“The Leadership course modified my approach to working as part of a clinical team from the outset.”

Catriona Jenkinson graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in June 2021 and is now a practicing veterinary surgeon. She completed Postgraduate Diplomas in Clinical Education, Human Factors and Neuroscience and Clinical Leadership with Healthcare Skills Training International ahead of her first couple of years in GP practice at The Village Veterinary Group (CVS UK). Catriona will soon return to the Royal Veterinary College as an Intern, to gain the further essential knowledge, skills and experience ahead of sitting her Postgraduate Diploma in Veterinary Clinical Practice.

 Catriona says: ‘Many of the struggles that newly-qualified vets like me experience in day-to-day practice are due to non-clinical factors such as high-stress patient presentations and dealing with difficult clients. The three Postgraduate Diplomas I did with Healthcare Skills gave me the toolkit to manage these challenges more effectively. The Clinical Education course still helps me when I’m mentoring others and when explaining treatment plans to clients. Awareness of the human factors at play in a clinical setting strengthens my relationships both with clients and others in the veterinary team. The Leadership course modified my approach to working as part of a clinical team from the outset. Completing the courses early in my career highlighted the additional skills needed to achieve best patient and client outcomes. Learning these instantly transferable skills from the course faculty members was really valuable, coming at just the right time for me: at the start of my career.’