The VLVS program is a fantastic opportunity for experienced livestock vets to strategically and proactively train and mentor recent graduates! Supervisors are generously remunerated for all supervision time both within and after hours and support and training are provided to help offer researched, pedagogical approaches to clinical teaching.
Find out if you are eligible to apply!
Eligibility Criteria
- Hold a nationally recognised veterinary science degree.
- Registered to practice as a veterinary surgeon in the state of Victoria.
- More than 5 years clinical mixed/large animal focused veterinary experience.
- Able to commit 1 full day per week to clinical supervision of a scholarship candidate
- EITHER work within a regional Victorian veterinary practice alongside scholarship candidate applicant/s (internal supervisor)
- OR work as an independent veterinarian (external supervisor)
- OR are not currently engaged in active clinical veterinary work (external supervisor)
- Have a keen interest in and patience and time for mentoring and teaching early career vets.
The decision about supervisor origin (i.e. internal or external) is at the discretion of the candidate’s employer. Supervisor appointments will be made after candidates have been selected and through negotiation with VSS and the candidate’s clinic.
Expectations
- Accompany my candidate (in their vehicle) to livestock calls up to 5 days per month for the first 6 months of the program, then reducing as experience is gained (i.e. fortnightly for the subsequent 6 months then monthly in the second year of the program) to deliver practical training, support and guidance for candidates in their farm animal calls.
- Train and assist the candidate in how to safely perform the relevant clinical/professional tasks WITHOUT simply performing the tasks for them.
- Record and submit monthly all hours spent supervising/teaching candidate and completing candidate assessments
- Be paid an hourly rate, negotiated with and set by VSS at program commencement, for:
- accompanying the candidate (as described).
- completing assessments and evaluations (outlined below).
- attending meetings with VSS management (as required).
- Provide paid after-hours support (where possible) to the candidate in their rostered production animal on call work during the first 12 months of the scholarship program. This does not require attendance at every call, rather serves as a back-up support if required.
- Attend one day/overnight at the VLVS program commencement residential, to complete 8 hours of supervisor training and attend the candidate meet-and-greet/goal setting session.
- Perform 6-monthly candidate progression assessments and evaluations to provide a quantitative measure of clinical competency development.
- Attend face-to-face meetings every 6-9 months with VSS management, their scholarship candidate and host clinic to evaluate program logistics, implementation, functionality and efficacy.
- Complete 2 program satisfaction and feedback surveys at each year end to qualitatively evaluate program performance.
External Supervisors
VSS actively encourages practices to engage the services of external supervisors for the VLVS program. Utilising experienced veterinarians from outside the practice alleviates the significant time pressures of providing proactive graduate support for the busy practice owner or senior full-time clinician and provides opportunities for unemployed or part-time employed veterinarians wishing to utilise their livestock expertise.
From “we train our own” to “a better, more sustainable way to support graduates”. Watch this video from one VLVS clinic’s lived experiences with an external supervisor.