Veterinary Voices

This is part 2 of a 2 part series with Dr Ashley O'Driscoll, DVM, BSc. Dr O’Driscoll has worked in several New Zealand veterinary clinics – on both Islands - as a pet and farm animal veterinarian since moving here in 2010.  As you’ll pick up, Dr O’Driscoll has a strong interest in animal welfare – she started the Waikato’s first home euthanasia referral service for dogs in the Waikato – as we...

Dr O’Driscoll has worked in several New Zealand veterinary clinics – on both Islands - as a pet and farm animal veterinarian since moving here in 2010.  As you’ll pick up, Dr O’Driscoll has a strong interest in animal welfare – she started the Waikato’s first home euthanasia referral service for dogs in the Waikato – as well as working for MPI and the SPCA in animal welfare.  As well as being a la...

This VetStaff survey was run over four weeks - promoted via FB, Insta, LI and this podcast. Respondents were guaranteed anonymity.   However, if they wanted their clinic to go in the draw to win lunch they needed to complete contact info so we could organise the delivery if their name was pulled out of the hat. Fifteen respondents chose to remain totally anonymous.   Random lucky dip draw from all...

VetStaff does more than flick job seekers' CV onto vet clinics like their competitors - who then leave the job seeker to negotiate everything for themselves.   VetStaff helps clinics with reputation misinformation - for example the false rumour of CCTVs in restrooms! Case Study #1 6-month new grad looking for her second job VetStaff were given five days to organise a job interview in four day...

If you’re a recent or new vet science graduate of Massey University then regardless of where you’re working in New Zealand, you’ve probably heard of, or met, Krispin as he’s been quite involved with Massey’s MMI for vet students over the years.   MMI is part of the Massey BVSc pre-selection programme – they’re the 8 Multi Mini Interviews potential vet science students go through.    Krispin’s been...

Dr Karli Houston is a marathon running, fundraising, companion animal veterinarian.   Karli was born in the US to two kiwi parents.  Karli has a raft of qualifications behind her … she studied biology and theatre arts at the Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania, then Human Nutrition at the University of Maryland before moving to Palmerston North and to complete her Bachelor of Veterinary Science at...

Being interviewed for your first job straight out of vet school and university isn’t the same as being interviewed for your second or third job.    Here’re 11 questions for new grads to ask at your first job interview and for clinics to think about when they’re interviewing new grads.   These 11 questions apply pretty equally to vets, nurses and techs. Get yourself an agent to represent you Someon...

At job interviewers, hiring managers / interviewers usually ask "do you have any questions you'd like to ask?". Many people mumble something like "you've answered all my questions" [which may be true] or "no - no questions". Here are 15 questions across three top level subjects to help job-seekers level out the balance of interviewing "power" that...

When someone asks you to “tell me about a time when …..” this is where the STAR methodology kicks in.    S ituation T ask A ction R esult Everyone dreads the "tell me about a time when you................." type interview questions because they usually don't know how to answer and/or aren't sure what the interviewer is looking for. This episode answers both of those questions a...

9 behaviour focussed job interview questions that job seekers roll their eyes at, and interviewers feel they must ask.   One vet told me a couple of years’ back that she declined a job because she didn’t like the soft and fluffy questions “someone from HR” asked her.  In the vet’s opinion the questions she was asked did nothing to prove or disprove she was a good vet.  Which is a fair comment. How...

Veterinarian Dr Helen Beattie on: life after Chief Veterinary Officer at the New Zealand Veterinary Association   Veterinarians for Animal Welfare Aotearoa - VAWA some of the amazing opportunities Helen experienced as CVO NZVA some more of the amazing people Helen worked with as CVO NZVA what's next and where to from here Part 3 of the three part series getting to know Dr Helen Beattie now th...

Veterinarian Dr Helen Beattie on: Conflict, Tension & Moral Distress Books Helen's reading and recommends Inspiration & aspirational parenting + a bit of philosophical discussion Part 2 of a multi-part series getting to know Dr Helen Beattie before she became known to New Zealand's veterinarians in her role as Chief Veterinary Officer at the New Zealand Veterinary Association. Pa...

