Graham's Biog - The long and the short of it!
The Short Version
Entered the Royal Veterinary College in 1979. Qualified in 1984. Entered small animal practice in North London. Moved to Park Veterinary Clinic, Chislehurst in 1986. Obtained the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Certificate in Veterinary Radiology in 1988. The Diploma in Veterinary Radiology in 1990. Was an examiner for the Certificate of Veterinary Radiology from 1994 to 1998 and chief examiner in 1999. During this period I actively developed my interests in small animal diagnostic imaging. Establishing the top imaging service in south-east London with facilities for advanced radiography, ultrasound and endoscopy that are now used by many of the veterinary practices in the area. The rapid expansion of the veterinary practice into a six clinic and hospital group practice has continued to offer new challenges. As has the addition of a young family in the last few years.
The photo since you ask, was taken on a warm summers afternoon at the Albert lock on the river Shannon in Ireland. The bemused smile and general dishevelled look is the effect of a local black brew taken to counteract the traumas of "driving" a boat for the first time.
The Loquacious Version
As a small boy, I desperately wanted to become a vet. This dream had been fuelled by the James Herriot stories that portrayed the rustic ideal of a varied and exciting veterinary life. Larger than life characters added to the anticipated excitement and frisson. Undoubtedly these images helped me maintain my resolve, as the sheer enormity of the challenge became apparent. To get into veterinary school you apparently needed examination results that Albert Einstein would have been proud of and a curriculum vita that a Nobel Peace Prize winner could just about match.
No one was more surprised than myself when the Royal Veterinary College offered me a place in 1979. The first step in fulfilling my dreams was under way. The next five years was a roller-coaster ride of university social life and demanding exams. Completing the last hurdle of finals I metamorphosed from student to veterinary surgeon. With me a new generation of vets were ready to take up the mantle of James Herriot.
While many of my contemporaries still went into mixed or large animal veterinary practice I headed for the small animal side. I had experienced my veterinary epiphany during the clinical years of college. Aside from the financial factors it was evident that exciting developments were taking place in the small animal field. A wealth of technological innovation was emerging out of the human medical field. This had initially trickled into the veterinary profession but as pet owners became better informed the demand for this technology turned from a trickle into a flood. I found this change was exciting and attractive. It seemed obvious that anyone who could harness this new technology and these skills would be in demand by employers and owners alike.
After a short stint in a north London small animal practice I moved south of the Thames during 1986 to join a forward thinking small animal practice, Park Veterinary Clinic in Chislehurst. It was here that I had my first opportunity to develop my skills in the rapidly developing field of veterinary diagnostic imaging. The main technology of this field had been radiology but veterinary medicine was starting to see the first ultrasound machines and endoscopes coming into use particularly in the veterinary colleges. The practice had a powerful x-ray machine and an automatic processor, which were far from common items in small animal practice at that time.
In 1987 I returned to Royal Veterinary College one day a week to study for the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Certificate in radiology. I was fortunate enough to be supervised by Dr Jerry Davies who was hugely enthusiastic about veterinary diagnostic imaging. That combined with his infamous sense of humour made post graduate study a joy and I obtained the certificate in 1988. I was then encouraged to continue and obtain the Diploma in veterinary radiology. This required working at the Royal Veterinary College four days a week and then two days a week at the practice to pay for it all. Still I got Sundays off - mostly. This all paid off in 1990 when I obtained the Diploma in Veterinary Radiology.
There had been a temptation to move full-time into academia but compared to private practice a college salary only promised financial hardship and the offer of a partnership sealed my destiny.
My remit was develop the veterinary facilities of the practice as it expanded in size and an increasing amount of "in house" referral work developed. The imaging side rapidly increased, as we were the only practice in the area with ultrasound and endoscopy facilities. At the same time, as an off shoot of the increased imaging work was a demand for provision of orthopaedic and spinal surgery facilities and skills. Areas of veterinary surgery that I had always been interested in.
The expansion of the practice continued through the nineties, to the point of where our main surgical facilities were simply no longer able to cope with the workload. A local authority's decision to make convenient client parking impossible compounded the issue and forced the relocation of our main practice premises. A large new site was found allowing a significant upgrading of all the facilities to hospital status.
During this time I had managed to continue to be actively involved with veterinary diagnostic imaging, in particular by being an examiner for the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Certificate in Veterinary Radiology for four years before becoming the chief examiner in 1999.
In 1999 retirement of my partner from Parkvets heralded another series of changes. Increasing administrative demands of a expanding group practice employing over sixty people was eroding my available clinical time and quality time with a young family. An administrative and management shake up has managed to resolve this problem (for the moment).
The development of a large veterinary practice and the meeting the changing expectations of the general public about the veterinary profession and the service that it is offering them remains a great challenge. The increasing prominence of the Internet in all our lives and the opportunities it offers veterinary practice to improve the service we give to our clients is a new and exciting area that I am increasingly involved with.
People occasionally ask me that if I had the time over again would I still have become a vet. The answer has to be an emphatic yes. The veterinary world of Alf White (the real James Herriot) may have gone. But despite that, I believe that the quintessence of the vet-client-pet relationship still remains and the job satisfaction that it gives, means that most vets don't regard it as a job but a way of life - just like James Herriot.
