Episode 1007 - VetsOne Dr Jason Clark Interview

Julie South [00:00:04]: Welcome to Veterinary Voices. Employer brand conversations that help veterinary clinics hire great people. 

I'm Julie South and this is episode 1007. Veterinary Voices is brought to you by VetClinicJobs. Build your employer brand. Do your own recruitment. Better.

VetsOne in Hastings, New Zealand, is looking for their next small animal veterinarian. Specifically someone with leadership potential or experience who wants to help guide their companion animal team. In this special VetsOne Employer of Choice series, you'll hear directly from the people who work there and what that actually means.

Julie South [00:00:49]: First up today we have Dr Jason Clark, a small animal veterinarian and one of the three directors. Dr Jason came to veterinary medicine as a mature student after his OE and various desk jobs convinced him that sitting behind a desk was not his path.

Now he's both a working farm vet and part owner, and he'll walk you through what VetsOne means when they talk about professionalism, advocacy, communication and teamwork. You'll hear how the team operated independently during the 2023 cyclone floods when directors couldn't reach the clinic, why they light a candle during euthanasias, and what happens when a clinic genuinely lets staff develop their own protocols and even run side businesses under their own banner. Let's start that conversation.

Jason Clark [00:01:49]: My name's Jason Clark. I graduated from Massey University in 2008 after going back as an older student. I've been with VetsOne, which was called something else when I started, since 2008. I'm a working vet in the practice as well as one of the directors.

Julie South [00:02:07]: Now, Jason, as a mature student, that kind of indicates to me that this is a career change for you. Why veterinary?

Jason Clark [00:02:20]: I actually applied to do vet when I first left school at Massey. It was my first year away from home, so I didn't quite have the diligence to achieve it at that point, and I went on and did other things, but I always had it in the back of my mind that I wanted to do it. I came from a farming background, I loved working with animals.

So after I finished my OE, I came back home and decided it was now or never. I actually applied and I thought I'd leave it to fate and see what happened. And I got in. So the rest is history from there.

Julie South [00:02:48]: How has that gap, do you think, developed you as a person? If I heard you correctly, you said that you went overseas and then came back and then went to Massey. Is that correct?

Jason Clark [00:02:59]: Correct. Yep.

Julie South [00:02:59]: Yep. So that gap, what did you learn, do you think, from that that you've been able to take forward for the rest of your life?

Jason Clark [00:03:08]: I think having the gap between leaving school and coming back to doing veterinary certainly gave me a lot of life experience in other areas of working and I guess reinforced what I actually did enjoy and what I wanted to do. I didn't want to do a desk job for the rest of my life, which I was doing in the interim.

And I think when you go back to study as an older student, failure is not an option. You're there because you know it's your job, you treat it as a job and you come out the other end and you'll carry on doing what you wanted to do. So you know it's your passion and you know that's where you want to be.

Julie South [00:03:40]: Has it lived up to what you thought it might be?

Jason Clark [00:03:42]: Certainly being a vet is, it's had its challenges at times in terms of, you know, after hours duty and the toll it takes on your personal life. But in terms of the variety of the job and feeling like you can actually make a difference to animals' lives and the owners of those animals, I think it certainly fulfils all those things.

Being an owner of a practice or a business owner is a different path altogether and that has its own challenges. So just sticking to the veterinary profession as such, being a vet is a great career choice and, yeah, I don't know what else I would have wanted to do.

Julie South [00:04:16]: You said that you came back to the Hawke's Bay, so that would have been a choice. What is so fantastic about living in the Hawke's Bay?

Jason Clark [00:04:28]: When I was studying as an older student, I was married to my wife and she grew up in the Hawke's Bay, so she had family here. So we used to come back here to visit quite frequently during the time I was studying there. And I always loved coming here because you travel from Palmerston North up to the Hawke's Bay and the temperature would immediately go up 5 degrees and the sun would come out and it'd be by the sea, lots of rolling green, rural areas.

I like being outdoors. There was lots of outdoor activity. You had the coastline. It just had a nice relaxed vibe with the best of town and country.

