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Veterinary Officer Royal Army Veterinary Corps

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Medical

Veterinary Officers play a vital role. You experience many of the animal health issues seen in everyday life, plus specific aspects of military veterinary medicine. You go on operations and provide advice on a range of issues, including animal employment, disease control, zoonotic disease and biosecurity.

Are you right for this role?

You should be:

  • Sex: Male or Female
  • Regular Army Age: N/A - 30.11 years
  • Territorial Army Age: N/A - 54.11 years

You should have:

  • Qualifications: 180 UCAS points and 35 ALIS points at GCSE, (including a minimum grade C in English, Maths and a science or foreign language), Veterinary degree and membership of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons

You should like:

  • Working with animals
  • Responsibility and decision-making
  • Taking the lead and managing people
  • Outdoor activities
  • Working in an office / indoors
  • Computing and technology

You should be interested or have experience in:

  • Veterinary
  • Pharmacy
  • Human Resources

Captain Laura Riley on the challenges of life as a military vet

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Captain Riley

Your job is challenging as it encompasses different roles and uses a variety of skills. Your knowledge as a surgeon is used daily. You mentor Veterinary Technicians, and you're responsible for their development and career progression. And there are always opportunities to progress your own career as a vet and an Officer.

 

Regular Army

Veterinary Officers are trained to operate on military and other animals. Veterinary Officers are trained to operate on military and other animals.

Training

After an induction course at the Defence Animal Centre, you undertake clinical placements and a Basic Dog Handling course. Several military skills courses are next, followed by clinical rotations and more specific veterinary courses. During your first posting you enrol in the RCVS Cert AVP. You also prepare for life on operations.

Skills you can learn

As a Veterinary Officer, you learn military skills such as map reading and weapons handling, as well as how to lead and motivate soldiers under your command. You also develop your veterinary skills, and learn more about how these are used in a military context.

Qualifications you can achieve

  • Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Certificate of Advanced Veterinary Practice (Cert AVP)
  • (You may have the opportunity to do a relevant in-service Masters' Degree)

Territorial Army

Veterinary Officers are trained to operate on military and other animals.

Training

You must be a fully qualified veterinary practitioner with a veterinary degree, and be a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. Training begins with a month-long course to master military skills like fieldcraft, weapons handling and how to command soldiers. You gain military-specific veterinary experience that you are unlikely to get in a civilian job.

Skills you can learn

As a Veterinary Officer, you learn military skills such as map reading and weapons handling, as well as how to lead and motivate soldiers under your command. You also develop your veterinary skills, and learn more about how these are used in a military context as there is the opportunity to conduct locum work with regular RAVC Units, either at home or on operations.

Move up the ranks

  • Lieutenant

    This is the rank you start out at. After completing your officer training, you spend around 10 months at the Defence Animal Centre, depending on your qualifications and experience. You do placements with civilian organisations like the PDSA, and deal with military horses and dogs.

  • Captain

    After a probationary year, you're promoted to Captain and will probably join the 1st Military Working Dog Regiment. You're responsible for the health of dogs in your unit, which is also called a squadron. Squadrons are made up of around 50 soldiers and 30 dogs. You also deploy on operations.

  • Major

    After six years' service, and on the recommendation of your superior officers once you've completed a postgraduate qualification (Cert AVP), you may be promoted to Major. You can still do clinical work, but you also get the opportunity to take on a more command-orientated role.

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