Veterinary Surgeon, Entrepreneur
(Brighton, England)
Dr Dave Nicol
Dr. Dave Nicol is a graduate of Glasgow University Veterinary School in Scotland. His initial plan was to become a surgeon, but almost immediately he was drawn into general practice by the interaction with pet owners and the problem-solving opportunities that cropped up each day. At first, this meant finding and fixing animal problems but quickly it became clear that there were plenty of problems with how veterinary practices operated as well.
Fast-forward two decades and Dr. Dave has undertaken a massive amount of business training and research; building a reputation as a successful business leader within the veterinary industry. He has led large teams of vets to incorporate practices in Britain and has more recently owned, managed and successfully sold his veterinary hospitals in Australia.
Prior to relocating back to the UK, Dr. Dave worked as the Chief Veterinary Officer for Love That Pet, an Australian veterinary startup. He was responsible for leading the veterinary team and implementing the standard of clinical care across the group.
He set up the first new graduate general practice training internship in Australia and has committed to taking on and training a new graduate in each of the hospitals he has owned. He also runs an exclusive online mentoring group for new graduates who wish to rapidly accelerate their careers under his guidance. All the new graduates who have passed through his programs still work within the veterinary industry and many have gone on to become fantastic leaders in their various fields around the world.
Dr. Dave has authored three books, published hundreds of articles around the world, writes the weekly Hamster Wheel blog and produces the Blunt Dissection Podcast where he explores the anatomy of veterinary success by profiling top-class performers from all walks of veterinary life and beyond. It is his personal mission to help pets and people live happy, healthy lives by exploring the daily challenges we face, creating solutions to overcome those problems and helping those around him to grow.
Veterinary Surgeon, Entrepreneur
(Brighton, England)
Dr Dave Nicol
My motivation for writing this book is that I care deeply about our profession. Veterinary medicine has been good to me. I’ve had an amazing first two decades. I’m still in love with being a vet and I will never get bored while examining animals and having a conversation with the owner about their family life. For me, a large part of this job is about making friends and being an important part of someone’s life.
I want to help today’s new graduates deal with the challenges and pressures they will inevitably face. I hope to provide something that wasn’t available to me when I graduated, although it would have been massively helpful. Today’s graduates face financial stress, the fear of being sued and a whole bunch of other pressures. This state of affairs suggests we’re not looking after our next generation of veterinarians particularly well. With so many graduating schools each year, there’s a real challenge to even find a suitable job in the first place.
Think of this book as a foothold for new graduates who want to jump on this crazy ride called veterinary medicine. It’s intended as a guide to help you achieve your dreams, rather than burning out in a series of nightmares.
