Sarah's Story

I started at Medivet as a mobile vet in 2013, which was a baptism of fire but very good training and a great opportunity to develop my clinical skills. Having been mobile for a while, I longed to be in one place for case continuity and to build permanent bonds with clients. I found this satisfaction for a while working as an assistant vet at Medivet Battersea, but whilst I felt much more satisfied in my day-to-day job, I felt my salary start to stall and began looking for the next opportunity.

I was made aware that there was an opening for a Branch Partner at Medivet Hampstead Garden Suburb, a branch where I had enjoyed working as a mobile vet. I would be working alongside two existing experienced Branch Partners and so I knew I would be well supported. I made the initial enquiry and realised that Branch Partnership was an attractive prospect. The role would require a step up in responsibility however I would be rewarded with increased earning potential and importantly, I would have support.

 I became a Branch Partner in 2015. I had no commercial experience when I joined the partnership and initially the increase in responsibility from being an assistant vet was a bit of a shock, however I was supported through it and quickly found that I enjoyed the non-clinical elements of the role.

Having spent several years building a successful practice in Hampstead, a new challenge presented itself. There was an opportunity to move equity from my existing branch to Medivet Hendon, a busy 24-hour hospital in North London. The move has added a new focus to my career. I now have more leadership and management duties and lean on the experience that I gained when I was a new Branch Partner of a 3-vet clinic to navigate my way through the dynamics of running a team of 45 colleagues. I also have more exposure to clinical cases and can further pursue my interests in soft tissue surgery, scanning and endoscopy.

I still receive support from Medivet. My Regional Operations Director is always on the end of the phone if I need a helping hand, and we will work in partnership to make decisions and resolve any issues that arise. I also receive support in other business areas. Our IT system is very good. I work very closely with our recruitment team who handle all the logistics of visas, contracts and other admin so that I can focus on interviewing and ensuring we hire the right people. Our finance department produce all our financial reports and data which my ROD helps me to analyse to formulate plans to drive our business. I also have a People Manager at the end of the phone acting as a HR consultant helping me to deal with difficult HR issues or take control if there are more serious issues.

Aside from the support Medivet offers, one thing I love about Medivet in general is being part of a community of Branch Partners across the business who I regularly discuss clinical and managerial issues with. We also have a local community of vets through our hub and spoke model from 15 clinics across the region and all work together and support one another. Our hub and spoke model also works well from a clinical satisfaction point of view and having 24-hour care is so important to me. We have the facilities and expertise to offer our patients the best treatment and all without our clients having to travel back and forth between clinics which may be needed if we used an external out of hours provider.

The clinical and non-clinical support that I have received as a Branch Partner has meant that I have gained a lot more experience than I ever would have done as an employed vet. I have become much more aware of issues affecting the wider profession as well as insights into running a business. I am more aware of the drivers of performance, HR processes and the logistics of recruitment. I have gained many transferable skills that if I decided to leave my partnership would serve me well in another role. I have also had opportunities to develop my clinical skills. As a Branch Partner I have had full control of my cases and have been able to invest in my own skills. My surgical ability has progressed from working alongside advanced surgeons much more than it would have done if I was in a standalone clinic. I am no orthopod however I know more about orthopaedics than many of my peers through working closely with one. The caseload at Hendon is a mixture of first opinion and accumulation of emergencies from across the region so I have a high exposure to a diverse range of cases and am always learning and growing from working with so many other. This brings great clinical satisfaction to my role.

I had always aspired to being a practice owner however what I imagined looked quite different. I knew that I would always want to be a practicing clinician and knew that I did not want to remain as an employed vet however what I had envisaged looked more like being a partner within an independent practice in a countryside setting. However, I recognised that the landscape for independent ownership was changing, and Branch Partnership seemed like a very good option. I love the mix between business and leadership without having to sacrifice the clinical side of my role and I have not had the steep learning curve, high exposure to risk or lonelier journey that I may have had if I went into independent ownership.

I genuinely think MV is one of few places where I can have a majority clinical role with ownership and have a reasonable work life balance. I have 4 young children and so I work 3 days a week in clinic and do remote emails and admin as needed which I can flex around my family life. Being a Branch Partner also gives me autonomy should I need to start or finish early. I can make decisions in a way I couldn’t if I were an employed vet. This is also made possible by the having the support of rota team and wider region which means that I am not on my own. I have assistance to find cover and the network of other clinics who could pitch in to help if needed relieving the stress of securing locum cover that I would have if I were on my own. As the hospital we also support the clinics in our region and should a clinic need to close early, they will divert their cases to us in a way that may not be possible if they were using an external out of hours provider.

 As a Branch Partner, I have a generous holiday allowance of 6 weeks plus bank holidays which allows me to enjoy reasonable time off throughout the year. If the clinic needs locums, they are booked for me at my request. My ROD oversees the clinic whilst I am away and will deal with any immediate issues giving me piece of mind that any decisions made will be in the best interest of the partnership. I have never had any issue taking all of my holiday allowance.

Not only is Branch Partnership a very satisfying career option, but the financial rewards that I receive are much higher than they would be if I were an employed vet. My income is generated from the profits of my clinic which I receive monthly as drawings. With the new introduction of the new exit options, I now also have an equity investment that will pay me a lump sum when I leave the partnership which is of a magnitude that does not exist as an employed vet.

My advice to anybody considering Branch Partnership is to not be scared and make the enquiry. It is much more accessible than you think and does not require large financial resources to get started. Branch Partnership is not out of reach for anyone with the relevant drive, clinical ability and the right personality and there are many. The new exit options make it much less permanent than you would imagine business ownership to be and can be extremely rewarding but less risky if you are looking at practice ownership options.