VMG - Veterinary Management Group

01/09/2026

What is the VMG? And could it help you? 🐾

Leadership in veterinary practice can sometimes feel like being handed responsibilities and being expected to know exactly what to do next.

Whether you’re a practice manager, a vet, head nurse, senior receptionist, aspiring leader, or simply someone who wants to develop their leadership skills - you don’t have to figure it all out on your own.

That’s where the Veterinary Management Group (VMG) comes in.

ℹRepresentation
Your voice matters and we represent our members at a national level, advocating for positive change and progress that benefits you, your colleagues, and your practice.

💬 A place to connect
Meet others who understand the realities of veterinary leadership, share experiences, ask questions and learn from each other.

📚 A place to learn
From Microbursts, ShareSPACE, practical resources and CPD to our leadership education pathways, VMG helps you build the knowledge, skills and confidence to lead effectively.

🤝 A place to feel supported
Leadership isn’t always easy. VMG provides a community where you can explore challenges, learn from different perspectives and know that others have been there too.

🌱 A place to grow
Whether you're taking your first steps into leadership or developing an established career, there are opportunities to keep learning and progressing.

🎓 From iVLM through to CVLM and DVLM qualifications, our educational pathways are designed to support leadership development at different stages of your career.

And it’s not just about qualifications.

It’s about becoming a better leader, understanding yourself and others, building stronger teams and creating veterinary workplaces where people can thrive.

Because great veterinary leadership doesn’t happen in isolation.

It happens when we learn, connect, challenge, support and grow together.

That’s VMG.

If you’re wondering whether VMG is for you, the answer is simple:

If you’re involved in leading people in veterinary practice, or want to be, there’s a place for you here. 💙

ℹ https://vetmg.com/

31/08/2026

✨ VMG Spotlight is a space to recognise the inspiring people in the VMG. Today, we introduce Georgina Miller RVN CVLM to find out more about how the CVLM has helped prepare her for a move into leadership.

"I have always known that there would come a stage in my life when veterinary nursing might no longer be something I could do indefinitely. I wanted to learn how to better support teams and individuals, particularly the newer generation joining the veterinary industry because of their passion for working with animals, and ultimately move into management myself one day."

ℹRead Georgina's story here: https://bit.ly/4hRZdzR

27/08/2026

Focus on: Associate Membership

🌍We are proud to support and inspire veterinary leaders worldwide and our Associate Membership is for those who are not yet in formal management roles.

Your Associate Membership gives you:
‼️VMG Professional Development Credit – £50 VMG PD voucher which can be used against our CVLM and DVLM qualifications and any of our standalone CPD courses.‼️
➡️A post nominal asset – AVMG – Associate Member of the Veterinary Management Group
➡️VMG Congress Member Discount
➡️Associate Member Discussion Group
➡️Reciprocal mentoring opportunities
➡️Webinars & Microbursts – including access to our entire library of previous webinars and microburst sessions
➡️Monthly e-news – with industry news, support and special offers from our partners
➡️Facebook community
➡️Access to the entire library of resources and toolkits designed to help veterinary leaders in practice
➡️Being a part of the VMG community, a prominent voice in the veterinary leadership sphere

‼️Associate Membership is just £99 and includes a £50 Personal Development Voucher!‼️

➡Discover your VMG membership today: https://vetmg.com/vmg-membership/

26/08/2026

🎓 VMG Certificate and Diploma Pathways

Are you thinking about developing your leadership and management skills but not sure which is right for you? Our VMG qualifications offer a flexible way to build your knowledge and progress your career.

❓What is the difference between the Certificate in Veterinary Leadership & Management (CVLM), and the Diploma in Veterinary Leadership & Management (DVLM)?

📘 Certificate (CVLM)
Complete 4 modules:
A1: Understanding Yourself as a Leader
C1: Understanding Your Organisation
Plus 2 modules of your choice from the C list (available on the website)

🎓 Diploma (DVLM)
Complete 8 modules:
Your 4 Certificate modules (as above)
Plus 4 further modules from the C or D lists (available on the website)

✨ Flexible learning, designed around you and your career.

If you're not sure which modules are right for your pathway, then our team is happy to help you explore your options.

ℹDiscover more here: https://vetmg.com/qualifications/cvlm/

23/08/2026

Change is inevitable. Leading it well is a skill.

