Veterinary Voices

Continuing on from last week's 1-5 of Unconscious Biases: 6. Overconfidence bias Plays out when the recruiter is soooo confident in their own abilities to either pick a good candidate, or to eliminate the supposed bad ones, that they allow confirmation bias to creep in.  7. Similarity attraction bias Sometimes, the similarity attraction bias plays out and replicas of people are hired – becaus...

One of the “happening things” in the recruitment world in 2022 was the spotlight being shone on diversity . I've identified 16 different unconscious biases we all have when it comes to interviewing – and how these can play out during the recruitment process and what you can do to mitigate these. The end result of all of them is the same:  you may end up discounting and/or overlooking the best...

These 8 predictions are in no order of priority as they’re all important. #1 - vet clinic employer branding #2 - job sharing and genuine part time roles #3 – how remuneration is “packaged” #4 - veterinary nurse job satisfaction #5 – the really good employers will get better and the vet clinic employer brand divide will widen #6 – personalisation in recruitment will be crucial - AI – artificial int...

How professional or collegial is the veterinary profession in New Zealand ? We pick up today where Dr Paul Unsworth gets on his self-professed soapbox about the requirement for veterinarians to work after hours.  He parallels the after hours requirements and expectations of veterinary medicine versus human medicine.      I’m interested to hear your thoughts and ideas on this – please feel free to...

What makes a "good" veterinarian and/or a "good" veterinary clinic.   Today Dr Paul Unsworth challenges me - Julie South - with specificity.    As he says, "good" and "bad" aren't easily classified. If getting fit is on your to-do list for 2023, then stay tuned to the end to find out how to save $500 on an ebike. Today, UK-qualified New Zealand locum ve...

Crystal Ball Gazing Today we do a bit of crystal ball gazing with Dr Paul Unsworth – Companion Animal Locum Veterinarian.   This is the first of a multi-part series. We’re talking about some of the changes Dr Paul has seen since he started his career. Gender Equality and Diversity We also talk about gender equality and professional representation which always a topic that results in passionate deb...

The old model of running a veterinary business no longer works - it's time for a fresh look and different approach. This is the final episode (of 3) is Dr Jade Hackney’s series about life after veterinary burnout and recovery. At the Christchurch wellness symposium I - Julie South - spent the first day sitting next to a part-time vet - she:   worked 3x 10-hour days...  was a fully engaged, hi...

This is the second in the multi part series where Companion Animal Veterinarian Dr Jade Hackney   shares her path to living life to the full as a healthy and loving, long-term life partner and fully engaged veterinarian. Dr Jade talks about: the moment she and her life partner realised they no longer wanted to work fulltime in jobs they didn't enjoy to pay someone else's mortgage; their...

You can take the person out of vetting but can you take vetting out of the person?    This series of episodes with Dr Jade Hackney was recorded a few months’ ago but I thought the topic was very relevant – especially for veterinary professionals who may be reconsidering their careers in the veterinary space… especially the clinical veterinary space. For example, when you reconsider your career as...

This is the second of the two part series with Dr Jane Ough – Companion Animal Veterinarian at South Wairarapa Vets – who’s wearing her very new New Zealand Veterinary Association Climate Change Ambassador’s hat. If you haven’t listened to the first part – 105 – I recommend you do that, to give you context for today’s continuation of our chat. We join the conversation where Jane expresses how worr...

Today we’re with Dr Jane Ough – Companion Animal Veterinarian at South Wairarapa Vets – who’s wearing her very new New Zealand Veterinary Association Climate Change Ambassador ’s hat. This is the second time Dr Jane has been on Paws Claws Wet Noses.    You can listen to her previous episodes 87 , 88 and 89 – where she introduced the climate change initiatives South Wairarapa Vets has implemented....

The second in the two part series where Professor John Munday talks about his world-first RAS research to treat cancer in cats and dogs.    After graduating, he worked for 2 years in a mixed animal practice in Whangarei.  He then returned to Massey and completed a PhD.  After completing his doctorate John then did a 2-year residency in veterinary pathology at Michigan State University before worki...

Professor John Munday is a Massey University graduate.  After graduating, he worked for 2 years in a mixed animal practice in Whangarei.  He then returned to Massey and completed a PhD.   After completing his doctorate John then did a 2-year residency in veterinary pathology at Michigan State University before working as an assistant professor at the University of Georgia for 4 years.   It was at...

