Hannah Jordan
Hannah Jordan
Vet School: Royal Veterinary College
Year of graduation: 2013
Home region: East Sussex & London
What did you aspire to do when you applied for vet school? I aspired to spite my awful careers adviser and become part of a profession with a wealth of opportunities. I hoped that if I joined a profession that allowed me to pursue a multitude of different directions that I would find it fulfilling.
What are you doing now? Currently, I am working in the House of Lords as an Intern to Lord Trees (one of two veterinary Peers). This is a role in Government between academia and science and those in policy - knowledge brokerage. I also volunteer and locus in small animal practice in my spare time, but I am still very green compared to those I graduated alongside.
What is your favourite thing about being a vet? My versatility.
What is the worst thing about being a vet? Almost every person you meet will at some point tell you that their [insert beloved pet here] was sick on [insert date] and expect you to know, without any further information, the reason why.
What has been the most memorable/interesting experience of your career so far? The most memorable experience of my career so far has been attending the State opening of Parliament and listening to the Queen's speech. The speech outlines the work of the Government for the year ahead and allows us to skim through the proposed Bills in order to determine what implications they might have for the profession and if they provide an opportunity for us to submit amendments to represent veterinary interests.
Do you have any future career goals? I would like to work in the food production industry and work to re-introduce the expertise and value of veterinary surgeons throughout the food chain from farm to fork. I hope that gaining some experience in industry may allow me to return to policy making at a later date with some useful experience under my belt.
If you could give one piece of advice to current vet students, what would it be? The modern veterinary degree marks you out as a problem solving, hard working individual that is capable of assimilating a huge amount of material. It assumes a number of professional and practical skills and requires you to be a great communicator. With these sorts of skills under your belt a vet is one of the most versatile creatures when it comes to employability - go out there and show them! You are categorically not limited to full time work in practice.