Change can be exciting. It can also be challenging, uncomfortable and, when not managed well, unsettling for your team.

So how do you move beyond simply managing change to becoming the leader who helps your team embrace it?

Our Leading Change in the Veterinary Workplace CPD module is designed to give veterinary leaders the practical tools and knowledge to lead meaningful change with greater confidence.

💡 Explore how to:
• Create a culture that encourages innovation and improvement
• Help your team contribute ideas and embrace creativity
• Map stakeholders and understand the people affected by change
• Evaluate opportunities and manage risk
• Make more effective, informed decisions
• Create, implement and monitor a change management plan
• Understand the human and financial factors that can influence change

This is 25 hours of online CPD, combining preparatory work, recorded webinars, self-directed learning and practical exercises – so you can take what you learn and apply it in your own veterinary workplace.

Whether you're introducing a new way of working, developing your team, improving processes or navigating a bigger organisational transformation, great leadership can make the difference between change happening to people and change happening with them.

💡Explore the VMG CPD courses, and take the next step in your leadership journey: https://vetmg.com/cpd-calendar/

23/08/2026

Difficult conversations are an unavoidable part of veterinary leadership, but they don’t have to become confrontational.

Join Chris White for Leading Difficult Conversations in a Time of Rising Expectations, part of our partnership with VMG - Veterinary Management Group.

📅 30th September 2026
⏰ 12:30pm BST

Get the sign up link on one original post ⬇️

Difficult conversations are an unavoidable part of veterinary leadership, but they don’t have to become confrontational.

Join Chris White for Leading Difficult Conversations in a Time of Rising Expectations, part of our partnership with VMG - Veterinary Management Group.

📅 30th September 2026
⏰ 12:30pm BST

This practical session will explore how to navigate challenging conversations around treatment, costs, complaints and service limitations — while communicating with empathy, confidence and clear boundaries.

You’ll learn how to:

🐾 Recognise the emotional triggers behind difficult conversations
💬 Communicate treatment options, pricing and limitations clearly
🤝 Respond to complaints with empathy while maintaining boundaries
👥 Create a more consistent approach across your team
💚 Support colleagues following emotionally demanding interactions

And the best part? The webinar is completely free to attend live, with on-demand access available to The Webinar Vet and VMG members.

A great opportunity to experience the quality of our CPD while gaining practical tools you can use in practice.

Save your seat today: https://thewebinarvet.com/webinars/leading-difficult-conversations-in-a-time-of-rising-expectations?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=vmg-300926

22/08/2026

VMG Microbursts: concise, practical online learning for veterinary leaders 💡

Join us for two upcoming sessions exploring important issues facing veterinary leaders and teams:

💙 Su***de Prevention: RCVS Standards and Support for Practice Leaders

📅 25 August
🕛 12.00
⏱️ 20 minutes + Q&A
🎙️ Dr Alice Duvernois BVetMed MRCVS

Explore the new PSS Su***de Prevention Standard, what it means for veterinary practices, and the new RCVS resources available to support practice leaders. The session will also cover simple, practical ways to meet the standard in everyday practice.

💡 Sustainable Veterinary Retention – Challenging the Status Quo

📅 17 September
🕛 12.00
⏱️ 20 minutes + Q&A
🎙️ Dr Bethan Gray BVetMed CVLM MRCVS

Discover how leaders can turn poor retention into proactive, actionable change, challenge traditional approaches, create unique toolkits and help optimise sustainable veterinary careers within practice.

With CMA and VSA reform creating a pivotal moment for change, this is an opportunity to rethink how we approach the retention challenge and create a more positive narrative for veterinary careers.

Whether you’re an experienced practice leader, stepping into leadership for the first time, or looking to strengthen your leadership toolkit, these short sessions are designed to give you practical insight you can take straight back into practice.

💷 Both sessions are free
🔗 Sign up here: https://vetmg.com/vmg-microburst/

20/08/2026

🎙️Handling tricky HR Issues in veterinary practice: From recruitment to conflict management

ℹRecruitment and retention. Flexible working. Performance concerns. Team conflict. Difficult conversations.

For veterinary leaders and managers, navigating the people side of practice can sometimes feel just as challenging as the clinical side, but handling people issues doesn’t have to feel overwhelming.

