Course curriculum

    1. Guiding, Not Grinding: How Great Practices Develop Confident Graduate Vets

    2. Graduate On-Tamp Toolkit

    3. Guiding Not Grinding Quiz

About this course

  • $45.00
  • 3 lessons
  • 1 hour of video content

About this course

Without clear expectations, consistent coaching and the right level of challenge, graduates can quickly become overwhelmed, lose confidence, and begin to question whether they belong in the profession at all. The best practices take a different approach. They create environments where graduates feel supported without being sheltered, challenged without being crushed, and developed into capable clinicians who can thrive independently. In this webinar, Dr Dave Nicol shares the practical framework used by high-performing practices to help graduates build confidence, competence and resilience during the most important year of their veterinary career.

What You'll Learn

In 60 minutes, Dr Dave Nicol will show you how great practices turn nervous graduates into confident clinicians.

  • The two very different graduate journeys - and why one leads to confidence while the other leads to burnout

  • How to provide support without creating dependency

  • The leadership habits that accelerate confidence and clinical growth

  • Why psychological safety matters - and how to create it

  • How to structure feedback, coaching and development conversations

  • Practical strategies to improve graduate retention, engagement and performance

Meet your instructor

Founder & CEO Dr Dave Nicol

Dr. Dave Nicol is a veterinary leadership expert with over 20 years of experience running successful, values-led veterinary practices. He is the owner of Roundwood Vets and the founder and CEO of the Veterinary Leadership Academy, all built with culture, clarity, and sustainability at their core. Dave has coached hundreds of veterinary leaders around the world, written three books including So You’re A Vet… Now What?, and hosts two of the profession’s longest-running podcasts. He was voted VMX Practice Management Speaker of the Year in both 2019 and 2024.

What leaders say about learning with Dr. Dave

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

“Amazing speaker. Fun and informative all in one.”

“Absolutely fantastic speaker. Engaging and fun. Have loved all of his lectures!”