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Are you a compassionate veterinarian who believes animals deserve better towards the end of their lives?

 

Are you an empathetic professional wanting to see owners left with better memories of their loved pets?

 

Are you looking for a role where there is no overtime, no out-of-hours and you’re not left with the worry of ongoing cases?

 

Do you thrive on being part of a team with clear processes and stability but having the freedom to be adaptable and think on your feet at times?

 

Roundwood Pet Hospice are looking for vets to join their team in one of the most rewarding jobs in the profession. If you’re ready to make a real difference to the lives of pets and owners then please read on.

 

What is Roundwood Pet Hospice?

 

Roundwood Pet Hospice was founded with one clear goal in mind: They help pets live well to the end and leave families with enduring, happy memories. As hospice vets, they are focused on the end of a pet’s life when diagnostics and surgery are no longer required. By focusing on end-of-life care advice, palliative medicine and in-home euthanasia services we offer that little bit extra to reduce suffering and help owners through the trauma of losing their beloved pets. Roundwood Pet Hospice prides itself on the warm feedback received from owners whom we help prepare to say goodbye. 

 

Owners who have been referred to Roundwood Pet Hospice will be taken through a step-by-step process to determine the correct course of action for their pets. The trained team of care coordinators perform telephone assessments of new cases, offering end-of-life care advice where suitable. Cases will then be passed to you and the other vets in the team.

 

Palliative care may be appropriate in the weeks or perhaps days when a pet is in the final stages of a terminal illness. The vets will manage the relationship with owners through this time and visit the pet in their own home to monitor their progress.

 

In these cases, animals face some challenging but common problems with pain, incontinence, senility, or poor mobility. This transitional phase, between life and death, is also one of the hardest periods for pet owners to navigate. The fear of letting go is often accompanied by anticipatory grief, guilt, and confusion about when is the right time to say goodbye.

 

When the time is right, the vets will perform a gentle, unhurried euthanasia in the familiar and loving surroundings of the pet’s home and allow the owners to say goodbye in the least stressful and traumatic way possible.

 

The whole team is specially trained to deal with the issues around this area of veterinary care and are focused on helping pets to live their best life, to the very end.

 

As a care provider, Roundwood Pet Hospice prides itself on culture and commitment to their core values of honesty, thoughtfulness, conscientiousness, kindness, teamwork, connection and growth. Although the team may work separately, they support each other as a team to achieve the aims of the company. Roundwood Pet Hospice has ambitious goals as a team and welcomes anyone who shares their values and wants to make a real difference to pets and their owners.
 

Who are we looking for?

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You’ll be a veterinarian with at least two years of experience in general practice. During this time you’ll have learned that client care is really important. You’ll have a healthy level of empathy and will be sensitive to the needs of others with a strong desire to give them what they need.

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You’ve enjoyed GP work but are looking to move beyond the chaos and long hours to a more sustainable career path where the workload is calmer, more predictable, and manageable.

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You’ll have discovered a love of helping older grey-muzzled pets. You may even be one of those vets who gets more excited about the older dog or cat in the waiting room than the puppies and kittens! You understand the difference you personally can make to those animals’ lives and feel genuine reward in seeing them live well.

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As a vet, you’ll have developed a strong ability to help clients make good decisions, even if they are difficult ones. You’ll be able to take complicated information and distil it down into simple terms to help families understand their options.

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You’ll be someone who likes to have the certainty of a process to follow but can take that process and apply it as the situation requires. You’ll be euthanising pets in their favourite locations, be that in the garden or on a bed. Being adaptable to the situation and having the ability to perform well outside of a consulting room is really important.

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Being an organised person who prides yourself on your professionalism and attention to detail will be vital. You will be responsible for getting your medical notes done, answering emails, and communicating your plan for a pet in a timely way. 

 

Most of all you will understand the final appointment will be the most important and impactful interaction a vet will have with pets and their families. Can you leave owners with positive memories of that appointment? If so, we want to hear from you.

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About The Job

 

To really understand what this role entails here is what one of Roundwood Pet Hospice's vets has to say;

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"I am privileged to be invited into families' homes on a daily basis to meet their treasured pets and give veterinary help, advice and comfort at a time when they need it the most. I listen and support them through the process of coming to terms with the debilitation of their much loved companion and give them coping mechanisms for the end of life journey ahead.

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The day consists of 3-5 visits, in my car listening to podcasts and travelling around interesting places.

Between client visits, I liaise with local practices to make connections so they know who they are entrusting their clients to and to reassure them that we will work in partnership to deliver the best care for every patient.

There are no difficult money conversations so that I can concentrate on the patient and family in front of me - the fee is taken ahead of time by the care coordinator.

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The day is varied - no two cases are the same - but without the stresses of daily practice clinics. There are set appointment times, and 45 minutes to spend time with each family in a calm setting with no distractions.

I can head home at night knowing that I have spent the day giving pets and their families the best care they can receive at a particularly anxious time in their lives. I know there is a need for this service and both practices and pet families are relieved and grateful for the help and support I can give. The daily work volume is (compared to GP roles) comparatively low and though flexibility is needed, you’ll be likely to build to an average of 4 appointments in a day between the hours of 9am to 6pm. Between appointments, you’ll therefore have quite a bit of downtime as you drive between visits.

 

This role is basically perfect for an empathetic vet who is done with the chaos of general practice life. Someone who wants to help families make the big decisions. Someone who is happy in a car, willing to think outside the box to help families, and probably loves a good podcast or audiobook while driving. You’ll rest in your bed each night without the stress so many others experience."

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The Details

 

Your role as a Roundwood Hospice Veterinarian will mostly involve the following tasks:

 

• Offering in-home euthanasia services to patients across your area.

• Offering advice and hospice care to geriatric and terminally ill pets - this will be done in the home and via telemedicine.

• Assisting families with quality-of-life decisions.

• Visiting local practices and local pet influencers to spread the word about what Roundwood Pet Hospice does and foster strong bonds with referral partners.

• Driving, so a valid driver's licence and a clean well-organised/presented vehicle.

• You may need to transport a deceased pet to a cremation collection point. But this will be a rare occasion as the cremation company will usually be able to go to the pet owner's home after your visit.

 

Salary and Benefits:

 

• Base from £40-45,000/year (exp depending)

• Up to 60% of base salary as bonus

• 28 days of paid leave each year plus your birthday off

• 1-day additional holiday for every year of service

• CPD budget

• Health insurance

• Perkbox rewards

• Mileage (0.45p per mile)

• Company pension

• Employee discount

• Private medical insurance

• Work from home

 

Schedule:

• 8-hour shift

• Monday to Friday

• Full time

 

Licence/Certification:

• MRCVS qualification (required)

• Driving Licence (preferred)

 

​Work Location: Remote/On the road

 

When do we need you to start?

 

Roundwood Pet Hospice has recruited several Palliative Care Vets for 2023 and are looking for their next team member to join them at the end of this year with a focus on South East and South West London (December 2023/ January 2024).

 

Next Steps

 

If this role sounds exciting and the culture sounds like a place you’d like to work then we’d love to hear from you. To apply, please send your CV and a short cover letter introducing yourself and telling us a bit about you to oliver@vetxinternational.com.

 

Learn more about us at www.roundwoodpethospice.co.uk