Episodes

This is the second in the 2-part series where Julie South interviews veterinary nurse practice manager and author of Tales of a Vet Nurse, Jade Pengelly.

We dive into the controversial topic of how vet nurses are trained and perceived in the UK versus New Zealand.

Jade Pengelly, shares her insights on the similarities and differences between the two nations and her views on what needs to change in New Zealand clinics to help vet nurses reach their full potential.

We discuss the importance of ...

Are you a veterinary nurse looking to take your career to the next level? If so, you won't want to miss today’s episode! In this first of two episodes, we sit down with Jade Pengelly, a veterinary nurse and published author whose book, "Tales of a Vet Nurse," is a must-read for anyone in the field. Jade is on a mission to help veterinary nurses gain the recognition they deserve both with the public and in clinic. Join us as we dive into Jade's journey, the inspiration behind her book, and...

Are you an employer looking for ways to enhance the quality of life for yourself and your team in the workplace?

Do you often find your team feeling overwhelmed and out of control?

As a team leader, do you struggle to provide the right support during difficult times?

While the saying "focus on what you can control" can seem trite and unhelpful, it's critical for the well-being of your team.

Today is all about practical strategies to help you and your team regain balance and empowerment in yo...

Want to improve job satisfaction and attract high-performing employees?

You need to prioritise Quality of Life in your Workplace.

This Culture-Positive concept is gaining popularity.

But what is it exactly and how does it benefit both employees and employers?

Stay tuned as we explore the benefits of Quality of Life in your Workplace, how it can be your clinic’s recruitment superpower and how it can enhance your professional life.

We look at the original six Quality of Life in the Workplace ...

Are you curious about the power of gratitude? Perhaps you're sceptical of its benefits, thinking it's just a trendy buzzword. What if I told you that there's scientific evidence that practicing gratitude can enhance your mental and physical health? Join me: today we dive deep into the world of gratitude, exploring its benefits and giving you practical tips on how to cultivate thankfulness in your daily life. It's not uncommon to be sceptical of the concept of grati...

Are you struggling to juggle your professional and personal life? Do you feel like you're missing out on the things that matter most? Whether you're an introvert or an extrovert, finding the right balance can be a challenge. Here are 7 practical strategies tailored to your intro or extro “vert” personality-type that can help you create the balance you've been dreaming of. A lot of people think that introversion and extroversion is the difference between being shy or not. Between...

Are you a veterinary clinic owner, HR, or Practice Manager struggling to recruit and retain top performers?
Or maybe you're a veterinary professional on the hunt for your next career move?
Either way, this episode is for you!

We're diving into Vet Clinic Employer Branding, the power of employee testimonials to showcase the best clinics in town and how they can help you find the good employers.

As a veterinary clinic owner, attracting more, and retaining the top performers you’ve already got, i...

Have you ever felt like you're stuck at the bottom of an insurmountable mountain or in a valley with no way out? How do you maintain that initial sense of wonder you first had when you started your veterinary career? What is "grit"? How and when do you use it? In this inspiring and openly honest episode, we continue our conversation with Dr. Crystal Loh, one of New Zealand's three companion animal dental specialists, as she shares the trials and tribulations she faced o...

What would you tell your younger self if you could go back in time? Where's the most interesting place you've ever found a tooth? And what does Hobbiton have to do with becoming a boarded dental specialist? Today, Dr Crystal Loh, one of New Zealand's three companion animal dental specialists, shares her journey towards becoming a Specialist and offers valuable advice for anyone on a similar path. Dr. Crystal Loh has an impressive resume that includes being a Member of the Australian NZ...

Whether you’re looking to improve your leadership skills or interested in the impact of effective leadership at your vet clinic, today’s 101 Guide to the Situational Leadership Model is for you.

Discover how to tailor your leadership style to fit just about any situation to achieve greater team success.

Four Situational Leadership Styles:
Directing

Coaching

Supporting

Delegating

Pros of Situational Leadership Styles
Flexibility

Team development

Improved communication

Higher staff motiva...

