Living and Working as a Veterinarian at CareVets Gisborne with Dr Loren Cribb - ep. 1019

Julie South [00:00:05]: Welcome to Veterinary Voices: Culture storytelling conversations that help veterinary clinics hire great people. I'm Julie South and this is Episode 1019.

It's a special REAL+STORY episode from CareVets Gisborne, this time featuring Dr Loren Cribb. Dr Loren is a small animal vet who's been calling Gisborne home since 2014.

Julie South [00:00:40]: CareVets Gisborne is looking for its next small animal vet. Check out https://vetclinicjobs.com/carevetsgisborne.

If you're considering a career change - maybe even a sea change - then you owe it to yourself to check out this clinic. Especially if ortho is your thing, or you would like it to be your thing, because CareVets Gisborne has some pretty sophisticated surgical gear that will make any ortho surgeon's eyes light up.

Julie South [00:01:10]: Before we dive in though, a quick note: we recorded this conversation at the clinic during a normal working day. You'll hear phones ringing, people moving around, and the general sounds of a busy vet practice.

It's not studio perfect, but it is real - which is exactly what Culture Storytelling is all about.

Julie South [00:01:29]: Dr Loren shares what it's like working at a clinic where the nursing team is always one step ahead, where trauma cases and hunting dogs keep the work interesting, and where a 1-in-4 after hours roster is about to become 1-in-6 when you, their next new hire vet, turns up.

If you're wondering whether CareVets Gisborne might be Your Kind of Clinic - from the variety of cases to settling into a community that's "not on the way to anywhere" - Dr Loren tells it like it is.

Let's join that chat.

Dr Loren Cribb [00:02:10]: I am Loren Cribb. I'm a veterinarian here at CareVets Gisborne and I've been working in the region since 2014.

Julie South [00:02:22]: Loren, you're a small animal veterinarian?

Dr Loren Cribb [00:02:25]: I am.

Julie South [00:02:27]: Are you Gisborne born and bred?

Dr Loren Cribb [00:02:29]: No, I'm not. I'm from the South Island. I came up to Palmerston North to complete my training and then Gisborne happened to be my first new graduate position.

Julie South [00:02:38]: And you've been there ever since?

Dr Loren Cribb [00:02:40]: I have.

Julie South [00:02:40]: What was it like moving to Gisborne as an outsider? And are you even a local yet?

Dr Loren Cribb [00:02:49]: I'd like to think I'm a local. Most people have forgotten by now I don't originate from here.

Moving here, it was exciting, but I was a lot younger. It was a new grad position. I was nervous about the job, but I had no trouble fitting into the community.

There's a lot of different aspects to this community that make it relatively easy. If you're into sport, fishing, hunting - children are a big part of it too. There's a lot of playgroups, parent-based volunteer groups.

Dr Loren Cribb [00:03:22]: Just as I've progressed over the last 15 or more years, my friend circle has widened a lot anyway with lots of different groups.

Julie South [00:03:31]: Would you say it's easy? So that was 15 years ago. Would you say it's still easy, relatively easy to settle into?

Because Gisborne is kind of out on a limb, you know. It's a destination place. It's not a city that you drive through - you have to drive to.

Dr Loren Cribb [00:03:51]: It's very true. We don't get a lot of visitors unless they're coming specifically to see us, as opposed to other towns that you drop in on the way to see another place.

It depends on your level of what you like doing outside of work. There's a lot of sport groups if people are into sport. If people are into mostly outdoor things - yeah, it really does depend.

Dr Loren Cribb [00:04:21]: If people are just wanting to go to work, go home, then you're probably going to struggle. But if you like to get out and about and do things, there's a lot of different options.

Because we are isolated and as a smaller community, you can get to know people really quickly if you want to be involved.

Julie South [00:04:41]: Now, you and your husband started the practice. You're still with the clinic. As veterinarians, you will have a choice of other clinics to work at.

What is it about CareVets Gisborne that keeps you coming to work on Monday mornings?

Dr Loren Cribb [00:05:01]: It's the clients. The clients. The staff here. It's a great clinic to work out of. I love the way it's set out.

We're not really lacking for anything. And my clients are great. Great clients.

The variety of work is what I really like too.