Julie South [00:05:01]: You've brought up a family in the Hawke's Bay.

Jason Clark [00:05:03]: One of the things that also impresses me is a lot of people who grew up in the Hawke's Bay tend to go away, but so many of them actually come back here to have their families and raise their families. And I can see why. You know, there's plenty of good schools, the environment is great in terms of the climate and the activities that the kids can do that doesn't have the hustle and bustle of a big city. So, you know, if you want that sort of laid back, relaxed environment for your kids, this is the place.

Julie South [00:05:29]: Talking about hustle and bustle, what would your commute time from home to work be?

Jason Clark [00:05:34]: I think it's terrible. I have to travel 15 minutes to get from my front door to work.

Julie South [00:05:39]: Do you have to go through any traffic lights?

Jason Clark [00:05:42]: Yes. When I turn onto the expressway, I go through one traffic light and sometimes it might take me a minute to actually get into the flow. So it might add an extra minute on to my 15 minutes and I get really annoyed about that.

Julie South [00:05:53]: I can imagine, yeah. Aucklanders, if you are listening, or I guess anybody, not necessarily an Aucklander, but in New Zealand we joke about Aucklanders' traffic. If you're listening to this and you think that you might be looking for another job as a vet, and you only want 15 minutes, here's one to be talking about.

You are looking for another vet. As a vet yourself, as a clinic owner, what type of vet do you think would fit best into your clinic and your culture?

Jason Clark [00:06:31]: We've learned a little bit the hard way, I guess, over the past few years that having the right team and the right people who fit into that team and who are team players is way better than having someone who's perfect at everything. What the team achieves together is really what we're all about.

So we've invested a lot of time in making sure our staff know why they're here. We give them all the tools they need to be able to do their job properly. We've invested in a lot of good equipment. We've also invested in a nice modern clinic that is a pleasure to work in. So it's quite a wraparound really. And we think if we've got a happy team, everything else will follow from that, so that's really where we try and focus a lot of our efforts.

Julie South [00:07:11]: You're looking for somebody with leadership potential or experience, is that correct?

Jason Clark [00:07:18]: Yeah. What we're really missing at the moment in our small animal companion animal team is someone with the experience and depth to kind of lead that team or mentor some of the younger ones coming through.

Julie South [00:07:28]: You've put people through the Lincoln Institute, which is for listeners who have no idea what that is. I will put a link in the show notes, but it's a personal professional leadership career development programme. What did you get out of that, Jason?

Jason Clark [00:07:48]: We actually evolved from a very small practice down a back street to a medium sized business on a main road. And when we went from one to the other, we basically had no protocols or procedures in place. We used to just lean out the door and call down the hall if you wanted to communicate with someone.

We're now in a big building with several floors and finding people and communication is a real big issue. And having all those protocols and things written down and holding people accountable to how we operate and do things is really where Lincoln has given us a big step up in making sure that we're doing what we say we want to do and putting all those protocols in place.

We consult the team and all the relevant members and say, this is what we're proposing. What feedback do you have? So everyone has a collaborative go at making sure it's what we want to do as a team. And then once we've signed that off, we start doing that in practice.

Julie South [00:08:46]: How does that work when you've got lots of different ideas coming into the mix and you need to choose, obviously.

Jason Clark [00:08:55]: As the directors, director team, there's three of us. We have the final say on how things are going to go within the business, but we certainly make sure that we show everyone what we're intending to do. We'll put out a draft version of a protocol, for example, and quite often those suggestions for having protocols has come from the staff themselves. How do we do this? How do we do it consistently?

So we'll let everyone have a read of it, gather any feedback from everyone, and then we'll measure that against what our mission and objectives is for the business as a whole and we make a decision based on that.

Julie South [00:09:27]: I'm going to put you on the spot. Do you have an example of an idea that's come from your team that you've put into place?

