Being a locum vet means filling in when permanent staff members are away. Travelling to different veterinary practices across the country, it’s important that you make a good impression with your new team whether you’re going to be there for a few months or a few weeks. It can be nerve-wracking settling into a new team, however, if you want an enjoyable experience at work then you need to put some effort into getting to know your colleagues and doing your job well.
Once you have secured your placement as a locum veterinary nurse or another similar role, you must hit the ground running during your first week as this will show people that you're dedicated to doing a good job as well as fitting in with the team. Making a good impression will also increase your chances of getting booked again.
In this blog, we explain how you can begin your locum placement in the best way. Read on to hear about our best tips.
Settling in as a locum vet nurse
As a locum vet, you’ll need to get used to working with different people and moving around frequently. But, one of the benefits of this type of work is that you can learn so much in a short space of time. From large practices to smaller independent vets, you’ll get to work in so many different environments and with lots of different professionals.
However, settling in can make you feel a little anxious but following our top tips will help you out and ensure that each position you take on is enjoyable. Read on for all you need to know.
Helping junior colleagues
Being on hand to help junior colleagues will show your new colleagues that you care about the whole team. Think about when you were in their position, learning from more experienced members probably helped you out a lot so do the same for others. Despite only being there for a short amount of time, you should think about the bigger picture as well as focusing on your own work - a good veterinary practice requires everyone to work together so if you see someone struggling always lend a hand when you can.
If you’re in a junior position yourself then take initiative and do as much as you can to grow your skillset by learning from those around you. The last thing anyone wants is someone joining their team who isn’t ready to get stuck in and work to the best of their ability, so be open-minded and stay alert and take initiative.
Leading with confidence
If you do find yourself in a position where you are helping junior colleagues or leading a team, lead with confidence. Show everyone how you can make a positive difference to the practice by making your contribution and leading in a way that isn’t domineering.
Here at VetPro Recruitment, our team will help you prepare for your new role. From updating your CV to show off your full potential to interview skills and techniques, we’ve helped hundreds of veterinary professionals secure locum roles all over the UK. Find out more today.
Being flexible
Every practice will operate in a slightly different way in terms of policies and procedures and generally the way each team member works. When working as a locum vet flexibility is something that you must bear in mind as being too stuck in your ways could cause tension with your new team members and affect the quality of your work. Instead, you must learn to be adaptable to the way each practice works and be open-minded to operating in a new way.
Being in a new environment may take a few days to get used to, but you should look at it as an opportunity to learn and expand your veterinary knowledge - you may learn things that work out better than the way you’d usually do it. Flexibility is needed to help you fit into your new workplace, as enforcing your way of working could be seen as intrusive and won’t create a good first impression.
Building a good rapport with staff
Creating a good rapport with your new team will make your time at the practice a lot more enjoyable. Keep up good communication with everyone to build good relationships. Keeping to yourself might not give off the right vibe as quietness may be seen as rudeness. You need to make an effort and get to know your colleagues. Say hello every morning, make small talk and sit in communal lunch spaces so you are not separate from the team.
Putting in effort
Although locum positions are not permanent roles, you should treat each practice as if it was your permanent workplace. Contract work should be treated as any other job. Take each contract as it comes and work as a regular member of staff. You will need to put in a little more effort as you don’t have the luxury of getting to know everyone over some time.
How can recruitment professionals help you find locum roles?
Working as a locum vet means you have more flexibility over your work, however, on the other hand, it can create some uncertainty too. Finding the right role for you is important, but doing this yourself can be stressful. Recruitment specialists, such as VetPro Recruitment are specialists in this field and can take care of the hard work for you. They can help by:
- Being the first to hear about new positions by connecting with large and small veterinary practices. This means you can be one of the first applicants and make a good first impression on the employer.
- Finding you roles that match your recruitments and needs and guiding you through the application. You may end up skipping past roles that you find online as they don’t seem right at first glance, however, recruitment staff can provide more information and answer any questions that you wouldn’t be able to get answers to.
- Offering a much bigger database of jobs than what you may have access too. This will expand your options so you find a role that you’re really passionate about, not just what happens to be available.
- Helping you polish up your CV and work on your interview skills. As recruiters will have more information on the practice and what the employer is looking for this can make your experience a lot easier.
VetPro Recruitment: Finding Locum vet nurse jobs across the UK
A career in veterinary care is very rewarding and we’re passionate about the industry. Whether you’re a locum vet looking for your next position or a newly qualified locum veterinary nurse, our professional recruitment team is on hand to help. We work with both employers and jobseekers to match each vacancy with the right candidate.
Finding your next role can be a little stressful, but we aim to make your job hunting experience a lot easier. Efficient and experienced we’ll guide you through the entire process including writing your CV, applying for positions and interview prep. Choose the best veterinary recruitment team in the country, get in touch today for more information.