Julie South [00:05:24]: So as a veterinarian, what would be a case that most stands out, becomes most memorable to you? If you had to think back and say "Yeah, you know, this is - I'm really proud of this. We did a - the team did a great job."

Dr Loren Cribb [00:05:42]: Oh, there have been so many. We have a lot of trauma cases that come through the clinic.

One of the sports that people get into in this area is hunting. And the hunting dogs and the farm dogs that come through - I love working with those types of animals.

These are sport animals, these are working animals. They have quite specific injuries that they encounter.

Dr Loren Cribb [00:06:14]: The personality of them is great too. They're just great animals to work with.

Julie South [00:06:19]: Tell me about a moment that instantly tells you what your clinic is like to work in.

Dr Loren Cribb [00:06:27]: For me, it's the team that we have here. Everybody will pitch in when needed.

You know, sometimes if someone needs to work late because we've got a really - everyone loves a really sick case or a trauma case that's going well. Or even if it's not going well, it's like all hands on deck.

Everybody pitches in, goes the extra mile. And even, you know, I'll have people say "I'll come check this dog at 6 o'clock for you if you like, and I'll message you and tell you what's happening so you don't have to come down if it's not necessary."

Dr Loren Cribb [00:07:05]: It's just a good environment to work in when things are going south or if things are looking up. It's just either way -

Julie South [00:07:14]: What would a normal day look like? Talk me through it.

Dr Loren Cribb [00:07:17]: Well, I'm only working part-time at the moment. I fluctuate between doing some consults in the morning and then getting stuck into the surgery for the day when we've got extra staff on. I'll also do a day of consulting as well.

It's usually pretty good. We've got a good handle on who the clients are that take the extra time, and reception will book extra time for certain people.

Dr Loren Cribb [00:07:49]: You can always get thrown out, but generally it's pretty - I never feel under too much pressure. There's enough time to get everything done, which is really important.

Julie South [00:07:56]: And you're working 15-minute consults?

Dr Loren Cribb [00:07:59]: 15 to 30. A lot of our basic consults are 15, but then there are certain ones that will just classify as 30 minutes - or a first visit vaccination for a puppy.

And there are quite a number of clients that are flagged as 30-minute consults because they just - otherwise they run us over. But generally it's pretty well managed.

Julie South [00:08:26]: I'm presuming that would feel like you're not constantly chasing the clock through the day?

Dr Loren Cribb [00:08:34]: No, generally not. Sometimes they can get thrown out pretty easily though. Things can happen - hit by car comes in.

But then the surgery vet can also jump in and take a couple of consults in between surgeries just to even it out, and vice versa.

Julie South [00:08:53]: You've got some pretty sophisticated equipment for surgeries and consults. What's that like working with those?

Dr Loren Cribb [00:09:03]: As a vet, we've got everything we need. I mean, we've been working these trauma cases and general soft tissue surgery for a long time and I've never gone "God, I wish we had this, I wish we had that."

We've got everything. We've got everything we need.

And there is a lot of underutilized orthopedic equipment in the clinic as well, because we currently don't have anyone doing orthopedics.

Julie South [00:09:34]: So let's talk about that, because that to me sounds like it would be a great opportunity for a vet coming in who wanted to explore ortho as a special interest.

Dr Loren Cribb [00:09:47]: Yeah, 100%. There would be a big realm there for anybody with an orthopedic interest. With the cases that we do have, there is opportunity to upskill significantly.

I mean, we've had locums that have come through here before and they've left going "Oh my gosh, I've seen so much more than I have in the last year seeing practice somewhere else."

Dr Loren Cribb [00:10:15]: If you're only wanting to do vaccinations and dentals, it's not the clinic for you. If you like a little bit of a challenge and excitement, then you can definitely get it in Gisborne. We get great cases.

Julie South [00:10:29]: What sort of person would you say fits best at CareVets Gisborne?

Dr Loren Cribb [00:10:37]: Someone who's comfortable being hands-on, someone who likes a good variety of cases and is happy to work alongside an experienced nursing team.

Julie South [00:10:48]: And the incoming vet would need to want to utilize their skills as well?

Dr Loren Cribb [00:10:53]: Yeah, I think just someone willing to interact. The nurses are awesome. They've got their little nursing setup really, really well established with their routine.

