Ellie's passion for cats and animals in general led her to take a job as a receptionist at The Neighbourhood Vet practice in South London.
With a degree in advertising, her career had seemed set fair in a media agency where she handled marketing strategy and planning. But: "getting stressed out about media plans and social deadlines was not worth it," she states.
"I knew then that I wanted to be a Registered Veterinary Nurse but had no idea how to go about it."
Living around the corner from, and already being registered at, The Neighbourhood Vet, Ellie took the first step and applied for a receptionist position there.
"It was a brilliant way to get an idea of how the practice ran," she recalls. "Someone in the practice had trained at City and Islington College on a Lantra course and they recommended it, so I applied."
Now in her first year of a three-year apprenticeship in Veterinary Nursing, Ellie is well on the way to achieving her ambition. "On the course we’ve covered the legalities in nursing, regulations on the treatment of animals and generic knowledge," she explains.
"We have also covered ectoparasites, endoparasites and how to diagnose and treat them - there are so many more cases cropping up. An end-of-term multiple choice test for each unit is given and includes four to five modules worth of questions.
"There is also an assignment set, which asks your opinion on the appropriate way to act as a Registered Veterinary Nurse in potential situations, such as docking puppies’ tails," Ellie adds.
"So far in term two, the modules are about animals' musculoskeletal systems, plus tests you can do with urine, faecal and blood samples and the different apparatus you can use within the lab.
"The course is ideally structured," she continues. "The tests identify your strengths and weaknesses so that you can improve on the aspects you need to throughout the year."
Ellie's working week starts with her day a week in college on Mondays - another benefit for her, she says. "It's a long day but I love the classroom discussions and interactions. Also, I can spend the rest of the week looking over and reflecting on what we covered."
For the rest of week, she involves herself in the daily tasks of veterinary work as a Student Veterinary Nurse. "My practice is so supportive," she says, "and I'm learning all the time."
Pet care is a 24/7 service, which Ellie is immersing herself in - under the expert supervision of those around her. "I'm on duty Sundays sometimes in the hospital wards, tending to the patients before and after surgery, monitoring their vital signs.
"At other times I'm in the lab, looking at bloods and their packed cell volumes or urine samples making sediment slides - all part of understanding the why's and wherefores of veterinary work. The practice rotates my roles, always ensuring I have time to do the basics."
Caring for animals can prove every bit as traumatic as caring for people, especially as they can’t tell you what’s wrong. How does Ellie cope with that in her workplace? "You have a level of stress in any job. I tend to overcompensate by totally preparing myself for the day ahead but some days there's a lot of pressure on us all. I validate that pressure - try to learn from stress - because it's patients' lives at stake."
Sports days and curry nights are other ways to counterbalance the demands of the day job, Ellie adds. "A chance to meet up with some of the 70 people who work in The Neighbourhood Vet's three practices [the other two are in Crofton Park and Penge]."
Starting out working life at 16 in a local garden centre, before moving into retailing and then marketing and advertising, Ellie had already developed "a good bedside manner and human skills" by the time she took up the receptionist's role in 2019 at the East Dulwich practice.
"Part of my course covers communication - how to be professional yet assertive with pet owners. They can get cross if they are anxious, but we have to realise they are not angry with us - it's an outlet for them and we have their pet’s wellbeing at heart. Everyone in the practice always tries to do their best."
The pandemic proved a particularly difficult time, Ellie recalls. "We had to change how we ran things and that could frustrate people who were unfamiliar with the new way of working.
"Dogs and cats are the practice's usual patients, with a couple of vets specialising in smaller pets such as guinea pigs, hamsters and rabbits.
"I'm an animal lover and have lived with them all my life, including a rescue cat Luna and another one from the practice, Chester. For me, the most rewarding part of the job is seeing patients and caring for them whilst they are with us for surgery or monitoring care. They can be with us for up to five days until they can travel home so the aftercare really matters."
There are the sad times to tackle too. "Being there when owners have to say goodbye is the worst part. The sadness of euthanising a patient is when your empathy and professional manner matters so much.”
"Then a few minutes later you have to put on a happy face when a puppy is given their second vaccination - blocking out the emotion of what's just happened before.”
"We're all good at that side of the care and will talk to each other to ease things if we need to. Everyone takes the emotion home with them though, as it sits on your mind."
Given the roller-coaster ride of practice life, the vets are a huge part of what makes it work, Ellie explains. "They deserve a medal. They’re exceptional with the work they do every day, but especially with emergencies and taking control of a situation so quickly and accurately."
In practice on a Saturday or Sunday morning, every third weekend still gives Ellie plenty of opportunity for a work/life balance. "I have the space to live outside veterinary nursing," she explains. "I like to meet up with friends or my boyfriend, go out for dinners, the cinema or exhibitions. Regular exercise or watching a good film helps me maintain a happy mind."
With the aspiration to achieve her ambition as a Registered Veterinary Nurse, Ellie is in a great place right now. "I'm so happy working in the practice - continuing to learn in what is my dream job."
My job in three words: "Rewarding, collaborative, spirited”.
Tutors can often inspire students to excel and those delivering Ellie's course are no exception, she says. "They explain things so well and seem to tailor everything for us perfectly, which makes it a joy to learn."
Ellie singles out course manager Dawn Platten for special praise. "Veterinary nursing is a hard subject to teach but Dawn knows exactly how to explain the content in a way that allows us to understand and apply the knowledge. She's a lovely person."
Perhaps most important of all in the learning equation is the dynamic between tutor and student, as Ellie states: "They respect us, and we respect them - a great equilibrium."
Find out more about Lantra's veterinary courses here, or if you'd to find out more about careers in Animal Career click here.