Veterinary Patient Care Assistant- Surgical Suite

If you are a current Linnaeus Associate, you will need to apply internally. In order to do this, please contact our Talent Acquisition team (details can be found via The Link) and someone will be in touch to discuss and progress your application.

Willows Veterinary Hospital and Referral Service are recruiting

We are looking for a motivated and enthusiastic individual with a strong interest in surgical practice to join our busy Surgical Clinical Support Team. You will play a key role in delivering exceptional patient care and supporting the smooth running of our state-of-the-art surgical suite.

This is an exciting opportunity to gain experience in surgical patient care while developing your technical knowledge and practical skills. You will be working as part of one of the largest and busiest surgical teams in the UK, where no two days are the same.

We do not require previous veterinary or clinical experience — full training and support will be provided. What matters most is your passion for caring for pets, your willingness to learn, and your desire to work within a surgical environment.

You will work under the direction of Registered Veterinary Nurses and Veterinary Surgeons, with responsibilities including:

• Supporting in-patients within the wards during weekends and bank holidays
• Assisting with the safe handling and restraint of surgical patients
• Assisting with preparation, sterilisation, and organisation of surgical instruments and equipment
• Maintaining high standards of theatre hygiene and infection control, including decontamination and scheduled cleaning procedures
• Taking pride in presentation, precision, and patient care throughout the surgical journey

This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who is passionate about starting a career in veterinary care, especially within surgery and anaesthesia. Many of our PCAs have progressed into Registered Veterinary Nurse training and specialist clinical roles.

• 5 weeks holiday + bank holidays + Birthday Leave
• External CPD funded
• Extensive free online Linnaeus CPD programme
• Career progression opportunities, including support into Nursing
• Staff discount schemes
• Life Assurance
• Enhanced sickness pay
• Enhanced equal family leave
• E-car salary sacrifice scheme
• Employer contribution pension scheme

Wellbeing Support:

• Employee Assistance Programme
• Eyecare voucher scheme
• Free annual Flu jab
• Cycle to work scheme
• Recruitment referral reward scheme.

Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service is one of the world's leading small animal referral hospitals and has been delivering the highest standards of patient care for over 30 years.

Our vision is to provide an unrivalled clinical, patient, client, and team experience recognised globally. Our values centre around caring for our patients, clients, our team, our referring vets, and the environment — working towards our mission of A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS.

We employ over 250 Associates working as part of a supportive multi-disciplinary team, including:

Orthopaedics | Neurology | Ophthalmology | Internal Medicine | Oncology | Soft Tissue Surgery | ECC | Anaesthesia | Diagnostic Imaging | Nutrition | Cardiology | Dermatology | Physiotherapy

We operate 24/7 with dedicated night teams to ensure excellent in-patient care. Our advanced facilities include:

• Siemens 64-slice CT & Siemens 1.5T MRI
• Two in-theatre mobile imaging intensifiers
• Two digital radiography suites
• Endoscopy, ultrasonography & electrodiagnostics
• Extensive cutting-edge surgical equipment

We are also a centre for teaching and CPD, supporting all Associates to grow and excel.

We are proud to be Linnaeus, part of Mars. Linnaeus is a forward-thinking group of highly respected primary care and specialist referral practices in the UK and Ireland. Being family owned and part of Mars Veterinary Health, the largest veterinary company in the world, allows us to focus on advancing the veterinary profession to provide industry-leading pet care and unique career opportunities for our people. Why Linnaeus? - We pride ourselves in offering high-quality excellence of service and clinical care for our clients and their pets - We lead on sustainability and collectively drive positive change for people, pets and the planet - We prioritise your mental health and wellbeing – valuing equity, diversity and inclusion - We support your personal and professional development with best-in-class career frameworks and training programmes. We will empower and support you to grow your career from day one. We team up within our Mars family in partnership for a stronger future. Linnaeus is an equal-opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment. We treat each other fairly and equitably and we are committed to fostering a culture that is inclusive and diverse for all our Associates. At Linnaeus, A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS starts with a better world for our people. If you would like to apply for this role, please click the Apply Button or for more information, please feel free to reach out directly to our Talent Acquisition team