Veterinary Surgeon

Veterinary Surgeon – 24/7 Small Animal Hospital

Want more from your veterinary career? Experience life in a 24/7 hospital!

Are you looking for something more than a traditional first-opinion veterinary role? Do you enjoy a varied and interesting caseload, the opportunity to manage your own cases from start to finish, and working alongside an experienced clinical team?

At Vets for Pets Northampton Hospital, we offer the best of both worlds – the relationships and continuity of first-opinion practice, combined with the variety, facilities and clinical opportunities of a busy 24/7 veterinary hospital.

We're looking for a motivated, forward-thinking Veterinary Surgeon to join our friendly and supportive 13-vet team.

Ideally, you'll have at least 2 years' experience, although we'd love to hear from confident vets with 1 year's experience too.

Why choose a hospital over a traditional practice?

Working in a 24/7 hospital offers a different veterinary experience. With emergency cases arriving throughout the day, a busy inpatient department and a wide range of medical and surgical cases, no two days are ever the same.

What makes hospital life different?

• Varied and exciting caseload – from routine first-opinion work to emergencies, complex medical cases and surgical patients.
• True case continuity – with our own 24/7 inpatient and emergency service, you can follow your patients throughout their treatment without routine overnight transfers.
• Develop your clinical skills – exposure to more challenging cases, hospitalised patients and emergency medicine, with experienced colleagues available to support you.
• Collaborative working – share knowledge, discuss cases and work closely with our experienced vets, nurses and support teams.
• All under one roof – no branch work, no travelling between sites and access to hospital facilities throughout your working day.

We want our vets to enjoy being vets, develop their interests and have the time and support to deliver excellent patient care.

A hospital designed to support you

Our purpose-built, state-of-the-art hospital offers:

• 3 operating theatres and a spacious preparation area
• 4 inpatient wards with CASCO heated kennels
• Dedicated isolation facilities and a quiet room
• 10 consulting rooms
• Brand-new endoscope and SonoVet ultrasound machine
• 24/7 inpatient and emergency facilities
• Dedicated bedrooms for out-of-hours colleagues
• Spacious colleague room and kitchen

We also recognise that your time is valuable.

• 20-minute consultations with good diary capacity
• Dedicated inpatient time
• A pharmacy team to dispense medications and manage prescription requests
• Dedicated administrative RVN support to help reduce your clinical admin workload
• AI-assisted consultation notes to reduce paperwork

Develop your skills, with support around you

One of the biggest benefits of working in a hospital is the opportunity to learn from those around you.

Our team includes Advanced Practitioners in Emergency & Critical Care, Internal Medicine and General Practice, providing opportunities for clinical discussion, mentoring and development.

We actively encourage our vets to pursue their interests and further qualifications.

• 5 days' paid CPD
• No fixed financial CPD limit
• Certificates fully funded
• Opportunities to develop interests in medicine, surgery, ECC and inpatient care
• A supportive environment where you're never left without clinical backup

Whether you want to develop your confidence with complex cases, progress towards a certificate or simply enjoy a more varied working day, we'll support you.

A 24/7 hospital doesn't mean you have to work nights!

We're proud to operate our own out-of-hours service, allowing us to keep our patients in hospital and provide continuous care.

We already have a dedicated team of night vets, so there is no requirement to work overnight shifts in this role.

However, if you're interested in developing your emergency and critical care skills, we can offer supported opportunities to work OOH shifts as part of your normal paid working hours – never as unpaid on-call commitments.

A rota that works for you

We understand the importance of a good work-life balance and offer flexibility around the needs of our 24/7 hospital.

• Full-time: 38 hours per week
• Typical rota: 2 days 8am–7pm, 2 days 8am–5pm, plus a weekday off
• 1 in 4 weekends, working alongside another vet, with 2 days off in lieu
• Part-time opportunities available
• Consulting-only roles considered
• Daytime working, with optional supported OOH opportunities
  

What we're looking for

We're looking for a vet who:

• Enjoys variety and wants to experience the opportunities of hospital practice
• Is enthusiastic about developing their clinical knowledge and skills
• Values teamwork, case discussions and collaborative patient care
• Takes pride in delivering high standards of clinical care
• Is comfortable with first-opinion work and keen to broaden their experience
• Wants to be part of a friendly, supportive and progressive hospital team

Salary and benefits

£42,000–£70,000, depending on experience and skills matrix.

With excellent CPD support, funded certificates, modern facilities and an experienced team around you, this is an opportunity to build a rewarding and varied veterinary career.

Come and experience hospital life!

If you're currently working in a traditional first-opinion practice and wondering what a hospital environment could offer, we'd love to hear from you.

You don't need to be an ECC expert or have previous hospital experience. What matters is your enthusiasm, willingness to learn and desire to provide great veterinary care.

Come and see what makes Vets for Pets Northampton Hospital different.