Veterinary Surgeon | Buckinghamshire

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Veterinary Surgeon to join a long-established, independent small animal practice in Buckinghamshire.

Offering a salary of up to £80,000 per annum depending on experience, plus additional payments typically worth approximately £3,000-£6,000 per year, this permanent full-time position combines an excellent clinical caseload with a structured 4-day working week, fixed weekday off, 15-minute consultations and regular dedicated operating time.

You'll join a highly experienced 20-vet team with extensive postgraduate expertise, excellent hospital facilities and genuine support for further qualifications. The practice provides its own inpatient care while client-facing emergencies are outsourced after 7:00pm, meaning the shared duty rota is focused primarily on caring for existing hospitalised patients rather than providing a traditional OOH service.

Key Highlights

• Salary of up to £80,000 per annum DOE.
• Additional earnings typically around £3,000-£6,000 per annum.
• Permanent full-time Veterinary Surgeon position.
• Long-established independent small animal practice.
• Large and highly experienced 20-vet clinical team.
• 4-day working week.
• Same fixed weekday off every week.
• Early finish by approximately 5:00pm on the day before your day off.
• 15-minute consultations.
• Approximately 2 dedicated operating mornings each week.
• Client-facing OOH outsourced after 7:00pm.
• Limited shared inpatient care rota.
• Additional inpatient and weekend duties paid separately.
• Excellent hospital, surgical and diagnostic facilities.
• Multiple Certificate holders across Surgery, Medicine, Cardiology, Ophthalmology and Dentistry.
• Excellent Certificate support.
• 5 CPD days plus £2,000 CPD allowance, regularly exceeded where appropriate.
• 5 weeks' annual leave plus Bank Holidays.
• RCVS and VDS fees paid.
• Accommodation may be available.

The Practice

This long-established independent small animal practice has built an excellent reputation for combining modern veterinary medicine with traditional, personal client and patient care.

Operating across a main surgery, a large modern hospital and several smaller branch clinics, the practice provides a broad range of first opinion services alongside more advanced medical, surgical and diagnostic procedures. The hospital provides dedicated inpatient care and acts as a central hub for more complex cases.

You'll be joining a substantial clinical team comprising 20 Veterinary Surgeons – 15 full time and five part time – alongside 10 RVNs, six trainee nurses and an experienced client-care and support team. This creates an excellent environment for case discussion, collaboration and clinical support.

There is considerable postgraduate expertise within the veterinary team. Current clinicians include three Surgery Certificate holders, a Medicine Certificate holder, a clinician holding both Cardiology and Medicine Certificates, an Ophthalmology Certificate holder and a Dentistry Certificate holder, with several additional vets currently undertaking further qualifications.

The practice has an established track record of supporting Certificate study and actively encourages vets to develop their individual clinical interests. Its varied caseload, advanced equipment and experienced colleagues provide an excellent environment for continued professional development.

The team also has extensive experience supporting and mentoring vets at different stages of their careers. There is plenty of clinical support available, and sole charge is not expected until a vet has developed sufficient confidence.

Facilities & Equipment

The practice offers an extensive range of modern facilities and equipment across its main surgery and hospital, including:

• Dedicated surgical suite.
• Dedicated orthopaedic theatre.
• Multiple operating theatres.
• Dedicated dental suite.
• Restorative dentistry facilities.
• Digital radiography.
• Advanced diagnostic ultrasound.
• High-level cardiology equipment.
• Endoscopy.
• Separate dog wards.
• Separate cat wards.
• Separate exotic wards.
• Extensive inpatient facilities.
• Multiple consulting rooms.
• RxWorks practice management system linked across the sites.

The combination of advanced equipment, a large caseload and experienced Certificate holders allows many cases to be thoroughly investigated and managed within the practice.

The Location

Located in Buckinghamshire, the practice is well positioned for access across the South East, with excellent road and rail connections providing convenient travel to London and surrounding areas.

The county offers an attractive combination of thriving towns, countryside and excellent local amenities, making it a popular place to live for those looking for a balance between accessibility and quality of life.

Accommodation may also be available for the successful Veterinary Surgeon, subject to availability.

The Role

This is a permanent Small Animal Veterinary Surgeon position offering an excellent balance of consultations, surgery, diagnostics and inpatient care.

The working day is structured into consulting blocks, typically lasting around one to two hours, rather than requiring vets to consult continuously throughout the day. Consultations are 15 minutes, with appointments beginning from 8:00am and the final consultations booked at 6:30pm.

The practice aims to timetable every vet for approximately two dedicated operating mornings each week, generally between either 8:00am-2:00pm or 10:00am-3:00pm.

The varied caseload provides exposure to:

• First opinion consultations.
• General medicine.
• Routine and more advanced surgery.
• Dentistry.
• Diagnostic imaging.
• Cardiology.
• Ophthalmology.
• Inpatient care.
• Emergency cases.
• Preventative healthcare.
• Detailed medical and surgical case work-ups.

The successful candidate will initially work primarily from the main surgery and hospital, providing excellent access to the wider clinical team and advanced facilities. There is scope to work from smaller branch clinics in the future if desired, rather than expecting a new team member to immediately rotate across all sites.

