Guiding, Not Grinding: How Great Practices Develop Confident Graduates

The first year in practice should develop confident vets - not quietly burn them out.

Yet too often, new graduates enter practices with good intentions on both sides, only for support to slowly give way to pressure, overload, and survival mode.

In this 60-minute live webinar, Dr Dave Nicol explores why graduate struggles are less a resilience problem - and far more often a system problem.

Drawing on real stories, data, and years of leadership experience, this session will help practice leaders understand what graduates actually need in order to grow safely, contribute confidently, and stay in the profession long-term.

Together, we’ll explore:
✅ Why support systems fail even in well-meaning practices
✅ The hidden difference between mentorship and grinding
✅ What strong graduate onboarding actually looks like
✅ How better systems improve retention, confidence, and culture

Alongside the live session, you’ll receive the Guiding, Not Grinding Graduate On-Ramp Toolkit - a practical framework designed to help practices build safer, more intentional graduate development systems.

Inside the toolkit, you’ll learn how to:
✅ Assess whether your practice is truly ready to support a graduate
✅ Structure Year One as a deliberate learning journey
✅ Create staged progression without overwhelming new vets
✅ Strengthen mentorship, accountability, and psychological safety

This will help you create the conditions where graduates can become capable, resilient clinicians without losing themselves in the process.

Ready to join?

Join Dr Dave live and explore what it really takes to support new graduate vets without burning them out in the process.

👉 Reserve your place and join the live session
 💵 $45 / £34 – includes live access, lifetime replay, and the full Guiding, Not Grinding Graduate On-Ramp Toolkit
 📆 Tuesday, 26th May
 🕢 7:30pm BST | 2:30pm ET | 11:30am PT

Please note: there are two steps to registration. First, you’ll complete payment. After that, you’ll be taken to a second page where you’ll enter your details to officially register for the session.

It’s a slightly annoying system, but both steps are required to make sure you receive access and the replay.

If you have any problems registering, please reach out to: [email protected]

Can’t attend live? Full replay access is included.

About your instructor – Dr Dave Nicol

Dr Dave Nicol is a veterinary leadership expert with over 20 years’ experience running successful, values-led veterinary practices. He is the founder of the Veterinary Leadership Academy, author of So You’re A Vet… Now What?, and a globally recognised speaker on veterinary leadership, culture, and team development.

This session draws directly from years of coaching graduates and practice leaders, alongside the real-world systems explored in the Guiding, Not Grinding podcast series.

What leaders say about learning with Dr Dave

“Very funny, engaging, and charismatic. Information was extremely helpful and will be put into practice.”

“Engaging and educational. I left feeling empowered to do better.”

“Relevant information for the times. He truly makes learning interesting while presenting from vast experience.”