Episodes

When veterinary clinics begin recognising the reactive recruitment cycle, certain phrases often start appearing. They sound practical — but they’re often the cycle defending itself. In this episode of Veterinary Voices, Julie...

Head Vet Nurse Nicky Smith on Team Support, Community, and Life in Taranaki In this REAL+STORY episode of Veterinary Voices, Julie South speaks with Nicky Smith, Head Vet Nurse at Energy Vets in Taranaki. Nicky has worked in veterinary clinics in New Zealand and overseas, including time living in A…

By month five of job advertising, most vet clinics and their teams are exhausted. Posting everywhere didn’t work. Rewriting didn’t work. Spending more didn’t work. But the vacancy hasn’t just stayed a vacancy — it’s started affecting the people who are still there. In this episode of Veterinary Voi…

Energy Vets, Taranaki | Starting Out as a New Grad In this REAL+STORY episode, Julie South speaks with Dr Sieara Claytor, a 2025 graduate working in her very first full-time veterinary role at Energy Vets in Taranaki. Sieara moved from the United States to study in Australia and has now started her…

By month four of advertising, most vet clinics and their teams are exhausted. Posting everywhere didn’t work. Rewriting didn’t work. Spending more didn’t work. So you start trying random things. A Facebook post. Asking your team to share. Updating your careers page. Boosting something for $50… mayb…

Energy Vets, Taranaki | Why Alana Came Back In this REAL+STORY episode, Julie South speaks with vet nurse Alana Howard about why she returned to Energy Vets after starting her nursing career there 20 years ago and then spending years working in Australia. Alana talks about what made coming back fee…

Why Spending More on Job Ads Doesn’t Work By month three of advertising, most vet clinics assume the problem is reach. Not enough applications? Then not enough visibility. Not enough visibility? Spend more. Premium placement. Featured listings. Boosted posts. Maybe even a recruitment agency. But th…

Energy Vets, Taranaki | Growing a Career That Grows With You In this REAL+STORY episode, Julie South speaks with Dr Michelle Gosling about what it looks like to build a long-term veterinary career in one place — and why she n...

When a job ad doesn’t deliver suitable applicants, most clinics assume the problem is the wording. So they rewrite it. Add more detail. Highlight mentoring. Emphasise work-life balance. Polish the benefits. And wait. In this episode of Veterinary Voices, Julie South explores what’s really happening…

Energy Vets | What Makes the Job Work Long-Term (Part 2) Settling into a role is one thing. Staying in it — sustainably — is another. In this episode, Julie South continues her conversation with Dr Sam Armstrong, a mixed animal vet at Energy Vets in Taranaki, looking at what work feels like once th…

This episode begins a new series looking at why the familiar recruitment playbook keeps failing veterinary clinics. Julie South starts with the first and most common response to a vacancy: posting job ads everywhere and hopin...

Energy Vets | Finding Your Feet as a New Grad (Part 1) Starting your veterinary career isn’t just about clinical skills. It’s about how support shows up when you’re new, how questions are handled, and how safe it feels to keep learning — especially when you’re doing it in a new country. In this epi…

Closing the Attraction Gap: Why Knowing Isn't the Same as Doing Most veterinary clinic managers know they should attract people before they need them—but knowing doesn't close the gap between understanding what needs to happen and actually making it happen. In this episode of Veterinary Voices, Jul…

Energy Vets - Taranaki - New Zealand | REAL+STORY A recent graduate’s view of support, mentoring, and staying in the profession When new graduates talk about support, they’re not talking about slogans. They’re talking about ...

When Big Numbers Don’t Matter When a clinic needs to advertise, the decision often feels obvious. Choose the platform with the biggest database. The most traffic. The largest audience. But what if those numbers aren’t measuring what actually matters? In this episode of Veterinary Voices, Julie Sout…

Energy Vets | Culture Stories in Action (Part 2) Staying in a clinic long-term isn’t just about the work you do. It’s about how you’re supported, how leadership shows up, and what happens when things don’t go to plan. In this episode, Julie South continues her conversation with Greg Hall, Managing …

Recruitment Momentum: Why Starting From Cold Keeps You Trapped Most veterinary clinics don’t realise they’re stuck in a recruitment cycle — they just feel the exhaustion of it. In this episode of Veterinary Voices, Julie South explores recruitment momentum and why starting from cold every time you …

Energy Vets Taranaki NZ | Culture Stories in Action (Part 1) Most vets and nurses know within a few minutes whether a clinic feels like their kind of place — long before they ever see a job ad. In this episode, Julie South is joined by Dr Greg Hall, Managing Director at Energy Vets in Taranaki, for…

Network Expansion: How Culture Stories Amplify Beyond Your Reach Most vet clinics don’t struggle to hire because their roles aren’t appealing. They struggle because the right vets and nurses never see them. In this episode of Veterinary Voices, Julie South explores network expansion — and why job a…

CareVets Gisborne | REAL+STORY When vets and nurses think about changing clinics, they’re not just choosing a role. They’re choosing the people they’ll work with — and the support around them when things get busy or unpredictable. In this episode of Veterinary Voices, Julie South continues the Care…

Vets and nurses scroll past job ads — not because they think vet clinics are lying, but because they’ve seen the same claims repeated over and over again. “Great team. Supportive environment. Work-life balance.” The words did...

A vet in Melbourne is scrolling job ads, actively looking to relocate. She sees a position in Hamilton, New Zealand. Good clinic. Competitive salary. Sounds fine. She clicks through, reads the job description, then keeps scrolling. Three weeks later, she accepts a position in Melbourne. Not better.…

CareVets Gisborne's Clinic Coordinator Rhonda moved from London to Gisborne five years ago. In London, her commute was 90 minutes. In Auckland, she never got out of second gear in traffic. In Gisborne? Five minutes. Through "5 o'clock traffic" means waiting for half a dozen cars at a roundabout ins…

You list protected meal breaks, no weekend work, and flexible hours in your job ad. So does every other clinic in your city. How do vets and nurses decide? They can't tell you apart. So they don't apply. Or they apply everywhere and mean nowhere. Meanwhile, down the road, another clinic fills their…