Career crossroads: how Dr Rebecca Flegg breathed new life into her veterinary career
19 Jan 2024
Image: Dr Rebecca Flegg, supplied
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Dr Rebecca Flegg vowed to “never settle as a mediocre vet” but after a decade working as a small animal veterinarian in Perth – with over 3 of those years as a locum – she found herself feeling stale in her career and bored with the routine of general practice.
About to take on a new full-time role at a mostly solo vet practice, Bec was also keenly aware she would no longer have the back-up of another vet to bounce-off ideas. This desire to refresh and update her knowledge led her to enrol in the AVA’s Chartered Veterinary Practitioner (AVA CVP) pilot program in 2023. The decision is already paying off.
“This course has helped reinvigorate my passion for what I do as a GP and helped me realise that what I do day-to-day really does make a difference to my patients' and clients' lives. This course helped remind me there is always more to learn.”
Image: Dr Rebecca Flegg, supplied
Bec is confident that she’s already a more well-rounded practitioner, thanks to the vast range of subjects covered in the AVA CVP. She’s welcomed being able to refresh her technical vet skills, but it was the so-called ‘soft skills’ she gained – communication, wellbeing, stress management, consulting frameworks – that was the real eye-opener.
“I consider myself to have a generally positive outlook on my profession, but like all vets I definitely have days where I get frustrated and exhausted because of either clients, patients, colleagues or other external pressures. The course helped me to become more aware of my emotions before they overwhelmed me and helped me to ensure I had strategies in place to bring myself back to the present, reset my emotions and be able to go home at the end of day without feeling so emotionally drained.”
Image: Dr Rebecca Flegg, supplied
Implementing improved consulting frameworks is often mentioned by her fellow AVA CVP students as an immediate, tangible outcome that has made a big difference to their practice. From cheat sheets to flow charts and improvements to how she conducts consults, Bec is now better prepared and works more efficiently across numerous areas.
Another highlight of the course regularly praised by students is the access to exceptionally qualified and engaged teachers. “The teachers have been wonderful, all of them highly skilled and knowledgeable in their areas of expertise,” says Bec. She adds, “I found the Zoom calls with my teachers and peers were a great place to throw ideas around regarding cases in a safe space without any judgement. My fellow students were all from varying stages in their careers, but I felt as though we were all there to try and improve the way we practice as veterinarians and look after ourselves better in the process.”
Image: Dr Rebecca Flegg, supplied
Undertaking postgraduate study whilst working full-time can be daunting but the flexible nature of the program meant that Bec found the workload quite manageable. “I just had to reignite my time management skills to ensure I got through all the course material and completed assignments on time. The different types of learning materials were a great way of providing information in various formats for those of us who struggle to learn just by reading.”
Bec is a proud advocate for the AVA CVP and is keen to encourage her peers who find themselves at a similar career crossroads to consider the course.
“If you’re thinking it might be time to refresh your knowledge and skills but don't want to take on the enormous workload of memberships, then I would consider completing this course. You get so much more than just a whole lot of information on various diseases. It actually gives you practical tools to help look after your mental, physical and emotional wellbeing, which is increasingly important in this day and age. And when you look after yourself, your patients, clients and all those around you benefit.”
The AVA CVP is a professional accreditation which recognises excellence in small animal general practitioners. If offers:
- Courses written by vets for vets
- Elective course options to suit your interests
- Online, flexible study with regular peer and teacher contact
- Pay as you go
- 98% student overall satisfaction rating
- 420 CPD points
Find out more about the AVA CVP program or contact the AVA CVP Program Manager to discuss your study options.