Jane Feneley is a founder of Summerhill Veterinary Centre and is Chair of the Small Animal Clinical Board at IVC Evidensia. Here she describes her passion for continuous learning within the veterinary sector and discusses the challenges of owning a business and starting a family.
Please summarise your journey:
I qualified as a veterinary surgeon from RVC, London, in 1991 with a distinction in both Medicine and Surgery. My first job was in mixed practice, followed by a role as a mixed practice locum. In 1993, I established Summerhill Veterinary Centre in Norfolk, a small animal, first-opinion veterinary practice where I have worked ever since. Despite raising two children, I have continued my career without any breaks.
Summerhill Veterinary Centre became part of IVC Evidensia in 2018 and I joined the IVC Evidensia Clinical Board in 2019. I was elected Vice Chair in 2022, and am now Chair of the Small Animal Clinical Board.
I have always had a special interest in surgery, but I made sure I kept up to date with medicine too, completing the Improve SAM two-year course (but not taking the exams) in 2001. I qualified at a time where most surgery was performed in first opinion practice. This allowed me to gain considerable experience which I underpinned with many practical and theoretical CPD courses. I invested heavily in equipment at Summerhill, transferring my course knowledge into practical day-to-day surgery, and covering everything from simple to complex orthopaedic and soft tissue procedures, including a full range of thoracic, abdominal and emergency cases.
Since 2001, I have completed my GPCert (SAS), GPAdvCert(SAOS), PgCert(EM&S), PgD(AVPS), FCert(Arthro) and hold RCVS recognised Advanced Practitioner status in Small Animal Surgery and in Emergency Medicine and Critical Care. I am now studying for certificates in Pain Management and Small Animal Musculoskeletal Ultrasound.
At the end of last year, I became the first vet in the UK to be awarded Master General Practitioner in Small Animal Surgery status by the ISVPS, recognising my years of dedication to CPD.
I married my husband, who is also a veterinary surgeon, in 1992 and we have two adult children who both attended our local state school – one has represented Great Britain in ski cross at Junior Worlds, and the other has represented Great Britain in moguls at the Beijing Olympics in 2022.
I have also run the London Marathon twice, with my fastest time being 3hrs 35 mins.
Describe your typical day from waking to sleeping:
After waking up I usually have a half an hour gym session before walking our dog and having breakfast. Monday to Friday, I usually get to work for 8am and my day is made up of consultations, surgical procedures and managing the practice.
I get home around 6.30pm and spend time chatting to my husband before cooking and eating dinner. Some evenings, I may be on call for work and am available to support and back up graduates who need senior counsel or advice. I take some time to catch up on outstanding paperwork and in the evening, I watch TV and/or read a book before bed.
On weekends, I follow a similar routine– if I’m on call I will be seeing emergencies, but not routine consults or surgeries. I take the time to do some online CPD and ride our family horses.
How would you describe yourself in a sentence?
I am a focused, motivated, driven, supportive and enthusiastic person who loves being a General Practice vet and enjoys life with my family, friends, horses, dogs and cats.
How would others describe you in a sentence?
My husband says I’m focused, driven, considerate, calm and conscientious and I take a considered, contextualised and holistic approach to clinical cases.
My co-CD colleague says that I’m incredibly hard-working and focused with a strong moral compass.
My sons write:
- “Mum is organised, kind and caring. Always striving for the best in everything she does.”
- “Mum is amazingly hardworking and always striving to achieve more. She is a true inspiration to me, someone that I can look up to and learn from.”
My friend says, professionally: ‘Jane’s passionate professionalism is manifested through quiet confidence which altruistically champions her peers and offers consistent empathy to her clients, and clinical expertise to her patients.’ And personally: ‘Jane is just the most genuine, dependable and supportive friend.’
What has been your top success and what have you learned from this?
My top success is to have gained my post graduate diploma in advanced veterinary practice sciences, while raising two children. I learned to keep going even when things became tough and I started to doubt myself, and to accept help when offered.
