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Julie South interviews Jocelyn Birch Baker of Smooth Operating Vets + High Street Veterinary Clinic in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia

Jocelyn’s vision at Smooth Operating Vets is to ensure all veterinary women have the opportunity to work in a team where everyone knows their talents and calmly does their very best in an encouraging and supporting place…. That women can return to veterinary practice after the birth of their babies with the skills, knowledge and confidence they need, to work in clinics that are supportive and flexible … where everyone works together - like a community - to achieve everyone’s goals. 

Over the course of her career, Jocelyn’s experienced many areas of the veterinary profession – from the cattle industry through to mixed and small animal clinics.  

She’s held positions on Australian national and state boards and committees and has taken time out of her career to raise her children.

Today, as the owner of High Street Veterinary Surgery in Rockhampton, Queensland, she’s had hands-on, day-to-day experience of what it’s like to be a practice owner in today’s veterinary marketplace.   

Jocelyn understands the complexities of running a profitable practice, while having an excellent lifestyle for herself and enabling everyone on her team to have excellent lifestyles too.

As the founder of Smooth Operating Vets, Jocelyn is working to create mother-friendly veterinary practices.   She believes that creating mother-friendly vet clinics is essential to help reduce the number of highly skilled veterinarians who leave the profession because they can’t find positions that support, nurture and respect them as veterinarians and mothers.

In this episode she talks about buying her practice – and then not long after she bought it two vets and a few nurses resigned …  Jocelyn’s first foray into recruitment to replace her departing staff was to do what everyone else does because that’s what she thought she had to do … but then she realised she didn’t need to do it that way at all – because “that” way doesn’t work.

The way Jocelyn now recruits, together with the systems and procedures she’s put in place, is non-traditional but it works.   This is what Smooth Operating Vets is all about.

Struggling to get results from your job advertisements?
If so, then shining online as a good employer is essential to attracting the types of veterinary professionals who're a perfect cultural fit for your clinic.

The VetClinicJobs job board is the place to post your next job vacancy - to find out more get in touch with Lizzie at VetClinicJobs

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This week Massey University Veterinary Science students asked Julie South questions relating to their first job interview & recruitment.

The questions asked were: 

Why should we go through a recruitment agency when we can get a job ourselves – doesn’t it just cost the clinic more to use an agency and won’t they then hold that against us?   Is it money they could have paid us instead?

Is it okay to ask about salary at the job interview?

I've heard from several vets over the course of my placements comment that they found an experienced vet at their first job to mentor them, and that they partially based their first job decision on that. 

How should I go about this? 

Is this a common thing new grad vets think about? 

Is it important or crucial to my development as a new grad? 

How do you balance finding a good first job with your partner's limited work locations?

How would you approach asking a clinic you've done placement at if a job might be available? (When they're not advertising a position currently) 

What things should I look out for when applying for jobs/employment contracts? 

Are there any hidden things that would be good to know? 

If something stated in your contract is broken by either party, does that void the contract and should a new one be written up? 

how to express your interest in a job vacancy while on placement!

 and when to ask about pay rate, i.e. in first interview? 

What are some ways I can ask my employer for a raise in salary? 

What are some ways that we as new grads can negotiate for a better starting salary during the job recruitment process?   

When you are looking for your first job, how do you figure out what you're worth? 

 And how do you ensure you end up in a job where they recognize your worth (financially and recognising your abilities)? 

If you have an offer early in 5th year for a job that looks like a sweet deal, could you hold onto that position while waiting to see if any better offers come up? 

If so, what is a good way to reply to the firsts original offer? 

I started sending my CVs to different clinics and then called you, but you told me you can’t help me – I’m on my own – why is that?

Other podcast references:

Episode #019 - Employee Attraction and Retention

Episode #022 - Power Negotiating Tips - "Never Split the Difference" by Chris Voss

Episode #026 - Questions you can and cannot ask at job interviews and at work

Blog article:  the difference between Trial Periods and Probati

Struggling to get results from your job advertisements?
If so, then shining online as a good employer is essential to attracting the types of veterinary professionals who're a perfect cultural fit for your clinic.

The VetClinicJobs job board is the place to post your next job vacancy - to find out more get in touch with Lizzie at VetClinicJobs

Send us a text

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE - EQ - part 2 (of 2)

Strategies to become more emotionally intelligent

6 ways emotionally intelligent people lead

#1 – Learn more about the inner workings of YOU

#2 – Get an honest & objective assessment of YOU – from people you trust who’ll tell you how you are, not how you want to be

#3 – Journal & Track – discover cause & effect

# 4 – Listen

#5 – Putting yourself in the other person’s shoes

#6 – open yourself up

NB: in the podcast I talk about my own experiences of "honest and objective feedback", "listening" and "opening myself up"

Struggling to get results from your job advertisements?
If so, then shining online as a good employer is essential to attracting the types of veterinary professionals who're a perfect cultural fit for your clinic.

