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🛠️ Veterinary Career Toolkit: 8 Key Actions to Amplify Your Progress

It’s time. You have built up your experience and expertise, and you are quietly confident that you are ready to take the next big step up in your career. Whether you’re an aspirational veterinarian, an inspiring nurse, or a technician keen on changing the status quo, there’s a world of potential waiting for your contribution and influence. The veterinary field isn’t just about treating animals; it’s about growth, community, and making a genuine impact. If you’ve ever dreamt of soaring to new heights in your career, of being a beacon of change, or of mastering the latest in our ever-evolving profession, now is your moment. Dive in with us as we explore eight transformative actions you can take to accelerate your veterinary career and crystalize your dreams…

Find your next job…the Fresh Way

Engage in Specialty Certification or Advanced Training

Beyond basic veterinary education, pursuing specialty certifications or advanced training in areas such as emergency and critical care, internal medicine, surgery, or a specific animal focus (e.g., equine, feline) can significantly elevate a professional’s expertise and marketability. This not only demonstrates a commitment to excellence and a passion for learning but also opens up opportunities for higher positions within specialized fields. Highlight the importance of continuous education and how obtaining these certifications can set one apart in a competitive job market.

Contribute to Veterinary Research and Publications

Encourage professionals to engage in veterinary research and contribute to scientific publications. This activity not only enhances their understanding of the field but also establishes them as thought leaders and experts in their areas of specialization. Writing for peer-reviewed journals, presenting findings at conferences, or even contributing to veterinary blogs and magazines can significantly enhance one’s professional profile. Discuss the benefits of sharing knowledge and how it can lead to recognition by peers and potential employers alike.

Develop a professional Online Presence through Content Creation

In an era where digital presence is as crucial as physical networking, creating and sharing professional content related to veterinary medicine can be a game-changer. This could involve starting a professional blog, creating educational videos, or hosting webinars on topics of expertise. This not only helps in building a personal brand but also in connecting with a broader audience, including potential employers, colleagues, and clients. Explain how engaging content can showcase one’s passion, knowledge, and unique perspective to the veterinary community and beyond.

Social Media – Your Career Accelerant

Think again if you thought social media was just for posting funny memes and cute cat videos. And no, we don’t mean lip-synching and dancing to Taylor Swift’s latest release on TikTok, although that may also be fun!

Social media can be one of the most valuable tools to reach out to other veterinary professionals, highlight your skills and expertise, connect with possible future employers, and keep up-to-date on trends in the industry.

  • Keep your social media profile updated
    Employers increasingly use social networking sites and groups to post jobs and recruit applicants. Recruiters, hiring managers, and employers are also researching social media profiles to gain insights into potential employees and whether or not they might fit with the organization based on what they like, dislike, and post. LinkedIn and Facebook remain the veterinary industry’s go-to social media apps. Therefore, you want to build up your LinkedIn and Facebook profiles before exploring new career opportunities. Keep them updated with your most recent skills, groups, and employment information. Like your resume, you should ideally update your social media profiles each time you do something worthy of note.
  • Stay active with professional connections
    In addition to keeping your social media profiles current, you should actively communicate with your network. Join professional groups on LinkedIn and Facebook and participate in the discussions that interest you. And book a fifteen-minute slot in your calendar each week to review your feeds and post, comment, or share content that is highly relevant to your goals.

Volunteer for committees in your Industry Associations

Some of the associations you likely already belong to are another valuable networking tool. Professional associations increasingly use committees and task forces made up of volunteers to address specific issues and give their members a voice.

  • The Board of Directors of The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) appoints members to a variety of committees, task forces, and working groups on everything ranging from Animal Welfare to Education Standards to International Veterinary Affairs. Here is a listing of some of the key AVMA committees and task forces.
  • There is tremendous value in growing your global professional network. Organizations such as the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) do much of their work through volunteer committees and initiatives that unite experts worldwide.
  • Some non-profit veterinary organizations, such as the British Veterinary Association (BVA), exist to eliminate the knowledge divide in the industry.

No matter what aspect of the veterinary profession you work in, professional organizations could use your expertise in various ways, and they are eager for you to contribute. In return, you will expand your knowledge base and connect with like-minded individuals who can help you grow your career.

Make every educational event a Networking Opportunity

Any educational opportunity, whether a workshop, an online webinar, a day-long program, a professional conference, or a multi-year degree, is a chance to connect with other professionals naturally.

Education is robust in that it promotes sharing ideas and new ways of looking at issues and challenges in how we view the world and our profession.

Rather than dreading the term “networking,” think of it as an opportunity to learn and grow as a professional.

Attend professional veterinary meetups…In Real Life

Local meetups are a valuable way to bring professionals together for question-and-answer sessions, panel discussions, and conversations about various ways other professionals approach workplace issues.

Local meetups offer smaller, more intimate settings than larger conferences, providing more discussion and question-answer opportunities. Additionally, meetups offer opportunities for recent graduates or new professionals to talk with veterans in the field and find out about employers looking to hire.

You can find local meetups for veterinarians, vet techs, and veterinary nurses by joining Meetup or looking on LinkedIn Local.

Take 5 minutes each day to Boost your Personal Network

Networking doesn’t need to be a full-time job. Try doing something simple each day or week that can have a significant impact on your career, such as:

  • Recognize a co-worker’s achievements – Look for opportunities to highlight a co-worker’s skills or the positive way they handled a situation. Share an email with your peers, department or the wide world. Not only will you feel good and make a fellow team member’s day, but others will also be more likely to recognize your potential as a future leader and mentor.
  • Ask a professional to have lunch with you – Take some time to think about whom you would like to meet in your field of work. Please do your research and know what you want to ask before you ask someone to take time out of her busy schedule. Once you have done that, draft an email mentioning that you know they are swamped, but you would appreciate it if they would be willing to take 30 minutes out of their day to meet with you. State why you find them interesting or admire the work they have done. The chances are that most people will be flattered and happy to meet with you. You will have some stimulating conversations and increase your professional network.
  • Reach out to a mentor – A relationship with a mentor can be a valuable tool. They are not only someone with whom to talk shop but a person to bounce ideas off of and to speak with outside the workplace. Your mentor can also be a resource for building your professional network. You might ask them whom they suggest you meet in your interest areas. Alternatively, consider asking, “What workshops would you recommend I attend?” or “Do you know any veterinary groups that meet up in the local area?”

Boosting your career is all about building and maintaining relationships. Keep in touch with the people you connect with, whether from volunteer committees, social media, mentorship relationships, or educational experiences. And “Pay It Forward” – it’s a good thing to do, and you will be surprised by the impact that it will have on your career prospects.

You never know when your next perfect career opportunity will arise; when it does, all the groundwork and time you have invested will put your name on the tip of everyone’s tongue. So let’s get started…

Veterinary Locumotion is brought to you by the Team that also drives Veterinary Jobs Marketplace, the leading global veterinary jobs marketplace…

Every Veterinarian, Veterinary Nurse or Veterinary Technician can now enjoy our elegantly simple, extremely flexible and highly professional platform. Publish your Profile and post your Availabilities – from just a single day to multiple days and weeks, and up to 400 days in advance – and be instantly Matched with Locum Relief jobs and work opportunities locally, interstate or internationally.

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Completely transparent. No agency fees. No hourly rate markups. No complex arrangements or middlemen. No payment delays. Employers and Veterinarians, Veterinary Nurses or Veterinary Technicians deal directly with each other. No-one in between, not even us!

Discover more about our Veterinary Locum Relief Marketplace and get all of the answers to your FAQ’s here.