Jason Clark [00:09:36]: One of the examples I can think of is all our protocols around euthanasia, which is obviously a very emotional process for clients and also for the staff as well. A number of the staff involved in those procedures wanted to make sure that it was being done gold standard, I guess, in terms of how the industry would like to see it, and also in a way that shows empathy for the clients and the animals that are going through it.

They got a proposal together and wrote a procedure and we all ratified it. And that's kind of how we approach it now. So we like to think that we do euthanasia really well. And it is one of those things that people certainly remember about you.

Julie South [00:10:15]: What changed in your procedures, what was different from before and after?

Jason Clark [00:10:21]: There was a variety of different ways people used. People like to sedate with different drugs. Some people came from, certainly older vets came from an environment where they didn't sedate at all. We just used to inject into a vein. Now we always sedate beforehand. We have a special room that we do them in, which is comforting to the clients.

We have a procedure and a consent process we go through with the client and everything's fully explained to them before we actually start doing what we're doing. And they have the time afterwards to do a bit of grieving and say goodbye to their pet.

Jason Clark [00:10:56]: We also have a little spot right by our front door which has got a little candle and a little rainbow that we light with a little message saying, we're just sending an animal over the rainbow bridge. Can you please be quiet and respectful while we do that? And that, again, that came from the team members. So people coming into the building actually know when those sort of things are happening. And it just kind of gives it a nice feel and makes sure everyone knows that's what's going on.

Julie South [00:11:19]: That's a sad day. What does a good day look like? According to Jason, a good day is.

Jason Clark [00:11:25]: Always about feeling like you're doing good work. That good work can be euthanasias. I mean, quite often the animals that come in to have that process done, they're suffering and they just need to be looked after in that way. So that's certainly not a negative with the right type of animal.

Good days also involve doing things like fixing broken bones, things that, you know, have a, you know, most of the time you can actually do well and the animal is going to heal well. Doing caesareans, great. Pulling out puppies and having little squirming bundles afterwards and happy owners. All those.

Jason Clark [00:12:02]: All those feel good things that, you know, the client comes in worried about their pet, you can actually provide them with a solution, and they go away just thinking, that was great service and my animal's been really well looked after and I love that clinic.

Julie South [00:12:18]: And talking about your clients, how would you describe them?

Jason Clark [00:12:21]: We've tried to cultivate clients that appreciate good service. Some clients are very cost focused. We've tried to move away from that and we charge what we think are reasonable prices, but at the same time, we really focus on providing great service with that. So I think over time, our clientele has moved more towards those who really appreciate the fact that we do actually do the best for their animal. We actually care.

Julie South [00:12:48]: You talked just now about fixing broken bones. If somebody was listening to this and I don't know, had an interest, say a special interest, not a capital S specialist, had an interest in ophthalmology or dermatology, would you be able to support and develop that with them?

Jason Clark [00:13:12]: I think that's again, one of the things we've developed through the Lincoln Institute programme is actually providing quite a good tier system in terms of how people progress through the business. Not everyone can be a manager of a team or necessarily be an owner, but they can all develop themselves professionally in terms of I have a special interest in doing this.

So if I put forward a proposal to you about an additional service or an additional specialisation that we can provide, would you be happy for me to support that learning? And nine times out of 10 we'll absolutely do that. One of our employees has been with us for a few years now. She had a special interest in herbal medicine, an alternative type medicine. And she's actually progressed that to the point now where she's offering that service as part of our offering, but also she runs it as a private service under her own banner. So that's been something we've been happy to support.

Jason Clark [00:14:03]: But in all cases, we want them to actually find what their niche is. And if they can develop that in line with the objectives of the business, we're right behind them.

Julie South [00:14:12]: We've talked a little bit about your clients. Are you involved in the community in any way? And if so, what does that look like?

Jason Clark [00:14:21]: On the large animal side, I work with a lot of our farming clients and a lot of them do a lot of dog trialling. So we quite often will sponsor a lot of their regional dog trial competitions, which they have every year. We also support the Hawke's Bay Dog Trialling Club, which is kind of the umbrella group for all those little regional ones. So every year we sponsor them and they have our banner there, and we go along and watch some of the events, and a lot of them are our clients as well. So we do our best to try and back them in that sport.