Today, we're diving into another three powerful leadership styles – servant, coaching and authentic – that can transform the way you lead and inspire others. We also look at what type of team member thrives best under each of these different leadership styles. Servant vs Coaching vs Authentic Leadership Styles Similarities: All three leadership styles prioritise building positive relationships with their teams.All three leadership styles aim to inspire and motivate teams towards a shar...

Have you ever been drawn to follow a charismatic or transformational Lead Vet or Head Nurse to their next job?

If so, you likely understand first-hand how a leader's style can influence their team members' interactions and overall performance.

In this Leadership 101 series, we continue to delve into the different types of leadership styles.

Today we look at the nuances of managerial, charismatic and inspirational leadership.

We’ll explore how to recognise and understand how each of these dif...

Crack the Code: Your 101 Guide to Recognising Different Leadership Styles Have you – or someone you know - ever left a workplace not because of the job but because the clinic owner, head nurse or lead vet, let toxic behaviour persist? If so, you’ll “get” first hand how different leadership styles impact how individuals interact with their team members, how conflicts are resolved (or not), and ultimately how clinic culture is impacted. By recognising and understanding different ...

I like to think that the state of my(Julie South) mental health is generally pretty good. I know how to recognise when I get too close to the edge. When I get to close to that endless downward negativity spiral where the vortex just sucks me in and it’s hard to move away into a more positive space.

This week just gone, I noticed I was starting to edge towards “that” edge.

In times of uncertainty and chaos, it's common to feel overwhelmed and out of control. But the good news is that there are ...

Gaslighting, microaggressions, and passive aggressive behaviour create toxic relationships – at work and at home.

If you – or someone you know – wonders whether you’re going a bit crazy or feel like you have to walk on eggshells around certain people, then this is for you.

Today we look at some gaslighting, microaggression and passive aggressive warning signs and what to do about them, so you can protect yourself and others by recognising these toxic tactics for what they are.

"Microaggressio...

Equality vs Equity for Cost-Effective Veterinary Recruitment Here are 10 distinct ways "equity" is different to "equality" in the veterinary clinic workplace. We look at how you can address those differences to make you a more attractive PEOPLE.FIRST employer. Being a PEOPLE.FIRST employer will make retention and recruitment of high calibre veterinary professionals much (much!) easier… and more cost effective! To make it easier for you to remember all the different components I've i...

There’s been a bit of a jargon bandied around the recruitment and HR worlds over the last few years of DEI – diversity, equity and inclusion.

Let's look at some DEI language - and how that plays out in your clinic - to either encourage inclusion or create cultural divides.

Here are seven different things you can look at inside your clinic to encourage diversity and growth – personal, professional and financial, as well as ways to get a better response from your job advertisements.

We also loo...

10 ways to help make your price rises more palatable for your clients so you can give your team a pay rise in these inflationary times

Are staff motivation and clinic price increases connected – in this “life according to Julie episode”, I’m going to show you how they are.

But first – some of the backstory so you can see how the dots are all connected 😊

We – VetStaff – have had a bit of a run of calls lately – starting just before Christmas and still going strong – from vets and nurses who’ve...

The last two episodes have covered unconscious bias when interviewing with the goal of not only shedding the light on unconscious bias at your clinic, but also to help you get a more diverse team… because, as we all know, the more diverse the opinions and experience you have in a team, the stronger that team is.

If you’re a vet or nurse looking to make your next move, YOUR unconscious bias still exists and applies in exactly the same way as it does from the clinic’s hiring perspective. Just in ...

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 – because of likeness / similarity – but they incompetent! 8. Illusory correlation The illusory correlat...

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 person for your clinic’s vacancy.

Diversity training
Diversity training is one way to help overcome per...

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 intelligence and computerised recruitment bots will be used more and more, which will, ironicall...

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 comment wherever you’re listening to this episode.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who wants to see the f...

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 veterinarian, Dr Paul Unsworth talks about and reflects on: · What determines a “good” vet · &n...