending an interview, please feel free to use one of the available spaces.
Unfortunately, we can’t cover any costs incurred while attending an interview.
You’ll be asked questions about your previous experience relating to the role you’re applying for. These questions are usually scenario-based, and we may ask about a time you were involved in a similar situation.
You’ll be advised what documents and/or items to bring with you to your interview; this can vary depending on the role you’re applying for. If you’re unsure, our recruitment team will be happy to help.
We recommend you attend all your interviews in smart dress unless advised otherwise in the invitation.
If you’re seeing a practice, you’re likely to be involved in some manual tasks. Therefore, we recommend you wear something comfortable that you don’t mind getting dirty. You should also wear flat, closed-toe shoes, as you may be invited into the kennels and theatre areas.
We recommend smart dress for your induction.
You’ll be given an opportunity at your induction to try on various sizes before ordering your uniform. This will be sent directly to your practice in the first week of your employment.
If you can’t find a role you want to apply for, please register your interest here and we’ll let you know when a vacancy becomes available.
Of course. Once you’ve applied for one role, you can select the ‘reuse application’ option on the application form for another role. There may be different questions associated with that vacancy which will need to be answered, but we’ll advise you which these may be.
Our vacancies page is updated daily, so check back regularly to find rewarding opportunities. You can also register your interest in a role to be notified of future vacancies.
Of course. We only ask that, if you’ve been invited to an interview that was unsuccessful, you wait three to six months before re-applying for the same or a similar role.
“My confidence has grown, and I feel that I’ve learned a lot due to having so many experienced colleagues to draw from”
Bobby