Carbon neutral recycling, we certainly recycle as much as we can in terms of separating out different types of recycling. And we try and minimise wastage wherever we can, because that certainly fits with running a business as well. So those sort of initiatives are certainly there. As to whether we focus on that above other things, I'd have to say no at this stage, but it's one of those things that we are.

Jason Clark [00:15:24]: We're focusing on our staff and providing good service first. And that comes as an add on as we progress towards those goals.

Julie South [00:15:35]: What's your most exciting piece of kit?

Jason Clark [00:15:38]: Most exciting piece of kit would probably have to be my calving pulley, because I love doing calvings, don't always like using my pulley on really hard ones. But having all that gear there and knowing that nine times out of 10, you can get a calf out that the farmer can't and you're actually going to save most of the time the cow or the heifer. Can't always save the calf, but when you can get both a healthy cow and a healthy calf at the end of it, that's a really good day.

Julie South [00:16:05]: The new team member that you're looking for is small animal. What do you think would excite them about what you've got?

Jason Clark [00:16:13]: I think the great thing about coming into our building is, firstly, just looking around our building. We've spent a lot of time and money on making sure it's as modern and fit for purpose as we can. It's big. We've got a lovely staff room upstairs where we look out over the local sale yards. Everything's clean and spacious and we've invested a lot in equipment, so we've got all the diagnostic gear and a lot of little toys there that people seem to appreciate when they come in that others don't. We've certainly invested in things that will make a good working environment and keep staff happy and challenged and able to do the best job they can.

Julie South [00:16:48]: As a veterinarian, if you can just put on a small animal hat right now, how would you describe the calibre of your nurses that small animal veterinarians work with?

Jason Clark [00:16:59]: I think a great nursing team is absolutely essential to be able to provide a good service. They're the backbone of everything we, as vets, do. If you don't have your nursing team on board with what you're trying to achieve, a veterinarian's job just becomes so much harder and takes so much longer.

And I think in order to be able to provide that good level of service for clients and to make sure their animals are cared for and they understand they're being cared for, you need to have a nursing team that displays all those caring attributes and actually shows the client that that's what they're doing.

Nurses love to post pictures and comments and things on our Facebook page about patients that they love. And they have their regulars that come in that they know well and they always make a big fuss of them. So nurses, again, you can't function without them. So you'd be a silly vet to think that you run the show.

Jason Clark [00:17:50]: It's the nurses who run the show.

Julie South [00:17:51]: No comment. There is, I do know quite a few rather mature vets who went through Massey before nursing was even a thing, and actually don't work very well with nurses because they're used to doing everything themselves. So that was why I asked that question.

Jason, is there anything that you would especially like somebody who's maybe sort of, you know, I don't know whether this clinic is for me or not. I don't know whether I want to change jobs. I'm okay where I am right now. What would you like them to know?

Jason Clark [00:18:31]: I think VetsOne as a practice, really provides a good home for people. And I think a lot of our staff, it's their forever home now. They love living in the Hawke's Bay. We're a good employer who looks after our staff. A lot of the cases we get are challenging enough to keep people interested. We have the right tools that people don't necessarily feel like they can't do what they need to do. So they come away with a good sense of job satisfaction and knowing they've done the best they can. And it's just a great place to live and work in the Hawke's Bay.

Jason Clark [00:19:00]: So I would encourage you, certainly, even if you want to just come and have a look at our practice and spend some time with us, we'd be very happy to have you and welcome you with open arms. So look forward to meeting you.

Julie South [00:19:12]: If I was to ask you for three words to describe your practice, your clinic, what would they be?

Jason Clark [00:19:18]: I'd have to refer back to our mission statement. There's four, actually. Professionalism, advocacy, communication and teamwork. That's the four words that we work by.

Julie South [00:19:29]: How does that actually live out in real life in your clinic?

