Women needed for leadership study

XLVets is once again looking for women in the profession to share their thoughts on ownership and leadership.

Following on from her work on veterinary women and practice ownership last year, XLVets chief operating officer Kerrie Hedley is looking for female vets for a series of focus groups and interviews conducted using video conferencing.

Findings

Research is scheduled to take place in early August, and both business owners and non-business owners are encouraged to take part by emailing Ms Hedley.

Ms Hedley has also talked about her findings to date in more detail in a podcast hosted on the Veterinary Woman website – and the findings are summarised in the infographics below.

Ambition

Ms Hedley said: “We know that having a supportive partner with flexible work, or parental support, are enablers to practice ownership.

“Our research showed that being ‘caring’ could even be a barrier to leadership, while showing ambition and determination could be an enabler. Yet, those who care about people and animals could prove to be exactly the types of leaders we really need for a modern age.”

Change

Ms Hedley added: “While there is a lot we can do as a profession – such as creating pathways to leadership, lowering financial barriers to ownership and providing access to specific CPD – it’s clear there are still some systemic issues that act as barriers to female leadership, their aspirations and, indeed, their general career development.

“This new wave of research will look at the whole picture more closely and help us develop models for change.”