Joining the Pennard Vets team is much more than just a career choice – it’s a move to become one of our employee owners. Everyone from our vets to our admin team is #ProudlyPennards, and we appreciate what all of team members do. This week we hear from Georgia Robb, who is a veterinary surgeon that has been working hard on her new graduate rotations! Georgia tell us about setting and achieving professional goals in the veterinary field.
Could you share some key goals you’ve set throughout your career and how you approached achieving them?
“Being only 2 years graduated, I would say my achievements are relatively limited on paper. That said, when I look at how much I have changed as a vet over this time, there has been quite an exponential growth.
Within the first few months of starting practice, I was setting goals quite regularly because everything was such a steep learning curve. It mostly started with getting comfortable and learning the basics, to then challenging myself with more complex consults and cases by about 3 months in.
Being at different branches meant different opportunities were available.
When my rotations began at Sevenoaks hospital, I wanted to improve my emergency & critical care skills and inpatient care. I eased into this, asking to workup cases alongside other colleagues until I felt confident to try by myself. Time frame wise, I started managing inpatients independently by about 6-7 months in.
With branches such as Eton’s, this was a great place to refine my consulting skills. Key goals included time management, case continuity and communication skills. A lot of this came with practice and experimenting with different techniques to see what worked most for me.
All branches were great for gaining surgical experience. I really enjoy surgery and started with refining my day 1 competencies (cat spays, castrates etc.). Now having graduated 2 years, my current goal is to perform more non-routine soft tissue surgeries. I also struggled with dentistry at first. To improve, I requested to attend an external CPD practical dentistry course using my unlimited CPD budget that Pennard Vets offers, and shadowed Fotios who is great at dentistry. This has really helped – although I still find it a challenge!”
What methods or strategies have you found most effective for setting realistic and attainable goals?
“I think goal setting is a fine balance between being realistic whilst simultaneously trying to push yourself out of your comfort zone.
I would say I set myself a few goals – some that are simple and achievable relatively quickly but will help me become a more well-rounded vet. Then I have 1 or 2 more challenging goals that require a lot more time and practice but would benefit me long term in my career progression.
For example, a smaller goal I had recently was to call owners with results within the day of receiving them (unless it’s a crazy hectic day), rather than leaving it until the end of the week, by which point I have a dauntingly long list of people to call.
A long-term, more challenging goal for me is improving my imaging ability, an area I have taken an interest in. Methods of achieving this goal include shadowing other vets, actively seeking out CPD to improve my knowledge and just giving things a go! If you give it a go and still need help, there is no shame in asking a colleague.
Reflection is also a great strategy for goal setting. I’m not talking about keeping a diary and writing an in depth reflection once a week (vetGDP was grueling enough for me!), but more along the lines of having regular check-ins with yourself or even with a colleague (if you prefer) about how you’re feeling- did something go well? Did something go badly? Does something need to change? Etc.”
Have you encountered any significant challenges in reaching your goals, and how did you overcome them?
“Imposter syndrome has been a big challenge for me. We have a lot of talented vets at Pennard’s which for me comes as a double-edged sword. It’s great because there’s brilliant mentors and people to learn from, but it can also make you feel inferior and that you’re not good enough to perform certain procedures because there is someone else who could “do it better”. This comes in waves for me. Often, talking with colleagues as well as my friends from vet school helps to reassure me. I think in the veterinary field, quite a few people are faced with this feeling. Recently my confidence has got better and consequently my achievements and job satisfaction have improved.”
What advice would you give to someone starting out or looking to make significant strides in their veterinary career?
“Find something that you are passionate about. It is much easier to set and achieve your goals if you are enjoying the challenge as opposed to doing it for the sake of it.
Goal setting should be personal to you and give you a sense of purpose. It doesn’t have to be huge, and you don’t always have to have a goal, you can just go with the flow!
Make sure you are achieving a work-life balance. Without a doubt I am keen to make strides in my career, but I also don’t want my entire life to revolve around this. Being too hard on yourself and getting burnt out are not good stepping-stones for success, especially in the long term. Make time for yourself to do things you love outside of work. If it means you must press pause on achieving professional goals, it really isn’t the end of the world.
Remember that growth and therefore goal setting is not linear. Within two years of practice, I have been through so many peaks and troughs. There have been times where I feel like I’m doing well. Alternatively, there have been times when I have odd stagnant periods where I feel like I’m not progressing. This comes with the job, and I try to remind myself not to get disheartened.
Try not to compare yourself to others – something I am still very much working on! It’s great to have mentors or someone that drives you to improve but don’t try and embody them completely. You are your own person, and inevitably there will always be someone “better” at something but that doesn’t take away from your own abilities – back yourself. ”
If you are a new graduate veterinary surgeon looking to improve and challenge yourself, please get in touch or visit careers.pennardvets.com to learn more about our amazing and supportive team.