Dr Megan Alderson, Companion Animal Veterinarian  + principal and partner of the Strand Veterinarian in Parnell, Auckland, New Zealand, introduces her new initiative The Vet Thrive Collective . In this episode Dr Megan and Julie talk about the six shields (tenets) that form part of the Vet Thrive Collective wellbeing programme: Breathe Rest Nourish Flow Forgive Compassion Dr Megan (and Dr Francesc...

Continuing on from episode 100 is part 2 of Dr Francesca Brown's research about what vet clinic clients want. The importance of training front line staff. Regard staff training as an investment, not a cost. A valuable strategy vet clinics can copy from dental clinics to help improve their bottom line. How important (or not) is pet insurance?    How the 20 / 80 Pareto Principal plays out in cl...

Dr Francesca Brown is a veterinarian who graduated from Massey University’s class of 1998.   Since graduating and gaining experience in clinical practice she moved to education and then leadership in Allied Veterinary Professional education, at both Otago Polytechnic, as the Head of the School of Veterinary Nursing and nationally as the Chair of the Educational Standards committee for Allied Veter...

EVP – Employee Value Proposition – the tacit understanding about how an employer treats its employees What an employer promises its employees goes beyond the legal requirements of being paid for the work done (by the employee) and the health and safety obligations employers have. It’s about whether your clinic allows a blind eye to be turned when someone’s bullied … or a sexist, ageist or racist c...

When you – or your team – show up for work at your vet clinic, what is it you want them to feel and think about working at your clinic? Do you – or they - feel excited or exhausted?  Delighted or filled with dread?  Full of optimism or cynicism? Culture exists whether you like it or not.    Whether the culture at your clinic is positive or negative, you’ve still got a cultural vibe happening. Sign...

Here are six make-sense steps to help increase staff retention at your clinic by 82% and increase staff engagement by 70% Onboarding is the bridge between the final stage of recruitment and the first step in employee engagement. Onboarding is more than asking your new hire to fill out a whole bunch of forms on their first day.    Onboarding is a systematic process to ensure your newest employee be...

What is "constructive dismissal" - 101 employment law overview with Julie South.   Dr Cath Watson - Chair of Healthy Pets NZ talks about ways supports can get involved in fundraising.    Cath talks about "Dogs Day Out" and Kerikeri artist Tessa Smith. Julie South announces last week's leader board in the VetStaff annual "Love Your Vet Nurse" competition in honour...

Part 2 of 3 chats Julie South had with Companion Animal Veterinarian and Chair of Healthy Pets New Zealand, Dr Cath Watson. This week Julie and Cath chat about some of the research that Healthy Pets NZ has undertaken. #LoveYourVetNurse annual competition in honour of Vet Nurse Awareness Week - Julie announces the leader board results after the first week of competition. It's the best competit...

Dr Cath Watson , BVSc - Companion Animal Veterinarian - has worked in a range of practices, both in here in Godzone Aotearoa New Zealand and in the United Kingdom.   She’s been a locum, an employee, and a business owner. Right now, Cath’s based in Central Otago but travels the country as a locum.  The reason Cath and Julie South of VetStaff are talking today is because of Cath's involvement i...

Before you start looking for your next vet or vet nurse job – there are some things you need to do first – to avoid heartbreak and stress further down the track. In summary Get clear on why you’re considering a new job.   If you like where you are, give your current clinic the opportunity to meet you in the middle.   If you’re a good vet or nurse and you match the culture and vice versa, they’ll w...

7 attributes of great team players 1.     Understand their role 2.     Embrace collaboration 3.     Hold themselves accountable 4.     Committed to their team 5.     Flexible 6.     Optimistic and future-focussed 7.     Can be relied upon and trusted Johari Window + 56 adjectives 5 things to compare yourself to every day VetStaff leading veterinary sector recruitment in New Zealand | veterinarians...

What makes a great leader?     Are people born natural leaders or can leadership be developed and taught? What’s the difference between a LEADER and a MANAGER? Did you realise that when you, or someone on your team is a great leader (or not) it affects your clinic’s ability to attract and recruit great vets and nurses?    Three differences Leadership vs Management 1. Process vs Vision 2. Organisin...