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World Veterinary Day on the 24th of April celebrates Veterinary Surgeons and all that they do to improve animal health and welfare, shining a spotlight on their dedication, compassion, and knowledge. However, this commitment to patient health isn’t just found in a clinical practice environment, so to highlight the rich variety of roles and opportunities that are open to vets within industry, we spoke to four vets at Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health UK Ltd (BIAH) about their individual experiences of the move away from clinical practice.
Whilst they have all navigated this journey to industry in a diverse range of ways, there are similar themes reflected throughout – namely a desire to keep learning and seek new challenges, a search for work-life balance and a commitment to keeping the welfare of patients at the forefront of each decision.
Who are the vets?
Lara Middleton –Senior Technical Services Vet (Small Animal)
Claire Williams – Senior Brand Manager (Small Animal)
Esther Rawlinson – Technical Manager (Equine)
Mike Woodhouse – Regional Sales Manager for the South West (Small Animal)
Life in practice
Before embarking into a career in industry, Lara, Claire, Esther and Mike all spent several years in clinical practice accumulating a bank of knowledge and experience.
Mike enjoyed the freedom of being a locum vet, preferring to experience a variety of environments rather than staying in one place. After some time travelling around South America and a subsequent stint working at a practice in France (he is a fluent French speaker), he eventually returned to the UK to run a small animal practice for three and a half years where he “really enjoyed developing and improving the commercial side of the business”
Not long after graduating, Esther also ran a practice, this was alongside her husband (who is also a vet). It was a six vet small animal hospital where they “…quickly learnt all aspects of running a business, including finance, HR, marketing and communication skills.”
What next?
After graduating from Cambridge University, Lara spent eight years in a small animal practice and quickly developed a keen interest in medicine, which lead to the completion of a certificate in medicine. Whilst she enjoyed her role and its varied caseload, she found the pace of learning had slowed, and she was ready for a new challenge.
A technical role at BIAH seemed perfect: “The company had a diverse and interesting therapeutic portfolio of products and disease areas to develop knowledge on.” Lara is part of a team of five vets and four nurses who provide support and advice on the use of BIAH medications to practising vets and nurses, both in and out of hours. For Lara, receiving calls each day from vets all over the UK and Ireland means that no two days are the same.
Among the many other benefits of being in industry, having the time and capacity to learn is of key importance. “In the technical role constant learning and staying up to date is not just encouraged – it’s a job expectation, not only about products and disease areas but also in other areas of the business such as marketing and pharmacovigilance.” Working at BIAH has also provided the opportunity to develop new skills such as mentoring and coaching.
After many years in mixed and small animal practice, Claire was looking for a role that was just as fulfilling but might provide a better work-life balance. Going straight into a ruminant marketing role in another pharmaceutical company provided a steep learning curve; adapting to a new way of working whilst also completing a Chartered Institute of Marketing Diploma.
Claire made the transition to a larger pharmaceutical company, then became a brand manager in the small animal team, followed by regional sales manager in order to improve experience and knowledge of the sales process. Claire is now a senior brand manager at BIAH and loves the variety and fast pace of the role. “It’s a really open, creative environment that welcomes all ideas, and I love being surrounded by so many bright and inspiring people.”
Finding the balance
Finding a good work-life balance was a key motivator for Claire, Lara and Mike, particularly with managing work, health and family life.
In Mike’s experience, working a demanding on-call rota alongside running a business was not compatible with having a young family, it was one of the driving forces behind him moving into a more flexible sales position. “I loved the freedom of being able to plan my own diary and spend my days helping so many different people”. He then progressed through various management and technical positions, before becoming regional sales manager at BIAH, providing support and guidance for a team of territory managers in the South West.
For Lara, whilst family commitments and her husband’s role as a vet in a busy practice contributed to the need for improved work-life balance, she continued to locum at weekends and some weekdays, which she explained “…really helped to keep perspective on life for vets and patients in practice”.
However, a move into industry won’t always be an automatic path to routine hours – for Esther (who is a fluent German speaker), being a global technical manager at a leading pharmaceutical company for five years meant frequent commuting from the UK to her office in Switzerland. She also visited over 20 countries worldwide to support the business with technical training, major product launches, key opinion leader management and conferences. After a role in pet nutrition and time spent as the small animal technical manager at BIAH, Esther is now the equine technical manager, not only supporting a team of equine vets but providing technical support directly to vets in practice.
Will I miss practice?
Whether it’s direct contact with patients, the camaraderie of a practice environment or a good routine consult, there were aspects of practice all these vets occasionally missed. “I really enjoyed a good ‘hero’ surgery such as a splenectomy or an ex-lap – to know you’ve saved a life was very rewarding” reflected Lara.
For Esther, it was the ultrasound machine – “At the time it was unusual to have an ultrasound machine in practice, I really enjoyed becoming skilled at scanning and was conscious this was a skill that couldn’t come with me into industry.” However, experiencing many different roles has provided a variety of new opportunities for learning “In each role I’ve become knowledgeable about something completely unexpected, whether it be the particle sizes in manufacturing of ointments or some particular aspects of online retail sales.”
Crucially, making a difference to the lives of patients is still at the very forefront of our vets’ minds. “I know that vets in practice are extremely busy and may not have the time to read the latest papers on cardiology for example; I get to do that for them, and then instigate a positive change to their treatment of all their cardiology patients going forward” Lara explained.
Esther described a similar fulfilment from this aspect – “Though we may be removed from direct patient contact, we can still have an impact on patient outcomes through technical conversations with prescribing vets, or training vets how to use products most effectively”
What can I do if I’m considering a move into industry?
All of our vets had sage advice for anyone looking to make the leap from practice to industry.
It was unanimous that keeping an open mind is of paramount importance, particularly to Claire – “It may have seemed unusual to go straight into a marketing role as I did, as normally vets wait for a technical role, but there are so many transferable skills that can be taken with you and just as many new skills to be learnt, so consider all your options.” Mike’s reflections were similar – “Don’t wait for the perfect role, go in with open eyes and don’t be scared to try something new.”
A factor of equal importance to be considered was raised by both Lara and Esther – to identify the main reasons for wanting to make the move and understand what is really driving you – the move should be about the pull of experiencing new challenges and learning skills rather than the push of leaving a practice environment. When discussing roles that she has really loved, Esther stated that ultimately along with the many opportunities and benefits of industry, it’s about finding your passion – “You want to go for a role that will inspire you to get out of bed every morning!”
Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health
Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health is working on first-in-class innovation for the prediction, prevention, and treatment of diseases in animals. For veterinarians, pet owners, farmers, and governments in more than 150 countries, we offer a large and innovative portfolio of products and services to improve the health and well-being of companion animals and livestock. As a global leader in the animal health industry and as part of family-owned Boehringer Ingelheim, we take a long-term perspective. The lives of animals and humans are interconnected in deep and complex ways. We know that when animals are healthy, humans are healthier too. By using the synergies between our Animal Health and Human Pharma businesses and by delivering value through innovation, we enhance the health and well-being of both.
For more information visit: https://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/animal-health