Hi everyone,

I am looking for advice specifically from anyone who is currently a practice partner or in charge of recruiting in private practice. I graduated from RDSVS in Edinburgh in 2007, and since then i have been working in a 100% SA practice in Leeds. I am keen to move back up as Edinburgh it is my home town, but jobs are few and far between. There may be an opportunity arising for me to work as a NVS for a pharmaceutical company. What i really wanted to know is if i applied for a private practice job afterwards, would the fact that i had spent time working for a pharmaceutical company be seen as a strength or a weakness. I do not want to accept a position which may hinder me later down the line.
I would be interested to hear any comments on this.
Thanks,
Claire

Would be a definate weakness if you applied for a clinical position after having done a non clinical job, as experience is key especially in clinical work, as well as it would show that you may not be as passionate about clinical medicine, which is what keeps us going through long hours, difficult clients, night duty. Hope that gives some guidance.