And somebody who just wants to be part of a team and also receive feedback from them, because they've got sorted how they like doing things, which is great.

Dr Loren Cribb [00:11:20]: They've perfected their day routine and I love it because I sort of go in there and all that routine - the way the day flows - flows really well because they just get on and do it.

They tell you "All right, this is what we're up to next." Unless there's a specific reason to change how it is, I usually just follow the routine that's set out and the day goes so much better.

If you try and mix it up too much, suddenly things aren't going so well. You know, I'm like "Oh yeah, should have done what they wanted me to do in the first place."

Dr Loren Cribb [00:11:54]: They're great. But not in a negative way. They're great. They just - yeah, they're a great team. They know how to make the clinic run.

Julie South [00:12:02]: Wow. And that's important as a veterinarian and it's also important to nurses.

And we've talked a bit about this in other episodes, but as a veterinarian, upskilling and continued professional development is important to most vets I know.

What does CPD look like for you? What's your favorite piece of kit?

Dr Loren Cribb [00:12:29]: Probably our blood work machine.

Julie South [00:12:35]: Why was that so funny?

Dr Loren Cribb [00:12:36]: Because it just seems so dorky!

Julie South [00:12:40]: I love it!

Dr Loren Cribb [00:12:43]: Yeah. Our lab setup. We can do so much in-house. In-house tests.

Julie South [00:12:47]: What do you think is one of CareVets Gisborne's best kept secrets?

Dr Loren Cribb [00:12:56]: It would definitely be our nursing team. They're a great group. Good level of skill there. They all get on really well and they manage us very well.

Julie South [00:13:08]: How about - what's one of Gisborne's best kept secrets, do you think?

Dr Loren Cribb [00:13:13]: I think Gisborne as a town and community is, for me anyway, it's a perfect balance between living somewhere that is semi-rural, lots of outdoorsy things to do, but it's still accessible.

You know, you can get on a plane and go to a concert within an hour in Auckland. All my family are down in the South Island, but I still get to go and visit them.

And it's just - I like to be not on the way to anywhere, so to speak.

Julie South [00:13:49]: It's great when the pressure's on. When you talked before about everybody rolls up their sleeves for an emergency, but when the pressure is really on, what behaviors would you see that consistently play out through the team?

Dr Loren Cribb [00:14:08]: I think when there's an emergency happening, because the nursing team especially know each other really well and work really well together - they're almost one step ahead.

You go to ask for something and someone's already done it. Someone's already setting something up, whether it gets used or not. But it just naturally happens.

Dr Loren Cribb [00:14:30]: And even the reception will come into that part as well. They'll be at the front talking to the owner, calming them down.

There'll be an admit form being printed and then before you know it, it's come through and a nurse has zipped out there and talked them through a few things and signed it.

Dr Loren Cribb [00:14:50]: They just - yeah, everything comes together quite well. You're not just sitting there going "Oh my gosh, I have to tell five people to do all these different things."

You really just get to focus on what's happening with your patient and know that the other things are being taken care of.

Julie South [00:15:03]: After hours is a bane of every veterinary professional's life. And in the big cities, most professionals - most vets and nurses - they kind of hear about after hours from a distance. It's this thing that happens.

What's the current after hours roster? And I realize that right now you are one full-time vet short. But how manageable is the after hours roster, do you think?

Dr Loren Cribb [00:15:35]: As a vet, I've been working after hours my entire career and for me I've worked out that 1-in-4 is the maximum for long-term sustainability.

Currently the after hours roster is at that and it is being shared with another clinic.

It fluctuates a lot. In Gisborne, you can have a weekend where you get called out once or twice and if you're living close to the city center anyway, you can get all your normal things done in a weekend.

Dr Loren Cribb [00:16:15]: But then you can also have these weekends that crop up that are inundated with calls.

I find the actual after hours work is enjoyable. I like the one-on-one with the client. I like the cases that come through. You know, the cases are really good cases.

Dr Loren Cribb [00:16:42]: Generally you get the little nitty-gritty things that people have just waited too long - dog's vomited a couple of times - you get those. But you also get some really good cases and good experience, really.

