At the end of last year BEVA completed the delivery of its inaugural return-to-work coaching scheme, “Back in the Saddle”. The scheme was launched with the aim of helping BEVA members navigate returning to work in the profession.
What is the Back in the Saddle scheme?
BEVA recognises the need for support during this transition, with numerous BEVA members reporting periods of feeling lost or adrift in their careers as life progresses, particularly following a career break. The Back in the Saddle coaching scheme was developed accordingly and is provided as a free membership benefit for those who are more than five years graduated.
The programme is delivered by a team of BEVA staff and council members who work or have worked in equine veterinary practice and who, therefore, understand the challenges faced and empathise with those returning to their veterinary careers following a break. All coaches leading the sessions have undergone extensive coaching training to support the facilitation of the online sessions over a six-month period.
Back in the Saddle recognises that career support and development is lifelong, not limited to the newly graduated era
This group coaching scheme follows on the back of the success of BEVA’s “Leg Up” coaching scheme, which is aimed at recent graduates (up to five years qualified). Back in the Saddle recognises that career support and development is lifelong, not limited to the newly graduated era. It provides solutions-focused coaching within a group environment. Participants attend monthly online sessions where they carry out development exercises, share their experiences, learn from others and explore the options available to them, in a workshop-style setting.
Community and solutions were the goals of the inaugural scheme. The intention was to give people the opportunity and time to consider what their challenges are, and what can they do, within the safe space of a group of experienced members of the equine profession that were feeling the same.
The scheme is an effective reminder that we are not alone in facing challenging times. While many of us may choose support from colleagues, friends and family during times of challenge, others might be more isolated or not feel comfortable having these types of discussions with such people. The independent network of support allows individuals the opportunity to focus time on themselves and their career pathway.
Benefits of professional coaching
Coaching may not be something that all of us have considered. Listening to others and understanding how they have approached challenges has an enlightening and broadening effect. It can allow us to take a step back, in effect holding up a mirror; using coaching questions and tools, it can guide a person through times of change, helping to develop healthier and constructive approaches.
We also hope to encourage members to utilise it in a pre-emptive way, enabling challenges to be navigated smoothly and changes to be seen as opportunities
While coaching can help individuals to get “back in the saddle” professionally in a fire-fighting situation, we also hope to encourage members to utilise it in a pre-emptive way, enabling challenges to be navigated smoothly and changes to be seen as opportunities.
Whether you feel the need for a change or are simply not clear where your career is going, coaching can provide support to help individuals develop a sustainable future within the profession rather than feeling the need to step away from it altogether.
The experience of receiving coaching ahead of returning to equine practice following the birth of my second child was a catalyst for me to improve coaching accessibility for other experienced members of the profession. As a co-founder of this scheme, I thought that if it can benefit me, how many others can it also benefit? A personal aim when I stood for BEVA Council election was to improve the support provided to the more experienced members of our association. Through this scheme, I would like to offer help to as many people as possible who have been in practice for a while and who may need support in their careers.
Many report wishing they had participated in coaching sooner. For me, it was like learning a new set of skills. Typically, members of our profession have busy lifestyles with many competing demands making it difficult to find enough hours in the day. I found prioritising time for coaching so beneficial. It is ingrained in many of us that continued professional development is focused on clinical or practical skills, or expansion of veterinary knowledge. Coaching helped me develop non-clinical skills, which have also spilled over into my wider life.
The course has helped me in all aspects of my life for which I am grateful to you all
Increased self-awareness is one of the positive effects of coaching. Thinking about how we “show up” in different situations can be considered against how we want to show up. As part of a veterinary team, this can have an important impact but it can also be an uncomfortable thing to look at. As high-achieving individuals, we might try to always be the best vet, parent, partner or director. During periods of transition or change, like following a career break, this can be a source of intense self-enforced pressure. Coaching can help by providing useful resources that participants can use in day-to-day activities to counter feelings of isolation and self-doubt and to enable feelings of confidence to return, supporting further development.
What have participants in the scheme said?
Feedback from the pioneering cohort has been overwhelmingly positive, with strong endorsements for course content, instructors and practical value. All participants agreed that the course provided practical strategies to approach veterinary practice with confidence.
I got a lot out of the peer support and networking in addition to the content
Many praised the peer support, networking and overall impact of the course on their professional and personal lives. In particular, one participant specifically expressed gratitude for the scheme helping them to choose to stay in the field as an equine vet when they may have not done so otherwise. The reported impact on careers was extremely satisfying with all participants agreeing that the course made them feel more positive about working as an equine vet.
It has taught me how supportive, compassionate and wise a group of fellow professionals can be
By reflecting on their career achievements, learned skills and professional needs in the context of their life as it is now, participants reported that they are better able to prioritise appropriately, create achievable goals and find their place in the profession again.
Final thoughts
The Back in the Saddle coaching scheme offers group coaching sessions for members wishing to evaluate their career paths, but there doesn’t need to be a particular “reason” to start coaching. BEVA will open applications to members for a second Back in the Saddle cohort in spring 2025, so watch this space!
