Zara Kennedy, our Head of Veterinary Standards, was two thirds of the way through her latest running challenge when doubt began to creep in as she looked at what lay ahead. It was hardly surprising though – Zara was tackling the Arc of Attrition, a gruelling 80 kilometre event.

“It begins just outside Lands End and takes you along the stunning South West Coast Path in the middle of winter,” said mum-of-three Zara. “I was fresh enough halfway, but when I got to 50k I became really aware I still had 30k to go and I was arriving at checkpoints with only minutes to spare before cut offs. You need to have physical and mental toughness, and I was determined to get through it, which I did.”

A similar determination has driven Zara throughout her veterinary career. This year marks 15 years as a vet for Zara, a dozen of which have been spent with Vets Now. “I only lasted 10 months in first opinion before I realised that the routine just wasn’t for me and went into ECC in Liverpool,” she says. “I then moved down south with my husband soon after having our first child and I started with Vets Now in Salisbury. The flexibility was a big part of the appeal, and I initially did one night a week which fitted with being a new mum. I then upped my shifts before moving to Southampton as Principal Vet, then a District Vet.”

Taking up the role of Head of Veterinary Standards in 2021 allows Zara to work from home and balance work with being mum to her three boys aged 12, 10 and eight. Previously, though, the clinic shifts also facilitated family life.

Zara recently completed a Masters in Patient Safety and Clinical Human Factors, and the parallels with human medicine and the practices that can be introduced, are a major part of our new profession-leading Care Frameworks which Zara is involved in overseeing the roll-out and development of.

“They are new to the veterinary profession and such an exciting development to be involved with. As on the human side, they are frameworks on how to approach specific symptoms or disease processes, something IVC Evidensia spearheaded, and we’re proud to have developed emergency care frameworks at Vets Now.”

She added: “Our first is a seizure care framework. It brings together all the available evidence on seizures, and real-life experience, on which our patients will benefit most.”

Three others, also for the types of cases that regularly come into our emergency clinics, have since been released, with more to follow.

She added: “Where we’ve had visual cognitive aids, like treatment algorithms or drug sheets, they’ve been made very visible within the clinics, and the teams have really embraced sharing the pet owner information sheets that have been created. It’s all contributing to improved patient care.”

As on the human side, they are frameworks on how to approach specific symptoms or disease processes, something IVC Evidensia spearheaded, and we’re proud to have developed emergency care frameworks at Vets Now.

Zara Kennedy

While helping lead the implementation of the Care Frameworks, Zara is also helping shape the future direction of the wider veterinary world as an elected member of the RCVS Council.

Zara now serves as Chair of both the Advancement of the Professions Committee (APC) and the Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) as part of her role on the RCVS Council. “The RCVS plays a much broader role than simply regulating the profession. The APC is dedicated to developing initiatives that support and advance the veterinary professions, many of which are essential in addressing the challenges we face. Supporting the wellbeing of the profession is something I care deeply about.”

And, with the Council involved in important consultations, such as a new Veterinary Surgeons Act and making the professions more accessible, “it seemed like a critical moment to have a seat at the table.”

Being at the forefront of important changes within Vets Now and the profession, all while being a busy mum, would be enough of a commitment for most. However, running has long been a passion, not only offering physical benefits but also playing a key role in supporting Zara’s mental health.

Having run before she had kids, Zara took a decade-long break before getting back into it. Finding the time to stick to a training schedule is as big a challenge as putting in the hard miles, “I try to split it up during the week, as I don’t go out when it’s dark, and fit it around what the kids might have on at the weekends. So, if they have rugby or football practice a distance away then I’ll work around that, running there and maybe doing a 20k loop – which might mean setting off at 6am! I also do strength training and Hyrox events with my husband, Steve. We joke that it’s an extreme way to spend kid-free time together.”

With 50k and 100k events under her belt, and big challenges ahead in her professional world, Zara says there are shared lessons “Ultramarathons push you out of your comfort zone and you learn a lot about yourself and how much you can push when you hurt and you’re really tired. In ECC, you go through tired spells in a long and difficult shift, often navigating complex situations, so I think there are elements of my veterinary life that help spur me on when I’m doing long distances. It’s a different type of challenge, but when I’m racing, I’ve found I’m capable of doing more than I ever thought I was.”