Julie South [00:16:56]: And when the next vet is hired, it will go from 1-in-4 to about 1-in-6?

Dr Loren Cribb [00:17:02]: So that would be - yeah, 1-in-6.

Julie South [00:17:07]: Because you've got three vets. Yeah, it will be three vets shared.

Dr Loren Cribb [00:17:10]: Yes. Yes, that would be right.

Julie South [00:17:12]: Loren, is there anything that you especially think the next new hire should know that I haven't asked?

Dr Loren Cribb [00:17:26]: No, I think you have covered most of it. I mean, for me, if I was looking to go into a new area, a new job, I want to know what the team is like. Am I going to be supported by a good group of people?

The absolute worst thing you want to do is walk into an environment where you're like "This is not what I was expecting."

Good team of people. And also to know what type of clientele you're going to be dealing with.

Dr Loren Cribb [00:18:00]: And we've got two parts to it, really. You've got your pet clients, which are great. But then you've also got your working dogs and your hunting dog side of it, which is my passion, really.

I don't think I could work anywhere that didn't have that component to it.

Dr Loren Cribb [00:18:20]: And then the location itself - Gisborne as a town. I mean, I've been here a long time and I love it here.

If you were a super city slicker and wanted to go shopping and try a new restaurant every weekend, it's probably not the place for you.

But we do have a lot of good things going for us. If you want to go to a winery for lunch, you can. But then if you want to go surfing, you can.

Dr Loren Cribb [00:18:41]: If you want to go for a hike up a mountain, you can.

And I would say for someone coming to the area itself - get amongst it. There's lots of great people, there's lots of great things to do, clubs to join. You can make it as great as you want it to be, really.

Julie South [00:19:00]: And if you want to ditch the great big long commutes, Gisborne's the place. If you want to start your day with a walk along the beach, Gisborne's the place.

Dr Loren Cribb [00:19:08]: 100%. 100%.

And there is like a lot of different - if you wanted to live in the city with neighbors and an easy walk to the supermarket, you can. But within 10 minutes you're at the city limits and you can live rurally.

And we've had a lot of people who've also come through and really enjoyed those beach suburbs too. There's beautiful beaches here.

Dr Loren Cribb [00:19:40]: If you want to get up - like I said, you want the beach on your doorstep and just travel two minutes and you're at the beach - you can.

Likewise if you - if walking down a country road is your thing, then you've got that too.

Or if you prefer the convenience of just being right next to the supermarket or the primary school or the high school, then you can do that as well.

Dr Loren Cribb [00:20:00]: It's nice. It's a compact place with lots of different elements to it.

Julie South [00:20:05]: That was Dr Loren Cribb from CareVets Gisborne.

A quick note about what you've been hearing in this series.

This depth of Culture Storytelling - multiple team members, genuine stories, cultural specifics beyond just job requirements - this is what makes finding Your Kind of People really work.

Julie South [00:20:30]: When clinics struggle to get suitable applicants despite advertising for months, it's because they're posting job adverts without showing who they really are.

Veterinary professionals can't choose you if they can't see whether they would actually fit. They won't know you're Their Kind of Clinic if they don't know what you're like outside of the job advert and the four walls of the clinic.

Julie South [00:20:58]: CareVets Gisborne isn't just posting a job ad hoping the right person sees it. They're showing vets and nurses what working there genuinely looks like through real veterinary voices sharing real veterinary stories.

That's Culture Storytelling in action.

Julie South [00:21:15]: If you're responsible for recruitment at your clinic and thinking "yes, we have stories like this" but you're not quite sure how to capture them, then please email me direct at julie@vetclinicjobs.com.

And if you're an experienced small animal vet considering your next move, CareVets Gisborne is looking for their next vet. You can find the full position details at https://vetclinicjobs.com/carevetsgisborne.

Julie South [00:21:45]: Next week, we're going to be hearing from Dr Ross Milner, a small animal vet who's worked all over the world and has now chosen Gisborne to call home.

And if you want to know what the surf's doing in Gisborne on pretty much any day of the week - he's your man!

Julie South [00:22:04]: This is Julie South signing off and inviting you to go out there and be your most fantabulous self.

And remember: the real moments captured in a busy clinic are exactly what Culture Storytelling is all about.