Why work for us

Working in Dundee has many advantages. We try not to tell too many people, just to keep it this way...

Dundee is a small city in the East of Scotland, situated on hills on the North of the River Tay estuary. The industrial past of whaling and jute spinning has given way to hi-tech industries and research through its 2 Universities and Medical school. The game, Lemmings started here! Journalism is also a big employer, producing the Dandy and Beano, many female magazines, the Broons and Oor Wullie and the local daily Courier (as well as the Sunday Post!).

The many beautiful beaches contrast with the hills and glens of the hinterland, beyond the rich agricultural land which grows all crops, with a special emphasis on seed and malting barley, potatoes, (all Asda potatoes are bagged here for all of North UK!), soft fruits (strawberries and raspberries) and vegetables (peas, carrots, sprouts, leeks, broccoli and turnip). There are a few animals interspersed in this very fertile area of Scotland.

Have a look around for yourself at angusanddundee.co.uk

Dundee has the lowest rainfall of all the Scottish cities. A golfer's paradise, the area hosts many championship courses within half-hour travelling and there are parks throughout the city. The 2007 Open was at Carnoustie (15 minutes from Dundee centre). There are 2 premiership football teams based in the city. Gyms for those who do not want to cycle or walk are dotted over the city. Good pubs and restaurants too - but we could do with a few more! Roads are quiet, rush hours last 20 minutes and Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh are 1- 1.5 hours away by car, with good rail links too. Skiing, when snow permits, is 1 hour away (Glenshee) and hillwalking and beach walking is on our doorstep!

See dundee.com for a feel of what's happening.

Parkside has grown from 3 Vets in 1976 to 14 vets now and we work from three small-animal centres, with our Parkside Equine Equine treatment centre based at our purpose-built Dundee surgery. Have a look on the map HERE. Four Vets cover Parkside Equine and farms with some small animal work, while the other 10 deal exclusively with the ever-specialising small-animal side. We have a practice manager, dedicated receptionists and qualified VN's, who have trained in-house, as we are a Registered Nurse Training Practice. We employ nursing assistants too. We encourage professional development and training and are Tier 2 Accredited for pets and for equine and farms.
                         
CPD is encouraged and financed. Contract cleaners cover most areas in the large Dundee surgery.

    We have X-rays facilities in 2 surgeries and a mobile unit for horses. We can now bring horses in to the new Equine Unit at the Dundee surgery. We have 2 automatic film processors for the highest quality images. We can carry out Ultrasonic dental scaling at all surgeries and we use Isoflurane in all 8 anaesthetic machines, with Propofol for induction. 2 ultrasound machines cover both large and small animals and we can monitor blood pressure, carry out ecg, and use endoscopy. We have recently bought a new advanced Ultrasound scanner for detailed heart investigation in all species (as well as great abdomen pictures) and can take referrals in this field. Most of all, we are proud of our well trained staff, who are also great fun to work with and we enjoy a night out for everyone, every few months.

Nurses and Vets covering pet emergencies work a one-in eight on-call rota with no phone duties. The small-animal team works a whole week of on-call at one time, starting work at 4-30pm each day, then has no on-call for the next 7 weeks. A nurse is always on-call with a small-animal Vet. Another Vet covers farm and equine work on a one-in-four, on-call rota, with one night on-call per week, plus every fourth weekend.  On-call call-outs for nurses are at overtime rates. Late finish days have late starts.

Veterinary assistants have 4 weeks and 8 days holiday, plus 4 days at Christmas/New-year. This includes local holidays, which we work as normal. In addition, all Vets and Nurses have a half-day off during the week -  We aim to work a 40 hour week and all on-call is shared equally. We have a low staff turnover. 

Reception at the three surgeries is covered by a mix of full and part-time receptionists and everyone shares the late finishes and Saturday morning cover. Full training is given and we encourage attendance on customer-care training courses. Receptionists and nurses have 4 weeks and 9 days holidays. The surgeries are open on local holidays.

Accomodation for Vets is not provided and is reflected in the salary. Houses and flats are readily availabe for rent in Dundee at varying costs and generally much cheaper than the bigger cities. We can help with contacts. We have stopped providing cars for Veterinary assistants as you are better off buying your own and charging us mileage (tax-free at Governement rates).