Episodes

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 want to keep you.

Giving them the opportunity ahead of you looking elsewhere is the right thing to do.
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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 VetStaffleading veterinary sector recruitment in New Zealand | vet...

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. Organising vs Aligning 3. Position vs Quality Five Qualities of Effective Leade...

One small word - four different situations when you probably don't even realise you're using it + examples of how to swap to a statement more empowering and powerful (without being bossy or aggressive). A world first (as far as we can tell) initiative from VetStaff - we're looking for pilot veterinary clinics to be part of our Beta Launch. You don't have to be an existing VetStaff client to participate. If you want to DIY your own recruitment then this new initiative is perfec...

Pressure is not Stress - Nick Petrie - Presenter at the NZVA 2022 Conference - VBB session Nicholas Petrie What "human rumination" is. Julie shares one of the ways she gets out of downward rumination spirals when she recognises them playing out in her life. Nick Petrie's White Paper - Pressure is Not Stress - 4 steps to be resilient in disruptive times Dr Jane Ough - Companion Animal Veterinarian and Conservationist - part 3 of 3 VetStaffleading veterinary sector recruitment in New Zeala...

VETERINARY CLINIC SALARY DATA Dr Mark Hosking, CEO of Franklin Vets, is a member of the NZVAs Veterinary Business Branch – the VBB. At the recent NZVA Conference he introduced BBVet, an Australian company which runs a series of surveys tailored to the New Zealand veterinary profession. Clinics that contribute to the data, will have access to high quality benchmarking information to be able to make meaningful decisions in their businesses. Having qualit...

Dr Jane Ough is a Senior Companion Animal Veterinarian at South Wairarapa Veterinary Services.

Dr Jane’s time and pathway to the veterinarian she is today is quite different from the usual career path of veterinarians.

She’s from the BVSc Massey class of 1982.

Today, Dr Jane enjoys orthopaedic surgery especially mending broken farm dogs.

Dr Ough became concerned about climate change when her two daughters were children. She gained a diploma in Environment and Sustainability when her children...

The third and final episode with Iain McLachlan – CEO of the New Zealand Veterinary Council. We talk about: the veterinary shortage, the nursing shortage, why the NZ VC doesn’t include two of the world’s top 10 veterinary science universities in its List of Recognised Institutions, when it's going to update that list of Recognised Institutions, what clinics can do if they absolutely cannot manage their after-hours obligations, and what “limited registration” means.To...

The second of three episodes with Iain McLachlan – CEO of the New Zealand Veterinary Council. We talk about: the veterinary shortage, the nursing shortage, why the NZ VC doesn’t include two of the world’s top 10 veterinary science universities in its List of Recognised Institutions, when it's going to update that list of Recognised Institutions, what clinics can do if they absolutely cannot manage their after-hours obligations, and what “limited registration” means.T...

Today we start the first of three episodes where Iain McLachlan – CEO of the New Zealand Veterinary Council – and I, talk about the veterinary shortage, the nursing shortage, why the NZ VC doesn’t include two of the world’s top 10 veterinary science universities in its List of Recognised Institutions, when is it going to update that list of Recognised Institutions, what clinics can do if they absolutely cannot manage their after-hours obligations, and what “limited registration” means.

Back in ...

Part 2 of the "Qs to A recruitment agencies before working with them" series. This episode specifically for the vet clinic - the HR manager, the Practice Manager, Lead Veterinarian or Veterinary Nurse who's charged with "recruitment" inside a vet clinic. In this episode Julie South of VetStaff details the questions you need to ask and the answers you need to listen out for. The questions are: 1. Is the agency a specialist or generalist? Check out their website 2...

Not all recruitment agencies are created equal. Some recruitment agencies use the "spray and pray" method. They'll get a job-seeker's CV, then spray it all over town (to their database) and leave it to the employer - the vet clinic - to do contact the CV owner, set up the interview, interview, and negotiate direct. Recruitment agencies that do this could be breaching the NZ Privacy Act, which states that a recruitment agency needs to seek permission to share info from the job s...

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 well as working for MPI and the SPCA in animal welfare. As well as being a large animal vet ...

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 large animal vet (she loooooves cows!), she’s also a Certified Body Condition Score Assessor. The Body...

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 respondents. Vet Farm Pet Clinic - Warkworth Animal Referral Centre – S...

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 jobVetStaff were given five days to organise a job interviewin four days they had three interviews job offer was signed within a week$21kpa increase on what she was...

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 on the panel where students get to go a round of 8 short, structured interviews lasting 8 minutes each....

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 Massey.

Since graduating from Massey in 2012, Karli’s worked at Franklin Vets in Auckland, New Zealan...

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

Someone who knows:

employment law

the veterinary sector in your area

the good and not-so-good vet clinics
...

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 can be assumed at a job interview. The main question topics relate to the: vet clinic rolevet clinic's vision; andvet clinic cultureIt’s importa...

When someone asks you to “tell me about a time when …..” this is where the STAR methodology kicks in.

Situation
Task
Action
Result

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 and includes relevant examples taken from vet clinics.

Other episodes referred to in this episode:

Episode 39 - Emotional I...

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.

However, what behaviour focussed job interview questions help uncover or determine is fit – will the fit...

Veterinarian Dr Helen Beattie on: life after Chief Veterinary Officer at the New Zealand Veterinary Association Veterinarians for Animal Welfare Aotearoa - VAWAsome of the amazing opportunities Helen experienced as CVO NZVAsome more of the amazing people Helen worked with as CVO NZVAwhat's next and where to from herePart 3 of the three part series getting to know Dr Helen Beattie now that she's no longer the Chief Veterinary Officer at the New Zealand Veterinary Association. Part 1 - e...

Veterinarian Dr Helen Beattie on: Conflict, Tension & Moral DistressBooks Helen's reading and recommendsInspiration & aspirational parenting+ a bit of philosophical discussionPart 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. Part 1 - episode 069 - some career highs and lows Books Dr Helen Beattie is reading or has just finished readin...