It really will be the end of an era for us here at St Clair on Friday 30th October, as our popular Clinical Director Ian Paterson moves on to face a number of new challenges after nearly a quarter of a century with us! So before he says goodbye, we caught up with him to find out a bit more about his career as a vet and what he has planned.
How long have you worked in the veterinary industry and what made you choose it as a career?
I qualified from the University of Glasgow in 1989 and have worked in full time veterinary practice since then, with the last 24 years being at St Clair. I have always had an affiliation with pets and wildlife since a small child growing up in Glasgow and this only strengthened when I started seeing practice with various vets as a schoolboy.
What has been the standout highlight during your time at the practice?
The standout highlight was probably going up on stage to collect the Petplan Practice of the Year award in 2009, we were the first Scottish practice to win this coveted award and one which we are still very proud of today.
Along the same lines, what has been the best thing about working for St Clair?
The best thing about working at St Clair without a doubt is the team that have surrounded me for the last quarter of a century! Without their dedicated support the practice would never have grown from the four-vet business it was in 1996 to the multi-site venture it is now that employs over 50 people. There are a solid core of employees who have been at St Clair for over 20 years including vets, nurses, receptionists, our practice manager and auxiliary staff. Many of our nursing staff I have known since they were in school (primary school in some cases!) and have seen them grow with the practice, first obtaining their nursing qualifications and develop professionally, then often going on to start families and come back to work with us again as the children grew older. It has been a privilege to count many of my work colleagues as friends and I will be keeping in touch with many of them for years to come.
Can you recall what has been the most interesting case you have seen?
It was probably one that I didn’t see to be honest. Many moons ago our local SSPCA officer turned up at our reception desk clutching a Tupperware tub asking if one of our vets could have a look. I came through and asked what the problems was to which the officer responded that he’d rescued a tarantula from a house and wanted to know if it was malnourished. I was a quarter of a mile down the street before he’d finished his sentence…. not being known for my bravado with our eight-legged friends. Besides, how on earth can you tell if a spider is underweight?
What is it that you are going to miss the most?
I’m obviously going to miss the team at St Clair but I will also miss many of our wonderful clients who I have built up trusting relationships with over the years. I have treated the same family’s pets for almost 25 years and have also seen children with pets grow into responsible adults who continue to look after pets and enjoy their presence. I will definitely miss this continuity with people that comes with working in one locality for such a long time. I will also miss some of my favourite pets – many of whom I treat as if they were my own, I’m sure some owners felt I spent more of the consultation playing with their dog instead of diagnosing something useful…
Do you have any plans for after you leave?
I do indeed, I am not retiring from the profession but rather looking for a new challenge in this latter part of my career. I will be volunteering with the UK charity Streetvet who provide free veterinary care to the dogs of Britain’s homeless population. It is something I have always been interested in since the charity began several years ago but it was impossible to consider with being a full-time clinical director in a large busy veterinary practice. I have already signed up for some outreach sessions in Glasgow which start the week following my departure from St Clair. I have also been in contact with the UK based charity Worldwide Veterinary Service (WVS) and am planning a trip to their headquarters in India in February, COVID allowing. My role will be to assist in the surgical training of young vets who have graduated in the Indian subcontinent but have very little practical surgical skills. My particular area of interest in practice was always surgery, having achieved the RCVS Certificate in Small Animal Surgery, and so I am excited to learn if I can bring some personal experience to this very worthy organisation.
If you had to provide one piece of advice for anyone looking at becoming a vet, what would it be?
It would be simply to follow your dream but do not let it completely engulf you. I think it is crucially important to maintain a healthy balance between family, friends, travel, hobbies and career. There are too many tales of young vets burning out under the immense pressures that they put themselves under, and that are sometimes put upon them, and this is something that we all need to address. I have had a fantastic career as a vet, but this was only possible because I also put lots of my energy into the many other things in life that also make me happy.
We all wish you the best for your future Ian and thank you for all of your dedication and service to our practice!
