Survey of recently-qualified veterinary surgeons

On behalf of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), IES conducted an online survey of people who have qualified from one of the UK’s seven veterinary schools over the past five years. There was anecdotal evidence that newly-qualified vets are finding it hard to secure and retain suitable employment, and the RCVS wished to establish if this is indeed the case – and if it was, whether these difficulties were across the board or concentrated in particular geographical areas or types of veterinary practice (small animals, farm, equine or mixed). Just under 3,500 recent qualifiers received an invitation to participate, and the achieved response rate was 43 per cent.