It's our 50th episode today!

Sometimes when you’re editing a podcast, the most frustrating part is how much of the gold just can’t quite make the cut, as there isn’t time to squeeze everything in to each episode. In this season, there was so much wonderful audio and fantastic conversation that hadn’t quite made it into the first 9 episodes, so today, for our season finale, we’re bringing you the best of the rest of the conversations we’ve featured so far.

It’s like a Christmas special, but as it’s not Christmas, it’s a just a ‘special’. You’ll hear snippets of chat from quite a few of our guests here, and don’t forget, you can go back and listen to each of their full conversations in the back catalogue. 

This season is brought to you by Virtual Veterinary Specialists. Ever wish you could just conjure up a specialist to help you, in person, with a difficult case? Well now you can! The wonders of cutting-edge medical technology means that VVS specialists can be instantly on hand to live-guide you through procedures. 

Book a call with VVS to find out more: http://bit.ly/BookACallWithVVS 

Check them out on YouTube for a flavour of how VVS can help your practice: http://bit.ly/VVSvideosYouTube

Head to the VVS website for more info: http://bit.ly/VirtualVeterinarySpecialists

If you’re lucky, there might be someone in your life or work that really inspires you, who has an impact on the trajectory of your career and the path you choose to take. It might be a teacher at school, a family member or a friend. For Christelle Le Roux it was a lecturer at uni. Christelle qualified from the University of Pretoria already knowing that she wanted to be a diagnostic imaging specialist and has followed that dream through an internship, residency and diploma. She met Georgina Catlow, a vet in Surrey, through VVS, with Christelle teaching and mentoring Georgina throughout her diagnostic imaging certificate. Georgina qualified in 2015 and has built her skills and interest in imaging over the past 5 years - you can feel the shared passion they both hold for the discipline in this chat, and the impact that having an unofficial mentor has had for both of them on developing that passion.

This season is brought to you by Virtual Veterinary Specialists. Ever wish you could just conjure up a specialist to help you, in person, with a difficult case? Well now you can! The wonders of cutting-edge medical technology means that VVS specialists can be instantly on hand to live-guide you through procedures. 

Book a call with VVS to find out more: http://bit.ly/BookACallWithVVS 

Check them out on YouTube for a flavour of how VVS can help your practice: http://bit.ly/VVSvideosYouTube

Head to the VVS website for more info: http://bit.ly/VirtualVeterinarySpecialists

Today we’re hearing about life behind the scenes in the world of virtual veterinary referrals. Ruth Clark and Lydia Morgan are both vets themselves with years of experience in general practice, who have now transferred their skills to work as commercial managers at VVS. As you’ll hear in this conversation they clearly both love their job and the satisfaction they gain from helping others in practice, and Lydia and Ruth are really great examples of vets who’ve acknowledged the wide set of skills we all have in the veterinary space, and subsequently diversified their careers. I love that Lydia says “There’s no such thing as just a vet” - she’s so right. We can all be vets doing whatever it is that makes us tick. 

This season is brought to you by Virtual Veterinary Specialists. Ever wish you could just conjure up a specialist to help you, in person, with a difficult case? Well now you can! The wonders of cutting-edge medical technology means that VVS specialists can be instantly on hand to live-guide you through procedures. 

Book a call with VVS to find out more: http://bit.ly/BookACallWithVVS 

Check them out on YouTube for a flavour of how VVS can help your practice: http://bit.ly/VVSvideosYouTube

Head to the VVS website for more info: http://bit.ly/VirtualVeterinarySpecialists

They say that ‘teamwork makes the dream work’ right, and I couldn’t agree more. This ethos was so evident when I chatted to Kelly Burrow, Inês Serrão, and Avner Hoida from Medivet in Enfield. Kelly became a partner at Medivet at a relatively young age, but is clearly an inspiring and caring boss, and I was so impressed by her, Inês and Avner. They’re a young team but one that comes across as incredibly well supported and full of confidence, with everyone given a chance to progress and learn, and I absolutely loved hearing about how the vets and nurses in their practice are encouraged to stretch themselves and try new things. We started by talking about how Kelly manages her team to create an environment in which everyone can thrive.