🎙️ In this podcast from Citation Ltd, Adrian Brine, Partnership Manager at Citation, is joined by:

🔹 Emma McGrath, Professional Support Solicitor at Citation
🔹 Chris White, Operations & Development Director and Board Chair at VMG
🔹 Steven Goodear, SPVS Board Member and Practice Owner at Black Sheep Vets

Together, they explore some of the real HR challenges facing veterinary practices and, importantly, how to tackle them without overcomplicating things or creating unnecessary bureaucracy.

From recruiting and retaining great people to managing performance, flexible working and conflict, the conversation is packed with practical advice for creating teams where people can communicate openly, feel supported and want to stay.

Because good HR isn’t just about policies and processes. It’s about people, communication and consistent leadership.

🎧 Listen to ‘Handling tricky HR issues in veterinary practice: From recruitment to conflict management’ here: https://tinyurl.com/y9b2mys9

18/08/2026

🎉 Great things happen when the right people come together!

We’re thrilled to announce that VMG is partnering with The Webinar Vet to create even more opportunities for veterinary leaders, practice managers and teams to learn, connect and develop.

We know that leading in veterinary practice comes with plenty of challenges and that having access to relevant, practical learning can make all the difference.

That’s why, throughout the year, we’ll be working alongside The Webinar Vet to bring you a series of exclusive webinars, chaired by VMG representatives and focused on the issues that matter to veterinary leaders right now.

From leadership and management to navigating the wider challenges facing our profession, these sessions will be designed to give you practical insight, ideas and tools you can take back into your own workplace.

And this is just the beginning…

📅 Our first webinar will be going live in September.

🎓 The webinars will be free for the whole veterinary profession, with on-demand access available to VMG and The Webinar Vet members.

🤝 We’re also delighted that The Webinar Vet is joining us as a Premier Company Partner of VMG and Platinum Sponsor of VMG Congress 2027.

For us, this partnership is about making great learning more accessible and creating spaces where veterinary leaders can gain knowledge, explore new ideas and feel supported in their roles.

We can’t wait to see where this partnership takes us – and, most importantly, what we can achieve together for the veterinary community. 💙

ℹRead more about the first webinar here: https://bit.ly/4wzfWLM

14/08/2026

Top Time Management Tips for Time-Poor Veterinary Leaders

Andrew Whitfield-Roberts, Head Nurse at White Cross St Helens, and Vice President of the VMG, shares his tips.

1. Prioritise Impact Over Urgency
Not every "urgent" issue is important. Start each day by identifying the three tasks that will have the greatest impact on your team, clients, or practice. Complete these before getting pulled into emails and interruptions.

2. Delegate with Confidence
If someone else can do a task to 80–90% of your standard, delegate it. Empower nurses, practice managers, and senior team members to take ownership of routine decisions, freeing you to focus on leadership.

3. Time Block Your Diary
Protect dedicated blocks of time for leadership work, strategic planning, and one-to-one conversations. Treat these appointments with the same importance as clinical consultations. I also colour code these blocks depending on the importance of the task

4. Avoid Becoming the Practice Firefighter
Constantly solving every problem creates dependency. Instead of giving answers, ask your team:
"What do you think the best solution is?"
This develops confidence and reduces future interruptions.

5. Batch Similar Tasks Together
Group emails, phone calls, approvals, and administrative work into scheduled sessions rather than switching between tasks throughout the day. Batching improves focus and reduces mental fatigue. I do two inbox checks a day and reply at that point rather than checking all day multiple times

6. Build Decision-Making Systems
Create clear protocols and standard operating procedures for recurring situations. Every decision that doesn't need to come to you saves valuable leadership time.

7. Schedule Thinking Time
Leadership isn't just about doing -it's about thinking. Block out at least 30 minutes each week for reflection, planning, and reviewing practice performance.

8. Protect Your Energy
Time management is really energy management. Prioritise breaks, hydration, exercise, and adequate sleep. A tired leader makes slower decisions and has less capacity to support their team.

9. Learn to Say No
Every "yes" is a commitment of your time. Before agreeing to a new project or request, ask:
"Does this align with our priorities?"
If not, politely decline or defer it.

10. Finish Each Day with a Plan
Spend five minutes before leaving work identifying tomorrow's priorities. Starting the next day with clarity reduces stress and helps you hit the ground running.

ℹLooking for more practical support? Join the VMG: https://vetmg.com/