Veterinary Voices

This is the fourth episode in the sustainability series and today we’re with Sophie Kennedy of The Strand Veterinarian in Parnell, Auckland, New Zealand. Sophie is the dedicated receptionist at The Strand Veterinarian who’s just recently been charged with the responsibility of project managing the clinic’s sustainability initiatives. As you’ll hear – unlike many clinics where reception duties form...

In 2019, Zoetis NZ set up a new internal group to examine environmental, social and governance aspects of its business, with a focus on driving long term business sustainability.  In practice, Large Animal Veterinarian Kristen Baxter’s responsibilities have been primarily focused on improving the environmental footprint and looking at all areas of the product life cycle - from packaging, to transp...

Dr Paulo Lencioni – a companion animal vet turned computer coder turned practising accountant specialising who now works with vet clinics to grow their practices answers the question “The impact of the pandemic – vet clinics are busier – but are we treating our patients better or worse?” If you haven’t listened to the first part yet , then I recommend you do because it gives context to today.    W...

Veterinarian Dr Paolo Lencioni - co-author of September 2021 Vet Clinic Practice White Paper “The impact of the pandemic – vet clinics are busier – but are we treating our patients better or worse?” Today is part one of a two parts where I caught up with Dr Paulo Lencioni – a Companion Animal Veterinarian turned computer coder turned practising accountant specialising in vet clinic practices - mos...

Sustainable Vet Clinic Practice - CeeJay Donovan of Massey Vets in Palmerston North - chats about her 6 in 6  - six easy to implement sustainable practices she implemented at Massey Vets in six months and the differences she noticed. For international listeners that’s the on-campus clinic of the Veterinary Science Faculty of New Zealand’s Massey University. CeeJay has a Bachelor of Veterinary Tech...

When it comes to matters "immigration" in New Zealand there are all sorts of changing scenarios - almost weekly. Licensed Immigration consultant Katy Armstrong of IntoNZ chats with Julie South about what's news.  Here's what Katy and Julie talked about: Julie's petition to have two MIQ spaces allocated each week to vets issued visas by Immigration NZ Is the median wage exp...

Veterinarian Dr Liza Schneider is one of New Zealand’s leading authorities in holistic animal healthcare.  In 2003 Liza established – what is today – award-winning Holistic Vets in Tauranga – located in New Zealand’s spectacular Bay of Plenty region.   Holistic Vets is a fully integrated veterinary practice combining conventional veterinary medicine and surgery with complementary therapies.   This...

Vet Clinic Sustainability - three vet panel discussion on what vet clinics can do to start or further their sustainability journey GUESTS: Dr Francesca Brown: Head of Programmes and Principal Lecturer, Vet, Nursing Education and Chair, Educational Standards committee at Otago Polytech Previous guest episodes: Episode 28 Episode 29 Dr Rose Unsworth - Companion Animal Veterinarian Complementary Vete...

Guest:  Dr Lucy Scott - New Zealand Registered Veterinarian from the Massey Veterinary Science class of 2015 recently branched out into veterinary behavioural work and starting her own behaviour business. Lucy started off in a rural mixed animal practice – where she spent six years before pursuing her dream of making a difference in animals’ lives through behaviour modification and training.  Lucy...

Vets and Vet Clinics:  how to incorporate an attitude of gratitude in your life for well health I’ve noticed the light of positivity in my mind dim over the last couple of weeks, and if I’m feeling it, then I know that others must certainly be a little shaky too. Since that episode I’ve had a few people ask me how can they have an attitude of gratitude – what does that look like – as part of their...

Vet clinics:  how secure is your website or internet system? Do you have a recovery or contingency plan if you're the victim of a cyber attack? What aspects of your vet clinic practice are vulnerable? Today Julie South looks at: how to protect your vet clinic against a DDoS attack,  internet failure contingency plan(s)  how to recognise phishing scams & emails latest password management r...

Vet Science Student Q&A - part 2 of 2 Although today’s episode specifically answers Massey students’ questions, as you’ll hear, the information Janet shares is relevant to just about most people.   Because her profession requires full disclosure – which you can read in its entirety at smartmoneyadvice.co.nz I’ll just go over the top level stuff. Qualifications  Bachelor of Business Studies - M...

