How we set up the East of Scotland Young Vet Network

Fred Nind had been thinking about setting up a Young Vet Network group in our area for a while. He contacted me in October 2016 and asked me if I was interested in helping him get a group started. Our aim was to contact as many young vets in the East of Scotland and inform them of meetings/events we were organising in the area.

Initially we talked to BVA who helped with our marketing, gave us a helpful booklet and ideas on how to set up a meeting, and also how to introduce members to one another. We asked Andrew Gardiner from the Dick Vet if we could use their facilities with our first 2 meetings He was very supportive and allowed us the use of a lecture room and the canteen area for no cost, BVA agreed to pay for food for a buffet.

A rocky start

The first meeting in December 2016 only attracted one vet. Undaunted we arranged a CPD meeting for February 2017 again at the Dick Vet School and free of charge. In the meantime, we sent out a questionnaire to everyone to try to gauge which CPD topics and which type of social events would be most popular.

Unfortunately, there were hardly any replies. Only 1 person, Carrie Aitken, turned up to the meeting. But she was enthusiastic and was willing to set up a Facebook page, while Fred and I decided to expand the list by asking RCVS for email addresses of practices in our area. We also had some helpful advice from the Glasgow YVN Group who had had similar difficulties as ourselves at the outset. We very quickly had a lot more vets to communicate with, and it was also obvious how much more effective social media were in engaging young vets’ attention. According to the Glasgow YVN group, CPD was the best way of attracting people to events.

Highlights so far

Since then, we have organised 6 CPD-orientated events and 5 social events. We have been fortunate with the CPD as all speakers have accepted no fee for their time. The meetings have been held at the Dick Vet School, a hotel in Livingston and a practice in East Lothian, none of which have charged for use of the facility. It is worth taking time to explain the concept of the YVN to everyone involved.

Even the hotel was supportive. The social events have comprised 2 walks with coffee and cakes, a theatre visit, The Royal Highland Show with hospitality from a pharmaceutical company and a Christmas night out.

My favourite moment was the April 2016 CPD meeting in Livingston. It was when we thought all the effort had been worthwhile. Suddenly we had a reasonable number of vets, who definitely enjoyed the evening.

The informal part with the games was so much fun and everyone got to talk to one another and the presentation was superb and so practical for the delegates. It was then we realised we had something to build on and hopefully improve.

Looking ahead

We formed a committee back in July. Carrie was already managing the Facebook group for us and she was happy to come on board. Jennifer Scully showed willingness to help after she attended the event in April so she joined us as well. Aoife O’Sullivan also wanted to be involved and, as well as her enthusiasm and cheerful demeanour, she was able to help us with speakers. In January Laura Kidd will be our sixth member of the committee. Both Laura and Aoife are very sympathetic regarding mental health issues and see this as a positive, practical way of assisting. The intention is for Fred and me to take a back seat at some point in the not too distant future to allow the younger members to run it themselves. 

I really feel optimistic about 2018. We have some good CPD meetings in the pipeline along with some intriguing social events, including an Edinburgh Ghost Tour and go karting! We are looking to hold a large animal CPD meeting at some point. We plan to join forces with neighbouring regions to make it worthwhile.

Tips for starting your own group

Talk to BVA

Talk to BVA about sponsorship and marketing - BVA have been so supportive in every way since we started.

Social Media

Use social media from the start – it is the way so many young vets communicate and it is a very effective way of giving out information. Send out emails well in advance of meetings; but also providing last week and even last-minute reminders.

High quality CPD 

CPD events are what draw vets in, so focus more on those to begin with. Don’t be disheartened at the beginning with poor attendances – be patient! Speakers are generally sympathetic to the cause and want to help. We are lucky in our area with Vets Now connections and helps considerably with choice of speakers and subjects.

Consider your audience

Ask vets at the meetings what subject matter they would want. Hold your meetings where your delegates don’t generally have too far to travel. We always have them sign in at events and have a column for their address. Virtually all our members who turn up regularly come from Edinburgh or within 10-15 miles of the city. If more came from Fife or the Borders we would look to a change of venue from time to time.

Include everyone

With social events open them up to partners, friends and even dogs! It will attract more vets and it’s nice also to have some people there who aren’t vets!

Have a committee

Try to form a committee from enthusiastic members. Try to organise events pretty frequently. We aim to have one per month and alternate between social and CPD orientated ones.

Sponsorship

Sponsorship means you can keep costs low. BVA help considerably; but there are companies who are also very willing to help. Norbrook helped us at the Highland Show and are keen to help at future events. It may mean giving the company a 10-15-minute slot (no longer) to discuss a new product; but that’s OK. Many companies are just content to show a face and have hand-outs available.