Meet an NAVP Member - Ariel Ward

Meet A Member | Ariel Ward
NAVP prides itself on the quality and professionalism of its members. All of our Veterinary Physiotherapists are passionate about working with animals, but they are also academically robust.
They must have a minimum of an undergraduate Honours degree in Veterinary Physiotherapy and commit to extensive CPD.
We want to showcase our members’ diversity, qualifications and expertise, so each month we will be profiling one of our Veterinary Physiotherapists.

Name
Ariel Ward
Qualifications
BSc (Hons) MSC Veterinary Physiotherapy
Affiliated Groups
Full NAVP member
What is your current role?
AW: At the moment I run my own business called Animal Alliance Veterinary Physiotherapy, which is a mobile veterinary physiotherapy service based in London. I build relationships with vet practices and then go in for around one day a week, to carry out any veterinary physiotherapy that’s required.
 
I've also just taken over as the referral expert for Veterinary Physiotherapy for the neighbourhood vet practices. There are three in Southeast London and I’m really looking forward to getting involved.​

Have you always loved working with animals?
AW: I always find this quite a difficult question to answer, because I can't pinpoint when or why. I’ve just always loved animals, being around them and learning about anything that involves them.
 
I would say my parents aren’t the most animal centred people, but I was lucky in that they always allowed me to have pets. They were even tolerant when I rescued a half dead pigeon as an eight-year-old!
 
I find working with animals a really rewarding and a peaceful sort of job. It teaches you a good level of patience. It also teaches you to communicate in quite unconventional ways because obviously an animal can’t tell you exactly what hurts and how they did the injury.
 
The other really rewarding part is the human interaction. Generally, when you go into people's homes to administer care to pets, you can see that unconditional love and companionship that exists and it's a really nice thing to be a part of.
 
I also find that when you give advice to pet owners, they listen and take it on board, because ultimately they want to do the best thing for their animals.

What pets do you have?
AW: I have got a dog called Cersei and two cats called Titan and Kitty. They all get on quite well. They have their own little personalities and are more like housemates than siblings. I’m now considering expanding and getting a horse!
What has your career path been?
AW: I've always known that I wanted to work with animals. When I was young, we had a fantastic vet who allowed me to shadow and was brilliant at explaining everything in real detail, so I originally considered going into veterinary medicine.
 
I eventually did some formal work experience and decided that, although I admire everything vets do, it was a bit clinical for me. I didn’t get to spend enough time with the animals and the owners.
 
I opted to do an animal science degree because it focuses more on domesticated animals, before actually realising that Veterinary Physiotherapy was becoming more widely used. I opted into doing a postgraduate Veterinary Physiotherapy degree, and I’ve never looked back.
 
I really enjoy the Veterinary Physiotherapy side of it because it allows you to work quite closely with the owners and the animals, and you have longer sessions. Currently, mine are about 50 minutes to an hour.
It also means that you've got a good, solid scientific backing to your work. Everything you do has to be evidence based so there's no there's no room for deviations.

What are your interests outside of work?
AW: I really enjoy yoga and I also do aerial hoop, which is one of the circus skills. I've recently taken up archery, and I absolutely love it!
 
Horse riding is also a passion of mine, I find it a really relaxing pastime so eventually I’d like to take it a step further and take up horseback archery - although I think I need to improve my aim first!
 
What do you like about being a member of NAVP?
AW: NAVP are well established and have been around for a long time. That affiliation gives a level of confidence and security that you don't get when you work completely alone.
 
In a growing industry where demand is increasing, NAVP membership is seen as a bit of a stamp of approval by vet practices. When people need my sort of service, being an NAVP member is an advocate for my expertise, and vets are immediately reassured that I am suitably qualified.

"being an NAVP member is an advocate for my expertise, and vets are immediately reassured that I am suitably qualified"

Also, when you work alone, it’s great to have a wide net of specialist knowledge to be able to tap into if you have a question about a particular case. The NAVP Facebook Group is a really safe space to do that.
 
Another big benefit of NAVP is how it keeps people accountable due to the compulsory ongoing CPD. If you’re doing that alone it can be expensive and time consuming and has the potential to slip off the radar. When you're part of an association it’s compulsory, so it means that you always have a push to make sure you're continuously learning.​