Jason Clark [00:19:32]: We actually spend a lot of time in some of our team meetings reminding ourselves that that's what those, that's what we, you know, that's our vision, actually asking them, how do you think, what things do we actually need to do to make sure we are upholding what we say we're going to do?

So we actually review that quite a few times, and actually, we have related those back to the things that people do every day. So I think we try and make that a living, breathing set of values that we have and the staff will know what they are.

Julie South [00:20:01]: Advocacy, I presume, means for the patient, is that right?

Jason Clark [00:20:05]: Absolutely. Advocacy from the point of view that we always recommend what we think is best for the animal. So we'll start with, well, this is my animal. This is exactly what I would do. Client says, I don't want to do that, or, look, I just can't afford that. Then we will work with them to find the next best solution which will meet the needs of both them and their animal. But our first starting point is always, what do we need to do? Gold standard to help this animal. That's advocacy.

Julie South [00:20:31]: If I asked you to choose just one thing that you are most proud of your team for, what would that be?

Jason Clark [00:20:41]: I'm proud of our team for how adaptable and flexible they've become in the face of certainly going from a much smaller team to a much bigger team. And all the procedures and protocols that we've been bombarding them with in the last few years as we've gone through that transition process.

You know, they've been uncomfortable with some of the things we've had to do, but they've just picked those up and they can see how that's benefiting our patients and our clients, and they just make it work. And they come back to us and they know they can come back to us with feedback and alternative solutions, and we'll always consider those and implement them if it fits with what we're doing.

Julie South [00:21:20]: Examples of when teams pull together are usually when there's stress. A couple of years ago, the Hawke's Bay had a weather event. Were you in your new premises then? How was that?

Jason Clark [00:21:38]: Yeah, that was an interesting time. A lot of us couldn't actually get to the clinic. Because I live in, the clinic's in Hastings and there's two rivers between me and the business. The bridges were out, we couldn't get there. But there were staff who were living on the Hastings side who actually came into the clinic, checked everything was still functioning and actually started running the business.

There was none of the directors were actually there, but they were on site, actually providing a service. We even had some of them staying overnight because all the communications were down.

Jason Clark [00:22:08]: Clients couldn't actually ring us. So we were worried that there was going to be patients coming in at any time or late at night. So we actually had vets who were sleeping there overnight in case someone turned up with an emergency that needed to be dealt with. So it was a challenging time for everyone, but certainly it brought out the best in people and we were really proud of how the team responded to that.

Julie South [00:22:26]: When you were saying that they stepped up before that, I thought that it would have happened then as well.

Jason Clark [00:22:33]: Yep, those sort of challenging events certainly are what pull a team together. And the same thing happened during COVID which I'm sure everyone else appreciated as well. And we had to isolate and work in bubbles. Teams that we had to split into became very close. And yes, it was just a sense of we just need to get this done and we're just going to work to get it done.

Julie South [00:22:56]: You've just heard Dr Jason Clark describe how VetsOne develops protocols collaboratively and what the three directors prioritise as owners. But as Jason himself said, it's the nurses who run the show and the operations team that makes the systems actually function.

In the next episode, we have Amanda, who will take you through 34 years of evolution at VetsOne, from the previous owners through to the current three directors. You'll hear what changed when they invested in the Lincoln Institute training, how the team actually works together on the ground, and what VetsOne means when it talks about generosity of thought and generosity of time. Their operating ethos that turns team support from concept into daily operational reality. That's coming up in episode 1008.

Continuing our VetsOne employer of choice series to find the position details, including salary range, leadership development support and team structure.

Julie South [00:24:05]: For the small animal position at VetsOne, head on over to vetclinicjobs.com/VetsOne. Until next time, this is Julie South signing off and inviting you to consider what genuine collaboration actually looks like in action. Because the difference between saying you value team input and actually building systems around it might just be the difference between a job and a career home.

Referenced URLs:

• https://vetclinicjobs.com/VetsOne
• https://veterinaryvoices.com
• tania@vetclinicjobs.com
• lizzie@vetclinicjobs.com