17 Mar 2022
“I think all the vet schools realise that widening participation is really important – and hopefully my book can play a role in that” – Lorna Clark, Pinfold Vets.
Joshua Silverwood
Job Title
A children’s book aimed at broadening diversity and increasing access to the veterinary profession has received rave reviews.
To Vet School and Beyond was written by small animal vet and practice owner Lorna Clark, who said her book is filled with helpful details on the journey to vet school and the career opportunities beyond.
The book offers insights into how the industry has changed and what can be expected from a career in the multiple fields of the veterinary sphere, from small animals to emergency care, to zoo vets and vets in industry and education.
Mrs Clark said that she wanted to write something for children aged 8 to 12 years old, to guide, inspire and help them follow their dreams of becoming a vet.
Mrs Clark added: “It’s amazing what 8-year-olds to 12-year-olds want to know, and what they are thinking about. I think most people who want to be vets do so from quite a young age, so it’s never too early to start considering how to fulfil your ambition.
“It’s really important to provide careers advice to a younger audience, and it would be great if every primary and secondary school had a copy.
“A lot has changed in terms of the selection of vet students; yes, it is still a fairly academic course, but what is being recognised is that the academic side of it is maybe not quite as important as the personal qualities of people actually going into the profession. And the career opportunities for people who hold a veterinary degree qualification are immense.”
Part of the book comprises profiles of real vets who are used as examples of the different roles and specialisations a vet could find themselves in after graduating.
One of the book’s featured profiles is of government vet Amy Beckett, now CVO on the Isle of Man.
The chapter goes on to detail how Dr Beckett started out in practice and, after undertaking further studies, was able to take on this unique role.
Mrs Clark said that the book may inspire children who may not have previously thought they could become vets to consider the profession.
She added: “A lot of our job is about people management, communication and understanding how folk work, and we need people from quite diverse backgrounds to do that well.
“People living in inner city areas with parents on low income just don’t usually become vets, and that may be because they aren’t exposed to our line of work, but hopefully they can pick this up and think, ‘I would really love to be a fish vet’, or ‘I would really love to do that’ when they read about setting up a giraffe plasma bank.
“It took me ages to get into vet school and to reach where I wanted to be, but it’s not impossible, and I think all the vet schools realise that widening participation is really important – and hopefully my book can play a role in that.”
The book has been published by 5M Books and is available through its website, or can be purchased from Amazon.co.uk or Waterstones.
