Meet Sophie:
Deciding to locum in 2012, a year after having qualified, was a daunting thought for me. My training practice, which I am still grateful for to this day, gave me very little opportunity to utilise or develop my nursing skills.
During the brief time I worked with a locum nurse at my training practice, I got to see her extensive range of nursing skills alongside her vast knowledge. I was highly inspired, but also slightly intimated… what a nurse! I thought.
Chrissy explained that locumming would be a great way for me to acquire skills that we nurses, so rightly so, should be undertaking daily in practice.
With the help of a locum recruitment agency, I secured an interview at one of Liverpool’s Peoples Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) hospitals, the UK’s leading vet charity.
During my interview, I was completely honest about my lack of nursing skills but explained I was hardworking and very keen to learn.
The same day, I was offered the position through the agency. I signed a full-time, temporary six-month contract, with the possibility of making the role permanent.
This is not your typical locum scenario but rather a temporary job scenario. However, I thought I would still share this experience, in case you face a similar process. I initially thought temporary and locum roles were the same but they aren’t.
When I decided to go travelling, in 2017, instead of taking a sabbatical from PDSA, I chose to leave.
My reason for doing this was that, when I would return to work, I truly wanted to experience life as a locum.
After having worked at PDSA for four years, I felt much more confident in my nursing abilities than in my training practice.
What attracted me to work as a locum were the following:
- Flexible working hours
- Picking my hourly rate
- Working in different practices and in different locations with different teams
- Learning new skills and deepening my knowledge
I contacted four locum recruitment agencies. The registration process was slightly different for each one.
Some requested that I upload my CV straight away, while others waited until I was interested in a job.
For two agencies, I completed a skills matrix (a list of skills you rate yourself on how competent you feel) online. The others simply questioned me over the phone.
This gave them a good understanding of the tasks I was or wasn’t comfortable carrying out in practice, for example, jugular sampling was an area I needed more practice in.
One asked me to provide them with two references in advance. Another wanted the references once I had secured a job and before I started work there.
In terms of payment method, luckily for me, my brother-in-law is an accountant and offered me advice and his services.
He recommended I go self-employed rather than setting up my own limited company (LTD), as I planned to locum only for a short period.
He repeatedly stressed the importance of putting away a certain percentage of my earnings each month, for when the time comes to declare tax.
With a week left to return home from travelling, I contacted an online agency to enquire about a practice they had advertised to me by e-mail. The agency asked me to send over my CV and enquired what my rate of pay was.
It took five days for the practice to request to book me and a further week to receive a booking confirmation e-mail from the agency. I was requested to reply, confirming the details were correct. It was a very smooth process.
I contacted the practice’s operations manager, and was put in touch with the clinic director at the branch I was to locum at. The clinic director then kindly e-mailed me to thank me for booking them and explained their shift patterns.
For my first locum job, it was a huge success! The team were lovely and very supportive of one another. The caseload was plentiful and varied.
I’m happy to admit that after almost seven months of travelling, I nailed my first intravenous catheter placement.
At the end of the working week, a member of staff signed my timesheet (days/hours worked).
The following Monday, I faxed it along with my invoice, directly to the practice’s finance department.
It roughly took a fortnight for the paperwork to be processed and the money paid into my bank account. The agency did not get involved with the payment.
I went straight into my next locum job after the weekend, but this time with a different locum agency.
After sending my CV to a recruitment consultant (Bob), I briefly spoke to him over the phone to discuss my current situation and preferences, which were:
- Local location (Merseyside, Lancashire and as far as Cheshire)
- Accommodation not necessary (I planned to stay local)
- No referral hospitals (too much out of my comfort zone)
- No out-of-hours (I wanted work-life balance)
- No sole charge (I like being part of a team)
- Two months initial period cover (in case the practice wasn’t for me)
I was aware that these preferences were subject to change if no steady work came through. But I had to be honest to prevent the agencies’ time from being wasted searching for work which would be ill-suited and therefore rejected.
The next day, Bob e-mailed over a potential job that ticked all of my boxes. The only issue was that this corporate company had a bad reputation from both staff and clients.
