Ep 57: Prof Liz Mossop - Growing Tomorrow's Vets

On today’s show it is my pleasure to be joined by one of the most influential and innovative people in steering global veterinary education, Professor Liz Mossop.

Liz graduated from the Edinburgh Vet School in 2000, and following several years in mixed practice jumped, and I do mean jumped, headlong into academia, taking up a new post as lecturer in Clinical Veterinary Education at the University of Nottingham in 2006, the same day as her students arrived!

She was part of the team that created a new model for educating vets and delivered a de novo curriculum based on applied learning with hands-on clinical work from day one. The school has been consistently ranked as outstanding by its students who have gone on to win much admiration from employers across the country since.

On her own journey into academia, Liz has racked up an impressive list of achievements including completing a masters and PhD in clinical education. She has consistently published on topics of interest to anyone who values a happy career in practice and is one of the most cited authors in her field.

In 2016 she was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship from the Higher Education Academy and gained a fellowship of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons for Meritorious Contributions to the Profession. She became professor of clinical studies at Nottingham University in 2017.

Since then, Liz’s career has continued to soar and has taken her away from veterinary medicine altogether. She currently works at the University of Lincoln as Deputy Vice Chancellor for student development and engagement. A role in which she helps 17,000 students studying everything from medicine to music.

Now, just before we jump into the episode, a quick word from today’s show sponsor which today is the Thrive community. If you are struggling with managing time, feeling like an imposter or burnout then you need to make a change. The good news is that you are not broken or a bad fit for the profession, you are simply missing some super-important skills no-one teaches at university. Skills you will learn as part of the VetX community. Thrive is a RACE accredited professional skills course where members receive training, toolkits and one-to-one coaching to develop these skills.

Join hundreds of other vets who have changed their careers for the better as a Thrive member. To learn more and find out if the class is a good fit for you visit www.vetxinternational.com today.

Now back to the show,

This interview was on my radar, literally for years, a first attempt several years ago was aborted as my car broke down en route! After listening in, I hope you’ll see why I was so happy to finally get the chance to talk with Professor Mossop.

As we see more and more professionals falling out of love with veterinary medicine, and graduates feeling disenchanted with and overwhelmed by their vocation, her message and experience couldn’t be more important. Because as impressive as her contributions to education are, it’s perhaps her persistent refusal to stay in one career lane that highlights most brilliantly why having a veterinary degree is worth striving for. If you hold this qualification, the world absolutely is your oyster.

So sit back and enjoy this, my conversation with inspiring educator, and career lane-hopper Professor Liz Mossop.