The VetClinicJobs job board is the place to post your next job vacancy - to find out more get in touch with Lizzie at VetClinicJobs

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Today we’re looking at emotional intelligence (EQ) and how essential having a high EQ score is to your professional and personal success and development.

In today’s workplace - workplace performance and career success, and even employee health, which were once thought to be a function of someone’s IQ – or intelligence quotient - are, in fact, tied in with EQ – or someone’s emotional intelligence.

If you’re unfamiliar with EQ - it’s each person’s ability to recognise, understand, and manage their emotions and those of others. The emotional Intelligence Quotient (EQ) is the measure of that ability.

That’s what today’s podcast is all about.   Developing and improving your EQ will not only help your personal relationships and life but will also dramatically improve your professional life as well.   

VetStaff
leading veterinary sector recruitment in New Zealand | veterinarians | locums | nurses

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Struggling to get results from your job advertisements?
If so, then shining online as a good employer is essential to attracting the types of veterinary professionals who're a perfect cultural fit for your clinic.

The VetClinicJobs job board is the place to post your next job vacancy - to find out more get in touch with Lizzie at VetClinicJobs

Send us a text

Has the idea of volunteering your amazing veterinary skills - either as a veterinarian or veterinary nurse - kinda got you a little bit excited?

If so, then Dr Yvonne Clark's experiences - on beautiful holiday-resort islands - Sardinia in the Mediterranean and Rarotonga in the South Pacific - will give you a bit of an insight into what volunteering is like.

Dr Yvonne Clark is a companion animal veterinarian who originally qualified in Australia.

She's worked in the UK, Australia, Sardinia, NZ and the Cook Islands.

She talks about some of the differences and similarities of working in New Zealand compared to other countries.

She also talks a little bit about what it's like as a locum companion animal veterinarian.

VetStaff
leading veterinary sector recruitment in New Zealand | veterinarians | locums | nurses

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Struggling to get results from your job advertisements?
If so, then shining online as a good employer is essential to attracting the types of veterinary professionals who're a perfect cultural fit for your clinic.

The VetClinicJobs job board is the place to post your next job vacancy - to find out more get in touch with Lizzie at VetClinicJobs

Send us a text

15 signs it’s time to change jobs + 4 next steps

1.       By the time Sunday night comes around, you’re in “dread mode” – you dread going to work on Mondays

2.       Time drags – you struggle to immerse yourself and be in the zone like you used to

3.       Little things start getting you down and you no longer believe in the clinic like you used to … favouritism, perhaps things don’t get fixed fast – it’s always been like that but now it starts to get you down … there’s never any money for upgrades – that didn’t bother you before but now it’s really starting to grind you down.

4.       There’s no sense of team or unity and it feels like everything is about to implode.  There’s no leadership – everyone’s pulling in different directions and/or allowed to get away with blue murder – tardiness, not following SOPs, lateness, questionable ethics, bullying

5.       You feel like you’re not growing professionally and there’s little chance of anything changing in the near future.  You could do your current role with your hands tied behind your back and blindfolded – there’s no longer the challenge of growing and/or doing better

6.       You feel invisible …unappreciated… taken for granted

7.       Technology is advancing but you’re getting left behind

8.       You have to fight and argue for CPD investment 

9.       Your life is totally out of balance

10.   You no longer feel you’re being recompensed / rewarded for what you’re doing – on-call, a/h, etc

11.   You often think things like “what’s the point?”, “why do I bother?” “what’s going to change?”, “why am I here?”

12.   You see others getting ahead, getting the good jobs, getting the CPD but you’re being left behind

13.   Your role has slowly morphed into something you don’t like / want to do and you have no idea how that happened … little tweaks over time and you’re where you are now

14.   You’ve noticed an uptake in your personal life of things that don’t support you in being the best you can be:  weight gain / excessive loss, smoking, drugs, alcohol, depression, apathy, and other self-destructive behaviours

15.   Even if your salary was increased by 50% or 100% you’d still feel the same way about what you’re doing / where you’re doing it

Listen to this episode to determine your four next steps if you can relate to any of the above.

VetStaff
leading veterinary sector recruitment in New Zealand | veterinarians | locums | nurses

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Struggling to get results from your job advertisements?
If so, then shining online as a good employer is essential to attracting the types of veterinary professionals who're a perfect cultural fit for your clinic.

