ALUMNAE SPOTLIGHT:

What years were you at Pipers?

I joined in 2005 (Y7) and left in 2014 (after Sixth Form)

What subjects did you study at A-level?

Maths, Biology and Chemistry at A-level and German at AS-level.

What did you do after you left school?

I studied for my degree in Biomedical Science at Imperial College London before training to become a Veterinary Surgeon at the Royal Veterinary College

What are you doing now?

I am now a qualified companion animal Veterinary Surgeon, working in Berkshire/Buckinghamshire I spend my work days either consulting or operating - seeing everything from dogs and cats to chickens and guinea pigs!

What kind of skills does your job involve?

Problem solving forms a large part of my work, whether it’s working out what is wrong with a patient or developing a realistic (both logistically and financially) plan for treatment

Communication is also very important The practice team (vets, nurses, receptionists), the owner and myself all have to be on the same page to get the best outcome for the animal.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

It is a real honour to be trusted with treating and improving the lives of peoples pets. Pets form an incredibly important piece of human happiness and welfare, so getting to improve the safeguard that bond is very special.

Was there any particular inspiration that led you to this career?

I had always enjoyed spending my time with animals, having grown up around dogs and horses I used to run my own veterinary hospital in my bedroom as a child. I would go to the chemists and get bandage material, thermometers and even a blood pressure monitor to treat my stuffed animals!

What advice would you give to current students interested in a career in Veterinary Science?

A lot of people think that being a vet is an ideal job if you prefer animals to humans - but that isn’t the case at all! You really have to enjoy working with people - after all, the owners are the ones who describe what the problem is and are the ones who will be managing their care at home based on your recommendations. Experience in the field is also very important. The more things you can experience such as volunteering at a stables or dog kennels, shadowing vets and nurses, charity work with animals, spending time on a farm during lambing and calving season - the better. It gets you exposed to all the areas of veterinary medicine and it looks impressive on an application!