Being awarded Master General Practitioner in Small Animal Surgery was also a huge achievement for me, having achieved 180 post graduate points at Masters level. Continuous learning and skill development has always been incredibly important throughout my career and the award was given in recognition of the multiple certifications, diplomas and development opportunities I have undertaken since qualifying.
What has been your biggest challenge, setback or failure and how have you overcome it? How did you grow or change as a result?
Having my own business and raising a family at the same time with no career break has been my biggest challenge. This was not easy, but I learnt to be kind to myself on the things I could not change and to appreciate the time with my children as downtime away from work and another focus for my mind. It also meant that we met many other people from different walks of life who have become lifelong friends and have given us a different perspective.
What compromises have you had to make and what, if anything, could have helped?
Owning my own business while having children meant that I could only take a few weeks away from the practice after each birth. This meant that my children went to nursery from six weeks old (my husband took the second three weeks out to look after them before this so I could be back in work at three weeks). So, I had to compromise time with my young children. However, we are a close family, and they are now two hardworking and independent young adults, so I think this was much harder on me than on them. We also had to give up time away and holidays in the early years, as well as taking very little financial reward to enable us to reinvest and grow the practice to where it is today, 32 years later. What helps when you are doing this is to appreciate what you have, understand that these are choices you made and realise that hard times will pass.
What advice would you have given to your younger self, that you would now give to others wanting to follow your path?
Be positive, be kind, appreciate what you have and not what you don’t have, take your opportunities, aim to be flexible and willing to roll with the changes. Consider your life balance, don’t think of a work/life balance – work is part of your life. Manage your expectations – you cannot have it all, all of the time – and understand that you will go through tough times. Continue to learn and grow, be inspired by everyone around you. Understand life is a journey and learn to appreciate that the journey is more important than the goal. You may not achieve a goal – although always good to have – what you learn from the journey is key.
I couldn’t have got where I am today without…
My family, friends and colleagues.
What are your three top likes?
- I’m proud to say I love my work and am still enthusiastic about it 34 years after qualifying. I like sharing knowledge, being part of a bigger picture and having an impact on the wider veterinary profession beyond my own practice.
- I love spending time with friends and family, especially outdoors. We have always been outdoorsy and enjoy hill walking and skiing especially.
We have had horses and ponies since we got married in 1992 and now have two Connemara ponies. Horses have always been a big part of our lives, with the boys also taking part in Pony Club and riding and competing. Now, however, I enjoy spending more relaxed time with them.
What are your three top dislikes?
- I don’t like it when people are negative about things. I much prefer taking a positive outlook and looking for the good in whatever has happened, although it’s not always easy.
- Judgemental behaviour – it doesn’t help anyone, especially in the veterinary world.
- And on a different note, I don’t like strong tea!
What is the most helpful book you’ve read and why?
I’ve read a lot of really useful books throughout my career, but it was actually some advice that changed my life more than any book could have and I still bear it in mind to this day.
When I had my first child, I was trying to carry on much as I had before – running the practice, looking after my family and our animals and generally trying to do my share. But it was physically impossible for me to achieve what I wanted to – I was juggling so many things and actually found myself with post-natal depression from putting too much pressure on myself.
The health visitor told me that by setting my standards at 100% in absolutely everything, I was actually setting myself up to fail – there was no way to achieve this, and I was making myself miserable by trying to.
She said I should aim for 50% of what I had been – that way I would most likely overachieve. It made me feel better instantly. I lowered my expectations and was realistic about what I could physically and mentally achieve – sometimes you have to realise that one thing is going to take precedence over another, and sometimes it will swing the other way.
Now I tell people that we live in a real world, not an ideal world. Different things are important at different times, and we have to recognise that not everything has to be at 100% all the time.
Many thanks to Jane Feneley for sharing her story to inspire veterinary women to aspire and grow into their full career potential.
If you would like to share your story please get in touch at info@veterinarywoman.co.uk
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