Victorian Livestock Veterinary Scholarship
Program

Veterinary Support Services has recently received a grant from the Cattle Compensation Fund, Agriculture Victoria, to deliver a 24-month structured livestock veterinary scholarship program for 8 early career veterinarians across regional Victoria commencing January 2025.

About the Scholarship Program

The scholarship program will provide candidates with:

  • clinical supervision, training and support in their livestock veterinary work. 
  • after hours phone and on-farm clinical support for livestock animals.
  • up to 8 days per year structured, relevant livestock and professional skills training. 
  • facilitated monthly online peer support and learning within the candidate cohort.
  • opportunity to write one individual animal (year 1) and one herd-based (year 2) case study and present it within the candidate cohort.
  • directives and tools for regular case logging and self-reflections.
  • HECS debt relief payments of $20,000 per year in the subsequent 2 years post program completion (i.e. January 2028 and January 2029)*. 

*HECS debt relief payments are subject to the candidate remaining employed within a regional Victorian veterinary practice and performing 50% livestock veterinary work.

An information webinar and Q and A will be hosted on 3rd September 2024 at 7.30pm. Link to register for webinar is here.

Information For:

Candidates
Supervisors
Clinics employing candidate/supervisors

Eligibility Criteria

  • Hold a nationally recognised veterinary science degree
  • Registered to practice as a veterinary surgeon in the state of Victoria.
  • Less than 2 years graduated by December 2024*
  • Commenced full-time employment in a Victorian rural/regional practice on/before January 31st 2025
  • Able to carry out a minimum veterinary workload of 50% livestock duties**
  • Strong interest and commitment for continued veterinary work with production animals

*Candidates graduated more than 2 years will still be considered if they have had limited exposure to production animal work in their career to date.

** Each candidate in a clinic should be carrying out around 50% livestock animal work across a year in practice. 50% is a rough guideline only and is suggested to ensure the candidate is getting sufficient exposure to livestock animal case load in order to develop the appropriate clinical skills.

Expectations

As a VLVS candidate, you are required to

  • carry out at least 50% of my clinical work across a year with production animal species.
  • take my supervisor in my 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).
  • act as the attending veterinarian on supervised production animal calls, carrying out as much of the clinical tasks as independently as possible whilst allowing my supervisor to advise, support, teach, intervene or carry out tasks for me as they deem necessary.
  • complete/attend all compulsory CPD training as directed by Veterinary Support Services management team.
  • attend and contribute to monthly online facilitated peer support meetings.
  • complete one individual animal (year 1) and one herd-based (year 2) case study and present them within the candidate cohort and, where possible, to a wider audience.
  • complete and submit a weekly, online production animal case log and self-reflection diary.
  • submit a weekly, single response check-in status to VSS management.
  • complete initial and 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, supervisor and employing practice representative to evaluate program logistics, implementation, functionality and efficacy.
  • complete 2 program satisfaction and feedback surveys at each year end to qualitatively evaluate program performance.
  • fulfil all other obligations of my employment contract with my veterinary practice.
  • remain in contact with VSS management post-program completion, providing follow up communications as required including evidence of continued regional Victorian employment in order to demonstrate eligibility for HECS debt relief payments.

How to apply

An online application will be opened on August 30th and close at 5pm on October 11th 2024. Links to the application will be available here and through VSS Facebook and Instagram pages. A resume/CV and single page cover letter will also need to be uploaded in this application form.

Candidates who meet eligibility criteria and whose practice of employment have submitted a VLVS practice declaration, will be shortlisted through their application before progressing to an online interview (mid-late October 2024) and, if successful, on to a 2nd round in-person interview in Melbourne (early November 2024).  Successful applicants will then be appointed an individual experienced veterinary supervisor to support them throughout the program.

Eligibility CriteriaExpectationsHow 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.

How To Apply

All experienced livestock vets fulfilling the eligibility criteria and interested in supervising a scholarship candidate MUST complete the VLVS supervisor online application form which will open on August 30th and close on October 11th 2024.  A resume/CV and single page cover letter will also need to be uploaded in this application form.

You do not need to be linked with a specific scholarship applicant but should advise within the application if you are.
Each supervisor can only supervise ONE scholarship candidate.

Links to the supervisor application form will be available here and through VSS Facebook and Instagram pages.

Eligibility CriteriaExpectationsHow To Apply

Eligibility Criteria

  • Clinic situated in regional/rural Victoria
  • Employ full time early-career veterinarian/s with a strong livestock animal interest
  • Perform sufficient production animal work within the clinic that successful candidate/s can carry out 50% livestock veterinary duties over the course of a year

Expectations

Practices supporting VLVS applicant/s (and their supervisors) are required to:

  • provide the candidate access to 50% livestock veterinary work over each year.
  • give appropriate time for candidates to learn and train under the guidance of their designated supervisor in livestock veterinary skills.
  • trust and respect the candidate's supervisor to deliver appropriate and relevant clinical skills training to the candidate.
  • allow candidates to attend up to 8 days per year (not inclusive of travel time) CPD, organised by VLVS program management.
  • allow 1 hour per month to attend online peer support meetings.
  • attend 6-9 monthly face-to-face evaluation meetings with VSS management, your scholarship candidate and candidate supervisor to evaluate program logistics, implementation, functionality and efficacy.
  • complete 2 program satisfaction and feedback surveys at each year end to qualitatively evaluate program performance.

For practices supporting multiple scholarship applicants:

  • each successful candidate will require a separate supervisor.
  • each successful candidate must carry out 50% livestock duties (over a year).
  • all successful candidates will be required to attend VLVS CPD/training and peer group meetings at the same time and will therefore be absent from clinical duties simultaneously.
  • all successful candidates and supervisors are required to attend the VLVS initiation residential training together in Melbourne, early March 2025.

Practice Declaration

Any practice employing a scholarship applicant/s are required to complete and sign a declaration for their candidate’s application form to be accepted.  This declaration ensures that each practice fully understands the requirements of the program and commits to supporting the candidate over the 2-year scholarship.

The practice declaration form will be opened on August 30th and close on October 11th 2024. Links to the Practice Declaration will be available here and through VSS Facebook and Instagram pages.

The practice declaration will allow you to state what capacity your clinic has to provide multiple candidates regarding the amount of production animal work and the type and number of supervisors you can support/provide. You may still support multiple applicants even if the practice doesn't have the capacity to support multiple successful candidates. The decision on numbers of successful candidates in each practice can be made by VSS management guided by the information your practice provides.

Eligibility CriteriaExpectationsPractice Declaration

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Contact

If you’re a veterinary clinic looking to relieve the increasing pressures of teaching and supporting new graduates in your practice, contact Veterinary Support Services today.

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