Dr. Linda Simon is a small animal vet based in Buckinghamshire who has a special interest in nutrition and geriatric care. She qualified from UCD (Dublin) in 2013 and moved to England directly after. As well as her vet work, she edits and proofreads veterinary articles and has recently published a book called Puppy Perfect: The Ultimate Guide to Raising the Dog You’ve Always Wanted.
Could you start by giving us a brief overview of your career journey so far?
Absolutely. I moved to London in 2013 to be with my now husband, who works for TFL. I started off in a small animal and exotics clinic in West London, where I did a 1:4 on call rota and was often sole charge. It was a bit of a baptism of fire. After four or five years there, I started to locum as I loved the flexibility and would take a week or two off every few months to travel. I worked for a range of clinics including the RSPCA, and relished being able to see how different each new workplace was. When COVID hit, my son was six months old and I was off on maternity leave. I used this time to start writing, editing, and doing some online vet consultations. Even now, five years on, I’ve not stopped the writing!
What inspires you to explore new opportunities beyond clinical practice?
I’ve got a bit of a love-hate relationship with clinical practice. When it’s great it is exhilarating, but when things do not go well, it can really make you feel burned out. I love the balance I get from spending some of my working days writing and doing my online work.
How do you successfully balance and manage a multi-stranded career?
I genuinely find it easier than when I was in clinic five to six days a week. I run a limited company and am my own boss, which just makes life that little bit easier. It can be a challenge when work is slow and sometimes you really need to push to get a new contract, but it is still worth it.
How do you see the veterinary profession evolving in the coming years, and what role do you hope to play in that future?
I see a real gap for more online work, video consults, remote prescribing and even the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). As I’ve been doing a lot of this already for several years, I think I’m in a good position to continue contributing.
I also see owners wanting to play a bigger and more proactive role in their pet’s health, which can only be a good thing.
What were some of the biggest challenges you faced as a veterinary professional navigating motherhood?
It is tough finding a balance at times. I wasn’t prepared to feel so incredibly attached to my child, to the point where it was almost painful to go back to work. I just didn’t want to leave them, and certainly not for a ten-hour shift.
In your view, what adjustments could better support veterinary professionals entering parenthood?
Parents want to be involved in their kids’ lives, and to do school drop offs and picks, watch the plays, be there at tea time… We need more flexible work opportunities. For me, out-of-hours is something I’m no longer willing to do, particularly with child number two now here and still breastfeeding.
What led you to write Puppy Perfect, and what was your experience of becoming a published author?
I’ve always loved to write and have had a dream to publish a book since childhood. My general experiences in the vet world made me realise that there is a lot of misinformation out there and that most owners want to do right by their pet but can struggle to know what ‘right’ is when it comes to things like nutrition, training, vet care, and behaviour. My hope is that this book serves as a guide full of sound advice and that people see it for the trustworthy and science-backed resource it is.
It is a bit surreal having my book published now and seeing it on the coffee table in my parent’s house when I go to visit. I even had a neighbour pop over for an autograph, which was very flattering!
Linda’s book, Puppy Perfect, is available through Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0F7XZKY2D
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