28 Feb 2024
More than 2,500 copies of a children’s book about a vet’s work are being distributed to Scottish schools in the hope of inspiring youngsters to seek careers in the sector.
Allister Webb
Job Title
Vet Joanna Wilson, whose mother Karen Gardiner set up the Future Vets Scotland project, reads the Shona the Vet book with school pupils.
A campaign to encourage young people in Scotland to consider veterinary careers has taken its next step into the nation’s primary schools.
Plans are already well advanced for the inaugural Future Vets Scotland (FVS) camp for 16 and 17-year-olds, which is due to take place at the SRUC’s Oatridge campus this summer.
Now, campaign leaders are providing more than 2,500 copies of a book, Shona the Vet, to schools in a move they hope will help to capture the imagination of younger pupils, too.
Project founder Karen Gardiner said: “There is a perception that competition is high, but the reality is the number applying is falling and with an ageing vet population, we need more young vets.
“FVS guides children of all ages through the process of becoming a vet.”
The book’s author, Catherine Stables, is herself a practising vet in Moray, having graduated from The University of Edinburgh Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies in 2000.
Dr Stables said: “I thought it would be good to have a female main character as vet and I wanted to show Scottish creatures other than highland cows and Nessie.
“You never know what animals you’ll see as a vet – no two days are the same. It’s never boring and it’s really rewarding when you see animals getting better.”
The initiative is backed by Scotland’s three vet schools, with the FVS website offering links to each of their admissions units, and has also been praised by the nation’s CVO, Sheila Voas.
She said: “This is a fantastic initiative which I hope will get more children thinking about veterinary studies as a possible future career option. My thanks to Karen and the Scottish vet schools for making it possible.”
More information about the camp, which runs from 31 July to 2 August, can be found online.
