Natalie's placement

A chance to shine leads to a job offer for a budding farm vet.

Natalie with a calf

Natalie caring for a sick calf at Castle Vets

Natalie caring for a sick calf at Castle Vets

Do you remember getting your first job after graduating from the RVC? Entering any profession can be challenging. But thanks to an EMS+ grant, Natalie could cover her EMS placement costs and gain the valuable experience she needed for her future career. She learnt and worked alongside staff at Castle Vets. So impressed were they by her potential, that they offered her a job. She'll start as their new farm vet in the summer.

Natalie's time at the Cornish practice grew her passion and expertise in farm animal medicine. Natalie helped the veterinary team with a busy lambing season and collaborated on a suspected outbreak of Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) at a local dairy farm. Plus, she treated a calf receiving round-the-clock care in the Farm Hospitalisation Unit. She tells us,

“I was quickly immersed in the team, getting familiar with their facilities and treatment options. It was a great opportunity to prepare myself for life as a new farm animal vet”

Helping sheep give birth

The lambing season brought farmers to the practice with their ewes. Castle Vets has surgical facilities and a new-born lamb intensive care ward which put Natalie in the perfect place to see challenging lambing cases. On average, she scrubbed into one caesarean a day, something which would have been impossible to simulate at the RVC. Natalie tells us the impact this had,


“I’m grateful for the breadth of surgical experience Castle Vets allowed me to participate in. I made surgical incisions, closed surgical sites and saw some really interesting deliveries. I can honestly say I feel more confident in my practical ability to deal with emergencies.”

Testing for BVD

Being interested in infectious herd-level disease, Natalie seized the opportunity to help with a suspected outbreak of BVD. As you may know, the disease can affect fertility, immunosuppression, decreased milk production and in acute cases lead to mortality – so devising a plan to identify any infected cows was important. Working with one of the directors at Castle Vets, Natalie helped devise a system to take tissue samples from 551 calves in just one day. Sample testing revealed that one calf had the disease. Natalie explains,

“Being involved in this herd infectious disease project allowed me to apply my logical reasoning skills. Efficiency was key to keeping the time and cost to a minimum. There was a worry that a positively infected calf could cause a rise in another infectious disease on the farm. I am pleased to say that the outcome resulted in decreased disease prevalence, and I feel privileged to have been a part of it.”

Delivering life-saving care

Natalie worked with the hospital’s intensive care team to help a scouring calf. It arrived in critical condition. Diarrhoea had led to a slower-than-normal heartbeat, low blood pressure and severe dehydration. Natalie helped to place the IV jugular fluid line so isotonic fluids could be run immediately upon the calf’s admission. She tells us,

“I admired the supervising vet’s perseverance and determination for this patient. Checks took place throughout the night and when I came back the next morning, the calf was up walking around, warm, and keen to drink milk. Without the vet’s intervention, this calf would have certainly not made it through the night and I can proudly say I was a part of this calf’s recovery.”

Thank you

Our alumni community know first-hand how life-changing EMS placements can be. This chance to start building a reputation and 'be seen', can open doors, just like it did for Natalie. She explains,

“Thanks to this placement I have met an amazing team and will be able to pursue my interest in farm animal medicine, in an area of the country I had never visited but now love! Without the EMS + grant I would never have been able to explore this opportunity, so I am forever grateful.”
A calf
TopBuilt with Shorthand