It just feels like home
How a chance locum placement turned into a directorship
Hi, I’m Lyndsay Hughes, and I’m a director at Drove Vets.
My route into veterinary nursing wasn’t straightforward, and there were times along the way when I wasn’t sure where my career was heading.
But from the moment I walked through the door at Drove, I felt something different – a place where progression is genuinely supported and where you’re valued as a person, not just as a pair of hands.
I’ve gone from locum nurse to director, served as president of the British Veterinary Nursing Association, and I’m now helping to shape the future of this practice. None of that felt inevitable when I started – but Drove has a way of believing in people.
If you’re a vet, nurse or support team member looking for somewhere to grow, I couldn’t recommend Drove highly enough.
Check out our vacancies here, or get in touch with the team here for an informal chat.
Or read on below to find out more about my journey!
From locum to lead – and I wasn't expecting either
I always knew I wanted to work with animals. After trying a few different paths, I found my way into veterinary nursing and haven’t looked back since – though the road had its twists.
By the time I was ready to locum, I wanted to explore what was out there. Hospitals, referral work, different environments. Drove was my first placement.
Within a couple of weeks, I was offered a lead medical nurse role. Medicine was an area I was really passionate about, and it felt like an opportunity I couldn’t turn down.
What struck me immediately was how Drove handled the practicalities of life.
When I came to them with a personal situation before accepting the role, their response was simply: “No problem, we’ll support you.”
Coming from experiences elsewhere where that kind of flexibility didn’t exist, it genuinely took me by surprise. I remember thinking something somewhere was going to give – but it never did.
Drove just got on with accommodating people. And that set the tone for everything that followed.
How Drove support development and becoming a leader
As I settled into my role, it became clear that Drove’s support for development wasn’t just something they said – it was something they did.
I’ve always been someone who wants to understand the why, to look at how things could be done better and to be part of making that happen rather than just talking about it. Drove gave me the space and the responsibility to do exactly that.
When family circumstances meant I needed to step back and relocate, Drove didn’t just wish me well – they called me after eleven weeks and asked what they could do to make it work.
The flexibility they offered was extraordinary, and when I returned it was in a new role as operations manager.
That willingness to find a way has defined my time here. When I later came to the directors and said I needed a different working pattern to make things sustainable for my family, the response was: “Yes, and – by the way, would you like to join the directorship?”
I joined as a director in 2019. When COVID hit shortly afterwards, I moved fully into business operations and strategy while the other directors remained clinical – handling furloughing, client communications and figuring out how an independent veterinary practice navigates something entirely new.
It was a moment that really helped me find my footing within the directorship.
The BVNA and giving something back
During the first lockdown I applied for a position on the BVNA council.
I’m passionate about veterinary nursing, about progression and about making sure nurses are utilised to their full potential – so it felt like the right thing to do.
Drove have been phenomenal in supporting that.
When I was offered the role of president – a position I held for two years, with a third year as senior vice president – they could see the benefit, not just for me but for the practice.
The conversations you have at that level feed back into how we do things at Drove.
Every director here has something beyond the day-to-day that they’re involved in.
We’re all really supportive of each other’s interests and of giving each other the space to pursue them, clinical or otherwise.
What I'd say to anyone thinking about joining
It’s a workplace like no other – and I’ve worked in quite a few over the years.
I always describe it as feeling like home. Everybody knows everybody. You can be completely and utterly yourself, and if you’re a more private person, no one forces you to share anything you don’t want to share.
It just feels like a safe space where progression and development are genuinely, actively supported.
I came here for a locum placement and I’m now helping to lead the practice. That’s Drove.
Join us
Check out our vacancies here, or get in touch with the team here for an informal chat.
