From Sole Vet to Medivet: Jan on Ultrasound, Growth and Retiring at 53
From Under The Fur · 00:44:27
Show by Vanessa Waite
Jan came to the UK from South Africa in 1989 intending to stay for six months. His first job, as the sole vet in Whitley Bay, meant facing unfamiliar cases with very little backup, and it gave him the confidence to take on things he had never done before.After postgraduate study back in South Africa ended in redundancy, Jan returned to the UK and moved into ultrasound. He and his friend Joram spent £36,000 on a former demonstration machine. That led to scanning work at Medivet, then a practice of their own in Richmond built around new technology, and eventually a decision to join Medivet. By the time they exited in 2021, the group had more than 340 branches.Jan talks to Vanessa about wanting to be his own boss, learning keyhole surgery, redesigning Medivet during COVID and how a retinal detachment moved him away from clinical work. He also explains why, having retired at 53, he doesn’t miss it.
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