b'EMPOWERED TO INSPIRE, ACHIEVE AND LEAD TOGETHEREMPOWERED TO INSPIRE, ACHIEVE AND LEAD TOGETHEREMPOWERED TO INSPIRE, ACHIEVE AND LEAD TOGETHEREMPOWERED TO INSPIRE,VETERINARY WOMAN CHAMPIONS FOR CHANGEACHIEVE & LEAD TOGETHERRhian Littlehales DIRECTOR OF CLINICAL GOVERNANCE FOR MEDIVETRhian Littlehales is Director of Clinical Governance for Medivet. Rhians nomination, from another member of the industry, describes how she is passionate about changing the industry to support veterinary staff from the very start of their careers and how she supports the entire company with training, sharing her knowledge, expertise, skills and care. Read on to find out more about Rhians innovative vision to ensure the veterinary profession is inclusive and accessible to students from all backgrounds, and to help graduates to stay in love with the profession they have worked so hard to join.Please summarise how you are working towards changeadvice, whilst ensuring they are also aware of the emotional in the veterinary professions and why do you feel this support available to them. is important? Ive set up clinical communities and Quality Improvement I feel that I am making a difference to the profession both S U M M A R Y inside and outside of Medivet. Indeed, the reason I chosegroups so that anyone in the business, regardless of role or Medivet is because they have always passionately empoweredqualification, can feed into our clinical strategy and benefit Ifirst told my Mum I wanted to be a vetfrom the knowledge and experience of others. Medivet has when I was two years old! I came fromand encouraged me to make positive change. always been a clinically led organisation - but the idea of a non-vet family but did have lots ofMy roles have focussed around ensuring vets get the mostthe initiatives was to make the experience of gaining clinical pets. At secondary school I was the firstout of their role. I noticed that we had an opportunity tosupport more inclusive and engaging.student to ever want to be a vet, and if itseize our graduates and make them fall as much in love with wasnt for a small group of teachers andthe profession as I did.I spent a lot of time listening to theirMy own vet school experiences meant Ifelt passionate my parents, I would not be here.feedback about their experiences at university, on EMS andabout widening participation in the veterinary sector. I wasI worked as a Saturday girl in my localon our graduate programme. I made a series of changes thatdeeply saddened to read statistics and social media posts practice, and when my first applicationimproved our companys graduate retention from circa 60% tothat suggested vets were unhappy with a profession that to vet school was unsuccessful, I beganover 90%. We doubled the number of applications received. they have worked so hard to join, and also worried by both training to be a veterinary nurse. However,Although I am no longer accountable for the graduateanecdotal and statistical evidence to suggest that diversity was I realised quickly that I was only going toprogramme, I remain involved to ensure it keeps evolving anda problem within the profession at many levels.be satisfied once I was a vet, and with theWhen I saw an opportunity for Medivet to work alongside the support of the practice team and againdeveloping to suit the industry.my parents, I went to Bristol vet school. I appreciate that as a profession we experience periods ofUniversity of Central Lancashire (UCLan) to support students uncertainty- such as the recent impacts of the Under Carefrom all backgrounds to access veterinary education, I saw it Guidance and implementation of the XL Bully ban. My currentas an investment in the professions future - the opportunity role in Medivet is to try and be as supportive to cliniciansto make a difference in the wider industry that I love. Ive throughout these circumstances as possible- helping themworked with the team at UCLan and the Medivet exec (who source the very best and most up to date appropriate clinicalwere equally as inspired by the proposition) to pull together www.veterinarywoman.co.uk 45'