Dr Helen Beattie grew up on a South Island Central High Country station before going to Massey University.   Her veterinary career started off in a mixed animal clinic in North Otago. Helen’s OE included working on the UKs foot and mouth response in the UK.  From there she came home to Godzone and bought a companion animal clinic in Dunedin. From clinic ownership Helen ventured into teaching vet n...

This week we’re looking at what vet clinics need to do to navigate Phase 2 of Omicron, what payment options you have for employees who get sick and then a lesson I had last week which, as Shania Twain would say – didn’t impress me much! At 11:59pm on Tuesday 15 February NZ officially moved into Phase 2 of the Omicron Response framework. In short, this means that positive cases need to self-isolate...

How  NZ vet clinics and overseas qualified vets are impacted  In real terms, what difference does this make?   In some cases, it’s going to make a HUGE difference, in others, not-so much. What was MIQ – which those clinics fortunate enough to have vets enter NZ over the last 18 months or so – had the pleasure – she says, in air quotes, of footing the bill for that – well that’s still going to happ...

So far, we’ve looked at the cost of employee turnover – episode 64 – how to lower the cost of churn – employee turnover by starting an Employee Retention Investment Fund at your clinic. Last week we looked at the 5-P questions – Pride + Place + Possibility + Permanency + Propel   Today we’re looking at the next series of seven survey questions - in line with Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs - you...

Vet Clinic Employee Engagement Index Questions The second of a multi episode series focussed on helping vet clinics retain the top performing vets and vet nurses in your clinic and then how to attract more vets and vet nurses just like them. Recent Employment Relations Authority determination around Restraints of Trade If you’ve been listening to Paws Claws & Wet Noses for a while you’ll have...

Vet Clinic Employee Turnover Costs & Composition Today’s show is the first of a multi episode series focussed on helping vet clinics retain the top performing vets and vet nurses in your clinic and then how to attract more vets and vet nurses like them. Specifically, today, we’re going to be looking at the cost – because it is - of employee turnover.  I think the numbers might surprise you – b...

Margie's dreams, aspirations and how vet clinics can pay their vet nurses more This is the second of two episodes where I catch up with Vet Nurse of the Year 2021 Margie Rutherford of The Strand Veterinarian in Auckland’s Parnell. If you haven’t listened to last week’s episode – number 63 – I highly recommend you go and listen to that show before you listen to this, as it gives context. Today...

Vet Nurse Margie Rutherford's Visions for Veterinary Nursing in New Zealand Margie Rutherford, BSC, BVT - Vet Nurse of the Year 2021 Episode 1/2 where Vet Nurse Margie Rutherford and I chat about her visions for veterinary nursing in New Zealand. Margie was awarded the NZ Vet Nurse of the Year 2021 .    She was one of 16 nominations for Vet Nurse of the Year.    According to NZVNA President,...

The step-by-step framework that's guaranteed to help you live the life you want.   Using the SMARTER SWOT framework I designed about 20 years ago to help clients live their lives to the full contributing their special difference to the world - at work and at home.  If you’ve set New Year's Resolutions before and failed – this is for you – because we’re not going to be setting NY resoluti...

A vet clinic's workplace toxicity negatively impacts a clinic’s ability to ever become an Employer of Choice.    10 things - 10 warning bells - to look out for at the vet clinic job interview Vet Clinics need to deal with what’s not working first in order to become a Vet Clinic Employer of Choice. Here are 10 questions to ask and the answers you're looking for: Does the leadership team i...

How to become a Vet Clinic Employer of Choice so that you create your own clinic's wait list of highly engaged and motivated top performers.  In today’s job-seeking world, job interviews are just as much about the clinic doing the interviewing as about the clinic being interviewed. Recruitment – as we know it today - is a reactive process.  It’s the thing – the hunt - that follows an event –...

Vet clinics experience high staff burnout, high staff turnover, some (sadly) have reputations for allowing toxicity within the team to continue, infect and affect everything that happens inside that clinic. Constructive Dismissals What conditions need to be met for the Employment Court or Tribunal to confirm constructive dismissal took place, Two questions that need to be answered, What remedies a...

Lately I’ve seen a few vets and clinics get caught out by believing one of the many urban myths that surround employment law in NZ so today, we’re going to put 11 of them to bed so, hopefully, YOU don’t get caught out by them too.    We’re going to look at the employment law myths that I’ve heard in relation to: ·       Written contracts – or lack thereof ·       Getting fired and how many warning...