M indset – how to stay sane when your world appears to be spinning out of control crazy through Covid Lockdown Language of Appreciation at Work - Questionnaire During Lockdown last year, I uploaded a questionnaire onto VetStaff’s website to help employers / employees discover how people like to be appreciated at work.  It’s a free questionnaire – you don’t have to provide your email or anything li...

Julie South interviews Jocelyn Birch Baker of Smooth Operating Vets + High Street Veterinary Clinic in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia Jocelyn’s vision at Smooth Operating Vets is to ensure all veterinary women have the opportunity to work in a team where everyone knows their talents and calmly does their very best in an encouraging and supporting place…. That women can return to veterinary pra...

Julie South interviews Jocelyn Birch Baker of Smooth Operating Vets + High Street Veterinary Clinic in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia Jocelyn’s vision at Smooth Operating Vets is to ensure all veterinary women have the opportunity to work in a team where everyone knows their talents and calmly does their very best in an encouraging and supporting place…. That women can return to veterinary pra...

This week Massey University Veterinary Science students asked Julie South questions relating to their first job interview & recruitment. The questions asked were:  W hy should we go through a recruitment agency when we can get a job ourselves – doesn’t it just cost the clinic more to use an agency and won’t they then hold that against us?   Is it money they could have paid us instead? Is it ok...

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE - EQ - part 2 (of 2) Strategies to become more emotionally intelligent 6 ways emotionally intelligent people lead #1 – Learn more about the inner workings of YOU #2 – Get an honest & objective assessment of YOU – from people you trust who’ll tell you how you are, not how you want to be #3 – Journal & Track – discover cause & effect # 4 – Listen #5 – Putting yours...

Today we’re looking at emotional intelligence (EQ) and how essential having a high EQ score is to your professional and personal success and development. In today’s workplace - workplace performance and career success, and even employee health, which were once thought to be a function of someone’s IQ – or intelligence quotient - are, in fact, tied in with EQ – or someone’s emotional intelligence....

Has the idea of volunteering your amazing veterinary skills - either as a veterinarian or veterinary nurse - kinda got you a little bit excited? If so, then Dr Yvonne Clark's experiences - on beautiful holiday-resort islands - Sardinia in the Mediterranean and Rarotonga in the South Pacific - will give you a bit of an insight into what volunteering is like. Dr Yvonne Clark is a companion anim...

15 signs it’s time to change jobs + 4 next steps 1.       By the time Sunday night comes around, you’re in “dread mode” – you dread going to work on Mondays 2.       Time drags – you struggle to immerse yourself and be in the zone like you used to 3.       Little things start getting you down and you no longer believe in the clinic like you used to … favouritism, perhaps things don’t get fixed fas...

The WHAT, WHY, WHEN & HOW to conduct EXIT INTERVIEWS at your Veterinary Clinic Questions to ask at Exit Interviews What is their reason for leaving? Do you feel you had opportunities for growth or promotion within this clinic? How well do you believe your work was recognised and appreciated? Do you feel you were given adequate training and assistance? How fairly were the rosters / after hours...

Asking good quality questions gets you good quality answers In this episode you'll discover 15 questions veterinary clinics can ask job applicants to help them determine whether the new-hire will mess or mesh with your veterinary clinic team . Determining and hopefully, matching clinic values, is imperative if you want your next new hire to mesh with your existing team. The alternative is to...

Gen Z are those grads who started entering the workforce a few years ago.  They’re also called the i-Gen – as in iPad and iPhone and Zoomers.  Generational “personalities” Generational personalities don’t come so much from the actual year someone was born – or the span of years – but from events that a generation of people – a cohort – experience as they grow up at a certain time in society’s hist...

This is part 2 of my catch up with (retired) veterinarian Dr Bryan Gregor . If you’ve been listening to my podcasts for the last 7 episodes or so, you’ll have heard me talk about the fan girl moment I had when Dr Bryan Gregor – show host of the VetPodcast called me out of the blue to talk ‘podcasting’. The Vetpodcast and Paws Claws & Wet Noses have complementary audiences - plus we're bot...

If you’ve been listening to my podcasts for the last 6 episodes or so, you’ll have heard me talk about the fan girl moment I had when Dr Bryan Gregor – show host of the VetPodcast called me out of the blue to talk ‘podcasting’. This is part 1 of 2 of my catch up with Dr Bryan.  The Vetpodcast and Paws Claws & Wet Noses have complementary audiences - plus we're both a bit geeky when it com...