I, however, decided to judge for myself and accepted a two-month placement the following day.
A day later, I was contacted by the company’s nurse personnel assistant (Bonnie). Bonnie attached several documents for my information: health & safety induction checklist, staff handbook and vaccination and parasite protocol.
I had to complete and sign a personal details form and sign a letter of appointment which highlighted basic terms and conditions. I was also informed of my shifts for the following week.
The team was large with a mixture of experience and, as an added bonus, great fun to work with.
However, there were hardly any clients, so very little work to keep busy.
We treated more poorly strays than owned, poorly pets. Most days were spent clock-watching and praying for sick animals to be admitted!
On many occasions, if there were no operations or nurse clinics, I would spend the whole day cleaning out cupboards that I had just cleaned the previous week. I was utterly bored.
So after only two weeks of working there, I gave Bonnie my two-week notice via the phone. And I also informed Bob over e-mail.
Again, I went straight into my next locum job with a new agency. I had been in regular contact with this agency, in particular a recruitment consultant named Cleo, since the start of my locum work.
We managed to secure this job on the very same day.
The following day, I was requested to provide Cleo with two reference contacts before starting. Once satisfied, Cleo e-mailed over my shift times. I had no contact with the practice before starting.
I enjoyed working at this practice so much that, once my time was up, I agreed to work the odd day for them over the Christmas period. This was done directly with the practice’s line manager.
I initially planned to have Christmas off, but as they were in dire need and so nice, I felt obliged to help them out.
I worked a solid six months before taking a short break but this was my choice. All I can say is thank God for weekends.
Over the next six months, I secured three locum jobs without the help of an agency. I contacted and made all the arrangements with the practices myself.
For one month, I was working at two different practices. It was nice to not have the locum timesheets to fill out or chase the appropriate person for a signature.
My invoice, as usual, was passed to the finance department every week. I just had to make sure I was sending the correct invoice to the correct practice.
Towards the end of this six-month stint, I was practically working part-time. As lovely as it was, especially when the sun was shining, it wasn’t realistic. I needed money. At the time I was saving up for a mortgage as well as trying to have a life.
I got in touch with a practice partner who was keen to book me, but in the end, they could only offer me odd days out of the full month.
Interestingly, she asked if I could come in for two trial days, to make sure I fit in with the team and work to their standards. This was my first time experiencing such a request as a locum.
I instead went through an agency that got me a job at a referral hospital for the full two months. I would only be dealing with the first opinion side of things.
This was the only time an agency gave me a self-employed details form, so to invoice them directly. The agency required me to send a copy of a photo ID, which they insisted on being my passport.
To summarise my time working there… I didn’t even make it a full week. It was unnecessarily stressful.
For the rest of my time locumming, I independently went back to two of the previous practices I had worked at over the six months.
I also ended up working at the practice I had turned down before accepting the agency’s offer at the referral hospital. I popped in to say hello, rather than work the two trial days, as we were both in desperate need of one another.
As my time working as a locum was approaching one year, I came to a realisation: I wanted back in at PDSA. I had missed its large, supportive team, the high and varied caseload, and the clients.
I got in touch with the senior vet at one of Liverpool’s PDSA hospitals, and was told they were currently advertising for a temporary nurse.
After my interview, I accepted the job and bid farewell to my days as a locum vet nurse.
My tips for locumming as a vet nurse in the UK:
Have a professional e-mail address
Not only will it look more professional than your personal HoTTchick20k Hotmail account, but it will keep your work e-mails separate from your personal ones, preventing the former from potentially being missed.
Sign up with an agency vs contact clinics directly
I signed up with as many agencies as I could handle, just to guarantee a steady flow of e-mails with potential locum job offers.
Some agencies are in partnership with certain practices, so they get first dibs when cover is needed. With each agency, you are assigned one recruitment consultant for ease of communication.
I never planned on using a different agency for each locum job I secured. Each agency just so happened to e-mail me with a job at the right time.
And sometimes you have to be quick before the job gets snatched up!
A very simplified breakdown of the different ways to be paid:
Umbrella Company:
A separate company which acts as your ’employer’ and is responsible for invoicing the practice. Once they receive the money from the practice, they make tax deductions, take a fee and then give you the rest.