This season is brought to you by Virtual Veterinary Specialists. Ever wish you could just conjure up a specialist to help you, in person, with a difficult case? Well now you can! The wonders of cutting-edge medical technology means that VVS specialists can be instantly on hand to live-guide you through procedures. 

Book a call with VVS to find out more: http://bit.ly/BookACallWithVVS 

Check them out on YouTube for a flavour of how VVS can help your practice: http://bit.ly/VVSvideosYouTube

Head to the VVS website for more info: http://bit.ly/VirtualVeterinarySpecialists

What’s the collective noun for a group of veterinary specialists? I’ve no idea but we’ve got a right good bunch of them on the podcast today. In this conversation I was joined by Simona Radaelli, Susana Silva, Christelle le Roux, Pedro Oliveira and Nuala Summerfield, who are all diploma holders in their various fields. They have, between them, worked in a multitude of different countries and top notch referral centres and have wildly impressive credentials. We talked a lot about teaching in this conversation, with the specialists talking about their passion and enjoyment of teaching, and what they feel it gives them in return.

This season is brought to you by Virtual Veterinary Specialists. Ever wish you could just conjure up a specialist to help you, in person, with a difficult case? Well now you can! The wonders of cutting-edge medical technology means that VVS specialists can be instantly on hand to live-guide you through procedures. 

Book a call with VVS to find out more: http://bit.ly/BookACallWithVVS 

Check them out on YouTube for a flavour of how VVS can help your practice: http://bit.ly/VVSvideosYouTube

Head to the VVS website for more info: http://bit.ly/VirtualVeterinarySpecialists

There are many of us in the vet world who love to learn, and I know a lot of vets and nurses relish the time they get to spend acquiring new skills and new knowledge, and how much pleasure it can give people to master something different. But some people are also gifted with a true passion for teaching, and Steph Sorrell definitely falls into that category. Steph is a medicine diplomat who locums around the UK in different referral hospitals, and is part of the medicine service at VVS. She met Thea Gardner, a branch partner at Medivet, when Steph taught an online interactive case-based CPD course during the pandemic. Thea has recently passed her small animal medicine certificate and here they discuss teaching and learning as vets, why the time pressures in general practice sometimes make this difficult and why learning on the job has its benefits.

This season is brought to you by Virtual Veterinary Specialists. Ever wish you could just conjure up a specialist to help you, in person, with a difficult case? Well now you can! The wonders of cutting-edge medical technology means that VVS specialists can be instantly on hand to live-guide you through procedures. 

Book a call with VVS to find out more: http://bit.ly/BookACallWithVVS 

Check them out on YouTube for a flavour of how VVS can help your practice: http://bit.ly/VVSvideosYouTube

Head to the VVS website for more info: http://bit.ly/VirtualVeterinarySpecialists

One of the beauties of the veterinary profession is the diversity of practices out there, in terms of size, scope and the expertise of people working within them. There really is a place for everyone, whether you’re big or small, specialist or not. Sarah Aldridge is the owner of Daventry Vets, a 2-vet independent practice in Daventry that was founded in 2001, and is a GP vet with a focus on building personal, friendly relationships with her clients and their animals. Here she chats to Nuala Summerfield, a cardiology diplomat and co-founder of VVS about the relationship between specialists and practitioners, how it’s changed over time in their careers, and why they both appreciate the benefits of being able to keep cases in house where possible. 

This season is brought to you by Virtual Veterinary Specialists. Ever wish you could just conjure up a specialist to help you, in person, with a difficult case? Well now you can! The wonders of cutting-edge medical technology means that VVS specialists can be instantly on hand to live-guide you through procedures. 