Rota & Work-Life Balance

The practice operates a structured 4-day working week, with every vet receiving the same fixed weekday off each week.

There is also an early finish by approximately 5:00pm on the day immediately before your regular day off, providing an additional benefit to the working pattern.

The rota includes:

• 4-day working week.
• Same fixed weekday off each week.
• Weekly early finish by approximately 5:00pm.
• 15-minute consultations.
• Approximately 2 operating mornings each week.
• Weeknight inpatient duty approximately 1 night every 2 weeks.
• 8 completely free weekends within the standard 12-week rota.
• 1 first-call weekend within approximately 12 weeks.
• 1 second-call weekend within approximately 12 weeks.
• 2 additional Saturday mornings within approximately 12 weeks.

The practice notes that current staffing levels can dilute the weekend frequency further.

Inpatient & Out-of-Hours Care

The practice does not operate a traditional client-facing OOH service after 7:00pm. Telephone calls are transferred to an external emergency provider, while the practice retains responsibility for patients already hospitalised under its care.

Weeknight inpatient duty is approximately one night every other week. The duty vet can remain at home but attends the hospital at approximately 9:30pm to check existing inpatients alongside the duty nurse.

Weekend duties are shared across the large veterinary team. First-call weekends involve Saturday consulting until approximately 4:00pm, inpatient responsibility and a short Sunday urgent/emergency clinic from 9:00am-10:30am. Second-call weekends involve Friday inpatient responsibility followed by Saturday consulting until 1:00pm.

Importantly, these additional responsibilities are paid separately from the basic salary.

Veterinary Surgeons receive:

• £80 for each weeknight duty.
• £250 for each weekend duty.
• 30% of turnover generated from work undertaken outside normal hours.

Existing Veterinary Surgeons typically receive approximately £3,000-£6,000 per annum in additional earnings through these payments.

The Candidate

The practice is looking for an RCVS-registered Veterinary Surgeon who enjoys a varied small animal caseload and would like to become part of a large, supportive independent clinical team.

The successful candidate will ideally:

• Be RCVS registered.
• Be confident across general small animal practice.
• Enjoy a varied medical and surgical caseload.
• Have strong communication and client-care skills.
• Enjoy working collaboratively within a large clinical team.
• Have an interest in developing their clinical skills.
• Value high standards of patient care and case continuity.
• Be committed to continued professional development.

Applications can be considered from vets at different stages of their careers. The practice has considerable experience supporting and retaining developing Veterinary Surgeons, with mentoring tailored to individual experience and no expectation of sole charge until sufficient confidence has been gained.

For more experienced clinicians, the large caseload, Certificate-holder support and advanced hospital facilities provide considerable scope to further develop particular medical or surgical interests.

Salary & Benefits

• Salary of up to £80,000 per annum depending on experience.
• Additional earnings typically around £3,000-£6,000 per annum.
• £80 payment for each weeknight inpatient duty.
• £250 payment for each weekend duty.
• 30% of turnover generated from work undertaken beyond normal hours.
• Permanent full-time position.
• 4-day working week.
• Fixed weekday off every week.
• Weekly early finish.
• 5 weeks' annual leave plus Bank Holidays.
• Bank Holidays shared on a rota with time off in lieu.
• Longer periods of leave can be accommodated with additional unpaid leave by agreement.
• 5 paid CPD days annually.
• £2,000 contractual CPD allowance, regularly exceeded where appropriate.
• Certificate study actively encouraged and supported.
• RCVS fees paid.
• VDS fees paid.
• Accommodation may be available subject to availability.
• Excellent access to Certificate holders and experienced clinicians.
• Extensive surgical, medical and diagnostic facilities.
• Genuine opportunities to develop individual clinical interests.
• Long-term career development within an established independent veterinary practice.

If you're looking for a Veterinary Surgeon position offering the clinical opportunities and facilities of a large hospital alongside the culture of an independent practice, with a salary of up to £80,000, 4-day week, fixed day off, 15-minute consultations and excellent Certificate support, this is an excellent opportunity to develop your career within an established Buckinghamshire practice.

Interested?

CLICK APPLY NOW to submit your application.

If you have any questions before applying, or you're exploring other permanent or locum veterinary opportunities, contact the Vet Seekers team for a confidential discussion.

Please quote Job Reference: 26-00507

T: 0333 014 7374
E: hello@vetseekers.co.uk
W: www.vetseekers.co.uk
WhatsApp: 07542 919595

Your Privacy Matters – Your application and all conversations are treated in the strictest confidence. We will never share your CV or personal details with an employer without your permission.

Why Choose Vet Seekers?

Founded in 2016, Vet Seekers is a multi-award-winning specialist veterinary recruitment agency, connecting Veterinary Surgeons, Veterinary Nurses and veterinary professionals with permanent and locum opportunities across the UK and internationally.

• Veterinary Recruitment Specialists
• Permanent & Locum Opportunities
• UK & International Veterinary Recruitment
• Confidential & Ethical Recruitment
• Supporting Veterinary Professionals Since 2016
• GDPR Compliant & ICO Registered
• Equal Opportunities Recruiter

Some opportunities may be subject to professional registration, licensing, visa or right-to-work requirements in the country of employment.