A little admin work is involved.
Limited Company:
An organisation that you set up to run your company and you have complete control of your financial affairs.
It involves more admin work: record keeping etc.
An accountant is highly recommended to guide and assist you.
Self-employed:
This is a less formal option than running a company.
You need to retain records and you are responsible for filing a self-assessment tax return every year.
Again, an accountant is highly recommended.
In 2021, I found myself locumming again but this time, I contacted clinics directly and secured a place with zero issues! It worked well and for nearly 2 years, I did
If I locummed again, I would repeat what I did above; buh-bye agencies!
Be organised
I bought myself a diary to use only for my locum bookings. On the back page, I was writing down the agencies I had signed up with and the name of the recruitment consultant I was in talks with.
Each day, I wrote the names of the practices I was working at and my shift times. This was especially handy when I worked at two different practices in the same week, and also as a reminder for when I filled out the invoice.
I had a folder containing all my locum timesheets and printed copies of my invoices. Each month I printed out my invoices to prevent a massive backlog from piling up.
Decide on an appropriate rate of pay
I charged £15-£16/hour during weekdays and £20/hour for weekends. The knowledge and practical nursing skills I developed during my time at PDSA, gave me the confidence to charge these rates.
Not one practice argued to lower my rate.
In 2020, I increased my rate to £20 during weekdays and £25 for weekends. Again, no one challenged that rate!
Be covered (The Veterinary Defence Society Limited (VDS))
Read the terms and conditions thoroughly so you understand what you are covered against. And if you’re unsure, e-mail them, like me.
Also, before starting at your locum job, check the practice’s policy to see if you are covered for anything.
Work checklist
Essentials:
- Stethoscope (label it yours)
- Name badge (nice for staff/clients to know your name instead of shouting “locum!”)
- A watch with a seconds hand
- Scissors
- Thermometer
- Calculator
- Plenty of pens including Sharpie pens!
- Notebook
- Tunic and scrubs (FYI, you can get tax relief for uniform maintenance)
- Fleece
- Plain, comfortable shoes
Optional:
- Mug (I used a mug my third locum practice bought me as a leaving present)
- Pouch (to keep all your bits and bobs safe and together)
- Noiseless portable clippers (this was very common at the PDSA)
- Nail clippers (various sizes)
- Tick removers (O’Tom come in multi-colours)
- Theatre cap and face mask (plenty of cute ones on Etsy!)
A summary of my rota and shift times
On every rota, I was mainly put in theatre. Some practices had me consulting and using their computer systems within the first week.
A handful of times I finished a late shift on my own (this included: cashing up, sending the order and locking up)
| Theatre | Consults | Reception | Kennels | |
| Practice #1 | YES | YES | NO | Included with theatre |
| Practice #2 | YES | Rarely | Late shift | Included with theatre |
| Practice #3 | YES | YES | YES | Included with theatre |
| Practice #4 | YES | Rarely | NO | Included with theatre |
Each week, my rota had a mixture of early and late shifts.
On average:
- Earlies: 08:00 – 1600 (with unpaid lunch)
- Lates: 10:00 – 1900 (with unpaid lunch)
I never once got lumbered with any shitty shifts.
Final word
My initial reasons for choosing to locum were certainly met. I can honestly say I had a great time and have no regrets.
Feel free to message me if you have any questions about working as a locum vet nurse.
Further posts…
Working at the PDSA as a Vet Nurse
The People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) is the UK’s leading veterinary charity, founded in 1917 by Maria Dicken. It provides free and low-cost treatments to animals whose owners are on benefits and live within the catchment area of…
A Vet Nurse Working as a Sales Representative in the UK
Meet Stella: I decided I wanted to work with animals after going home for lunch from working for a photo gallery and watching the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) animal rescue show back in…
A Vet Nurse Working in Oman
Sarah is a qualified registered veterinary nurse (RVN) for six years. She has been in practice for thirteen years and has experience in first opinion, emergency critical care (ECC) and referral nursing. Her particular interest is in surgical nursing.…
Veterinary Blog 