The VetClinicJobs job board is the place to post your next job vacancy - to find out more get in touch with Lizzie at VetClinicJobs

Send us a text

The WHAT, WHY, WHEN & HOW to conduct EXIT INTERVIEWS at your Veterinary Clinic

Questions to ask at Exit Interviews

1. What is their reason for leaving?
2. Do you feel you had opportunities for growth or promotion within this clinic?
3. How well do you believe your work was recognised and appreciated?
4. Do you feel you were given adequate training and assistance?
5. How fairly were the rosters / after hours / on call requirements distributed among you and other veterinarians / peers?
6. Working conditions and culture?
7. Workplace policies?
8. Tools and equipment?
9. How do you feel you were treated by the lead vet / your manager?
10. What did you enjoy most about working here?
11. Have you been thinking about this for a while?   What could we have done differently?
12. What was the one-thing that finally brought about your decision to leave?
13. What do you think would make this clinic a better place to work?

VetStaff
leading veterinary sector recruitment in New Zealand | veterinarians | locums | nurses

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Struggling to get results from your job advertisements?
If so, then shining online as a good employer is essential to attracting the types of veterinary professionals who're a perfect cultural fit for your clinic.

The VetClinicJobs job board is the place to post your next job vacancy - to find out more get in touch with Lizzie at VetClinicJobs

Send us a text

Asking good quality questions gets you good quality answers

In this episode you'll discover 15 questions veterinary clinics can ask job applicants to help them determine whether the new-hire will mess or mesh with your veterinary clinic team.

Determining and hopefully, matching clinic values, is imperative if you want your next new hire to mesh with your existing team.

The alternative is to hire someone who messes with your team - usually because of a total mis-match in values and integrity.

VetStaff
leading veterinary sector recruitment in New Zealand | veterinarians | locums | nurses

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Struggling to get results from your job advertisements?
If so, then shining online as a good employer is essential to attracting the types of veterinary professionals who're a perfect cultural fit for your clinic.

The VetClinicJobs job board is the place to post your next job vacancy - to find out more get in touch with Lizzie at VetClinicJobs

Send us a text

Gen Z are those grads who started entering the workforce a few years ago. 

They’re also called the i-Gen – as in iPad and iPhone and Zoomers. 

Generational “personalities”

Generational personalities don’t come so much from the actual year someone was born – or the span of years – but from events that a generation of people – a cohort – experience as they grow up at a certain time in society’s history.

It’s these significant events that shape the values of a cohort.  

It shapes how they live, work, and interact with others.   There’s always a huge and significant defining moment in time that starts a generation.

For example, Covid-19 will draw the line in the sand between the Zoomers and this new generation.   Maybe’ll it’ll be called Gen-C as in Covid.   

Today, though, I want to talk about Generation Z – sometimes known as the i-Generation.

Struggling to get results from your job advertisements?
If so, then shining online as a good employer is essential to attracting the types of veterinary professionals who're a perfect cultural fit for your clinic.

The VetClinicJobs job board is the place to post your next job vacancy - to find out more get in touch with Lizzie at VetClinicJobs

Send us a text

This is part 2 of my catch up with (retired) veterinarian Dr Bryan Gregor.

If you’ve been listening to my podcasts for the last 7 episodes or so, you’ll have heard me talk about the fan girl moment I had when Dr Bryan Gregor – show host of the VetPodcast called me out of the blue to talk ‘podcasting’.

The Vetpodcast and Paws Claws & Wet Noses have complementary audiences - plus we're both a bit geeky when it comes to things podcast-y.

As I’ve said a few times, The VetPodcast is where Paws Claws &  Wet Noses dreams of being when it grows up.

Today Bryan and I talk podcasting so if you’re thinking of starting your own podcast then this show is definitely for you.  

Your podcast can be about anything that interests you – it doesn’t have to be veterinary-based.

One of the things I’m regularly amazed at is the personal talent that exists inside a vet clinic in someone’s private lives.   Some people do absolutely amazing things.   They have really interesting hobbies and skills that have nothing to do with being a veterinary professional. 

In this show Bryan shares what life as a podcaster has been like for him.

He talks about being offered early shares in Twitter – way before the rest of us had even heard of Twitter and how he said no because he didn’t think such a crazy idea would take off!

He talks about the really interesting veterinarians he’s met and the different fields of expertise they work in.

The Vetpodcast is available wherever you get your podcasts from.

Links:

Podcast host https://vetpodcast.podomatic.com/

Website  https://vetpodcast.weebly.com/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/vetpodcast/?hl=en

Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/vetpodcast

Twitter  https://twitter.com/Vetpodcast

Linkedin  https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-vetpodcast

Bio Feed https://bio.fm/vetpodcast

Squadcast: https://squadcast.fm/

Audacity https://www.audacityteam.org/

Struggling to get results from your job advertisements?
If so, then shining online as a good employer is essential to attracting the types of veterinary professionals who're a perfect cultural fit for your clinic.

The VetClinicJobs job board is the place to post your next job vacancy - to find out more get in touch with Lizzie at VetClinicJobs