Book a call with VVS to find out more: http://bit.ly/BookACallWithVVS 

Check them out on YouTube for a flavour of how VVS can help your practice: http://bit.ly/VVSvideosYouTube

Head to the VVS website for more info: http://bit.ly/VirtualVeterinarySpecialists

My guests today are Andrea Volk and Pascal Hoberg, and today we’re bringing you some insights into learning to love a speciality - in this case dermatology - that perhaps isn’t your natural love. Pascal is a Director at Wylie Veterinary Hospital in Upminster, and holds a certificate in cardiology. It’s probably safe to say that he previously hasn’t been a great fan of the many and frequent derm cases he’s had to deal with in practice. Andrea on the other hand is a European specialist in veterinary dermatology, having completed a residency at the RVC. She is now back in her home country of Germany, and is a dermatologist at the University of Hannover Vet School as well as consulting for VVS. Andrea, unsurprisingly, is a huge fan of dermatology. I absolutely adored this conversation, and the hilarious relationship that Andrea and Pascal have. 

This season is brought to you by Virtual Veterinary Specialists. Ever wish you could just conjure up a specialist to help you, in person, with a difficult case? Well now you can! The wonders of cutting-edge medical technology means that VVS specialists can be instantly on hand to live-guide you through procedures. 

Book a call with VVS to find out more: http://bit.ly/BookACallWithVVS 

Check them out on YouTube for a flavour of how VVS can help your practice: http://bit.ly/VVSvideosYouTube

Head to the VVS website for more info: http://bit.ly/VirtualVeterinarySpecialists

In this episode we’ll be hearing from Ellie Marriott and Nuala Summerfield about their love of all things feline, as well as some of the clinical challenges that cats can present, particularly with regard to cardiology. Nuala is a cardiology specialist as well as the co-founder and clinical director of VVS. Ellie is a partner at Castle Vets, an independent practice in Dorchester. They’re an ISFM Gold Standard Cat Friendly Clinic, and Ellie believes in providing the very best care she can to every cat that walks through her door. Both Ellie and Nuala are enthusiastic adopters of new technology, embracing change where they can as part of their ethos in veterinary medicine.

This season is brought to you by Virtual Veterinary Specialists. Ever wish you could just conjure up a specialist to help you, in person, with a difficult case? Well now you can! The wonders of cutting-edge medical technology means that VVS specialists can be instantly on hand to live-guide you through procedures. 

Book a call with VVS to find out more: http://bit.ly/BookACallWithVVS 

Check them out on YouTube for a flavour of how VVS can help your practice: http://bit.ly/VVSvideosYouTube

Head to the VVS website for more info: http://bit.ly/VirtualVeterinarySpecialists

I’m joined today by Clare Knottenbelt and Jenny Gould. Clare is an oncology specialist who spent 18 years teaching students at the University of Glasgow. Two years ago she started her own business, with the aim of helping practitioners become more confident at administering chemotherapy and treating oncology patients themselves, and is now the oncology specialist at VVS. Clare is also a certified coach, and you’ll hear her passion for helping others in this chat. Jenny Gould qualified in 2005 and has predominantly been a small animal first opinion practitioner since. She has unique experience of the services provided by VVS, having worked for the company as a commercial manager, as well as utilising the services both as a referring vet and an owner. You’ll hear in this conversation about Jenny finding herself in the position - as many of us do with our own pets - of being an owner facing decisions regarding a beloved family member, with her own dog, Ember.

This season is brought to you by Virtual Veterinary Specialists. Ever wish you could just conjure up a specialist to help you, in person, with a difficult case? Well now you can! The wonders of cutting-edge medical technology means that VVS specialists can be instantly on hand to live-guide you through procedures. 

Book a call with VVS to find out more: http://bit.ly/BookACallWithVVS 

Check them out on YouTube for a flavour of how VVS can help your practice: http://bit.ly/VVSvideosYouTube

Head to the VVS website for more info: http://bit.ly/VirtualVeterinarySpecialists