Jess joined Derwent Valley Vets as a qualified Veterinary Care Assistant in 2026 with an ambition to train to become a Qualified Veterinary Nurse. She has already obtained her VCA qualification from the College of Animal Welfare and has completed an Access to Higher diploma in Land Based Animal Science from Nottingham Trent University.

Jess has worked in other veterinary practices before so she hit the ground running. She has worked in a small animal general practice in Leicester but has also spent some time working in emergency only practices in Northampton and Nottinghamshire alongside her studying.

Jess lives with her partner Matthew and her two ginger cats; Quin who is 3 and Flynn who is under a year. Both Quin and Flynn enjoy playing with bubbles and chasing each other around the house. They are both extremely demanding and vocal about food. Jess gets told just how hungry they are the minute she gets up from sitting down even if they have just been fed.

Jess really enjoys emergency and critical care work because of the variety and complexity of the cases. Supporting owner through what can be a stressful and emotional time is something she finds especially meaningful.  One of the most interesting cases she has worked on involved a dog which was consistently being sick. When the vets involved went into its’ tummy in February one year, they found a cocktail stick which had worked its way through the stomach wall. The owner was sure that the last time the dog could have got to a cocktail stick was at a Christmas buffet some 8 weeks previously.

Jess also loves working with cats. She loves everything about them, even the spicy ones.

When Jess is not at work or studying, she is a bit of an acrobat – she really enjoys going to aerial arts classes and working with apparatus such as hoops, silks and chains.