Small Animal Veterinary Surgeon

About the Role

You’ll be joining Acorn House, a 12-vet RCVS Accredited small animal hospital in the beautiful market town of Bedford, where surgery is at the heart of what the practice does. This is a role for an experienced vet with strong surgical confidence and a genuine passion for operating. You’ll manage a varied surgical caseload across first-opinion procedures, emergency cases like GDVs, and more advanced soft-tissue work including BOAS—all with excellent support and facilities at your fingertips.

The practice runs a carefully structured rota with set days and shifts: a 4-day week, one fixed day off, and just one Saturday shift (8-4:30) per month. Each week includes consulting, operating, and a late shift, with a support shift every two weeks. The support vet role (8:30-7, no booked appointments) ensures emergencies don’t pile up at the end of the day—meaning everyone actually leaves on time. Your on-call commitment is genuinely minimal: just one weeknight every two weeks and one weekend on-call every two months.

Acorn House provides its own out-of-hours service with a dedicated ECC RVN on-site 24/7, so you can easily take calls from home. Even better, the RVC handles phones from 11pm-8am, so your night shift is inpatient-only—usually meaning a proper sleep. A buddy system lets two vets share weeknight on-call shifts, making swaps straightforward.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform routine and emergency surgical procedures across soft tissue, orthopaedics, and emergency stabilisation (GDVs, etc.)
• Manage a busy and varied small animal caseload with confidence and clinical excellence
• Contribute to the practice’s teaching mission—the RVC places final-year veterinary students regularly, and you’ll have protected time to mentor them without compromising your own clinical work
• Engage with the practice’s culture of continuous learning and professional development
• Participate in weekly practice meetings and quarterly celebrations where the whole team shares ideas
• Develop specialist interests if desired—the practice has the caseload and facilities to support certificates and AVP pathways

Requirements

• Qualified veterinary surgeon (RCVS registered)
• Significant surgical experience and genuine confidence managing a diverse surgical caseload
• Ability to work independently but also collaboratively within a supportive team
• An interest in further development—whether pursuing certificates, advancing to AVP, or exploring specialist interests

Benefits

• Salary: £46,000–£68,000 (based on experience), plus out-of-hours bonus and additional supplements for certificate holders and AVPs
• Transparent salary banding with clear career progression
• Five weeks’ holiday plus bank holidays, with holiday increases linked to length of service
• Two paid personal days per year for unexpected events (unused days roll over to holiday)
• Professional development actively encouraged: certificates and AVP status funded; unlimited online CPD via RVC
• Professional fees covered: RCVS, VDS, and BSAVA memberships
• Enhanced maternity/paternity/adoption pay
• Weekly yoga classes
• Employee Assistance Program through BUPA
• Cycle to work scheme
• Visa sponsorship available

About the Practice

Acorn House is a 12-vet RCVS Accredited small animal hospital established in the heart of Bedford. Since 2018, it has been owned by the Royal Veterinary College and operates as a flagship first-opinion practice, regularly hosting RVC final-year students. The practice is an ISFM Gold Standard Cat-Friendly Clinic, Dogs Trust Dog-Friendly Clinic, and RWAF Gold Rabbit-Friendly Practice. It holds Bronze Investors in the Environment accreditation and is an RCVS-approved Graduate Development and Veterinary Nurse Training Practice.

The clinical team is genuinely experienced, with Advanced Practitioners in Dentistry and Zoological Medicine, and vets working towards certificates in Small Animal Medicine, Surgery, and Diagnostic Imaging. The nursing team is equally strong, led by a Head Nurse with an RCVS diploma in Advanced Veterinary Nursing (surgical) and an ECC certificate. Recent expansion has created three operating theatres, two dental suites, a new dog ward, and a dedicated surgical supplies room. Facilities include laparoscopic and orthopaedic kits, gastroscopy, bronchoscopy, digital dental radiography, and ultrasound. Practice Principal Rosie has led the team since joining as a new graduate in 1998 and is studying for a certificate in Feline Medicine.