Meet the BVA Young Vet of the Year finalists: Rosemary Charnley

After graduating from the University of Liverpool in 2019, I travelled to the USA for an externship at Attic Veterinary Surgeons, who specialise in large-scale dairy work and consultancy. Soon after, I began my first job in South Wales where I quickly fell in love with the region – from its beautiful coastline and mountains to its welcoming farming community.

Those first few years in practice set the foundation for my career. I later worked as a locum while deciding whether to continue as a clinical farm vet or become a full-time bovine nutritionist. In the end, I found the perfect balance at The Cattle Vet, where I could combine both my veterinary career and bovine nutritional advice to support farmers in achieving their herd and business goals.

More recently, my fiancé Michael and I took on a new challenge by entering the dairy industry as new entrant dairy farmers. This has turned my childhood dream of being both a farm vet and a dairy farmer into reality.

Why veterinary medicine?

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to support farmers in reaching their herd goals – no matter how big or small. Veterinary medicine felt like the best path to do just that, giving me the opportunity to provide advice and guidance to those who need it.

Facing challenges

From applying to university, to completing vet school (or in my case resitting a year – yes, lots of vets resit!), and into those first years in practice, challenges are a constant part of the journey. But, no matter their size, each one offers a learning opportunity to grow and develop as a veterinary surgeon.  One of the greatest challenges, I believe, is taking each obstacle and learning as much as you can from it, while remembering that by doing so you are already a great vet.

For me, the toughest challenge was my severe head injury pre-vet school and another post-graduation which limited my memory and processing power. At first, it was incredibly debilitating, but over time I’ve adapted my learning style and developed new techniques to work around my short-term memory loss. The experience taught me not to be afraid of failing, you can always learn, redirect and keep going until you reach your goals.

Proud moments

My proudest achievement to date has been receiving messages from two farmers who told me not only that I’d helped their businesses grow and their herd health thrive, but also that my presence on farm gave them the confidence to turn things around and reap the rewards. Knowing I played a part in that means more to me than they will ever realise.

Advice for aspiring vets

Remember, veterinary medicine is an opportunity for unchecked learning. No matter how many challenges are thrown your way, you can gain advice from all those around you to help you develop as a person. From my experience, it’s the best career in the world.

Becoming a Young Vet of the Year finalist

To be nominated for BVA Young Vet of the Year is an incredible honour. I never imagined I would be shortlisted, let alone named a finalist, and I’m truly humbled by the recognition.