VetPartners has a culture of warmth and belonging, with diverse workplaces that enable our colleagues to feel supported and be themselves.
We recognise the many talents and skills our neurodivergent colleagues bring, and are committed to being an inclusive and diverse company.
Here, as we mark Neurodiversity Celebration Week, new graduate vet Ben Erentraut shares his experience of how he has been supported to thrive in his role….
EVEN though he was diagnosed as being neurodiverse at the age of nine, Ben Erentraut admits it took him many years to feel happy and comfortable being himself.
He was bullied at school and made to feel like an outsider and, as no one ever talked about autism while he was growing up, he was never able to find a role model for inspiration.
Now Ben, who is on the VetPartners Graduate Programme, not only feels he is developing as a vet at Chantry Vets in Wakefield, he is glad to have the opportunity to talk about neurodiversity so he can inspire others who may be struggling.
“I feel that I can come to the practice and be myself and my colleagues will offer mentorship rather than judgement,” he said.
“I used to struggle because I felt I had to act as a neurotypical person just to stay afloat in life, and that had an impact on my mental health.
“Now I am able to just be myself and the support I’ve received from both Chantry and VetPartners has been so helpful.”
One of the VetPartners resources Ben recommends is the neurodiversity playlist on Hemsley Fraser here: https://vetpartnershfhub.5app.com/dashboard/playlists/122522
One of the other invaluable tools has been the Graduate Programme’s CPD on communication skills.
Having so much support at his disposal is quite a contrast to his life growing up and his earlier career experience when he left his first practice within three months of graduating from Surrey University as he felt unable to cope.
“There seems to be so much misunderstanding about autism,” he said.
“I grew up as an introvert, keeping myself to myself as I struggled making friends. My school picked up on it quickly but they didn’t look closely into it.
“When I was nine, my parents split up and we went to live with my grandparents, which was a big disruption to my life. I was obsessed with animals, nature and science, which set me apart from other children.
“I remember going to our local GP and seeing a picture of a Tiger Shark on his consult room wall and casually commenting how they regurgitate their own stomach when pulled out of the water. He looked at my mum and said he thought we should have me tested for autism.
“Of course, at the age of nine, I was far too young to understand the ramifications. People didn’t understand about neurodiversity. My brain is wired up in a very different way, and I used to get wound up by others and frustrated very quickly.”
Far from being disillusioned when his first veterinary role didn’t work out as he had hoped, Ben is thriving at Chantry Vets.
He works at their new hospital in Brindley Way in Wakefield, and hopes to specialise in pathology one day.
“The team at Chantry give me so much support and allow me to develop at my own pace,” he said.
“As a student I was better at the theory than the practical side. I could remember dose rates and diagnostic tests, but needed more support and mentorship on the practical side.
“It has been great to develop in areas I’m interested in and it has been a great learning opportunity to work with so many certificate holders at Chantry.
“They are nurturing a neurodiverse vet. I’ve been able to have mentorship with communication as I struggle with soft consulting skills. They have put a lot of time and effort into helping me with consults and there is some very good CPD available on the Graduate Programme. I have all the support I need to do my job.
“I am not expected to fit into a box. They are taking my measurements before they build the box.”
For media enquiries, please contact Amanda Little, VetPartners PR and Communications Director. Email amanda.little@vetpartners.co.uk