Vet Clinic Employer of Choice: VetsOne - Hawke's Bay NZ - Vet Nurse Dana | ep.1011

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 1011. Veterinary Voices is brought to you by Vet clinic jobs. Build your employer brand. Do your own recruitment. Continuing our Vets one Employer of Choice series, today we meet Dana, a veterinary nurse who relocated from Central Otago in New Zealand's south island to the Hawke's Bay in the north island back in 2023, specifically for this position at Vets One. In this conversation, you're going to hear what it's like moving 1300 kilometres. That's over 800 miles in the old language for a veterinary nursing role, how Dana experiences between privately owned and corporate clinic structures and the practical realities of weekly role rotations and daily vet pairings that create variety for both nurses and vets.

Julie South [00:01:12]:
You'll also hear Dana's perspective on what makes a good day at work, why she values the multi parameter monitor as essential equipment, and what kind of person she thinks fits into a team that genuinely wants to know each other. Vets one, in Hastings in New Zealand's Hawke's Bay, is currently looking for their next small animal veterinarian. Specifically someone with leadership potential or experience who wants to help guide their companion animal team. Now let's join the chat with Dana.

Dana [00:01:51]:
My name is Dana and I'm from the south island and I moved to Hawke's Bay about a year and a half ago for this job.

Julie South [00:01:58]:
Is this your first job?

Speaker C [00:01:59]:
First nursing job?

Dana [00:02:01]:
No.

Speaker C [00:02:01]:
What brought you to the Hawke's Bay from the South Island? It's a long way from home.

Dana [00:02:06]:
Mostly just a bit of a life change. My first four years of my career I worked in the South Island. Some of that was in Central Otago and a small stint in Christchurch as well. I grew up in Central Otago and I have spent most of my life in Central and I was just ready for a bit of a change, just for my own personal growth, to see a bit more of the country and meet some people.

Julie South [00:02:30]:
And I wouldn't have picked up your.

Speaker C [00:02:32]:
Accent as a central accent. I would have picked it up as a Southland accent. Because you roll your R's.

Dana [00:02:40]:
Yeah, yeah. Originally I am from Southland, born and bred in Invercargill, but moved to Alexandria when I was 6 and yet have been in Alexandria ever since.

Speaker C [00:02:49]:
You still got that Southland?

Dana [00:02:51]:
Yeah, it's very strong.

Speaker C [00:02:53]:
So you've been in the Hawke's Bay for 18 months?

Dana [00:02:57]:
Yeah.

Speaker C [00:02:57]:
What's. What was it like coming to a place? Did you know anybody when you moved there?

Dana [00:03:04]:
I knew about three people before Moving here maybe four not super close friends, but have become closer since. But yeah, it was. It was quite hard to begin with. Yeah, it's all about kind of getting involved in things in the community and at work. As soon as you kind of start working and you start meeting people through people from work or if you're into any sports. Yeah, it definitely gets easier. I think there's lot of opportunity for social kind of events and sports and stuff and Hawke's Bay. So, yeah, there's definitely lots out there.

Dana [00:03:37]:
So, yeah, I've managed to. To make a good friend group.

Speaker C [00:03:41]:
You would have found the weather completely different. The climate.

Dana [00:03:45]:
Yeah.

Speaker C [00:03:45]:
From Invercargill. How have you maximized the. What I would say is a much nicer climate in the Hawke's Bay?

Dana [00:03:55]:
It's quite good because I'm a person who likes to get out and about and exercise and go out walking. So the winters in Hawke's Bay to me are very mild. The temperature is a lot warmer than what it is down south, especially in Central Otago. So it's quite good being able to get out and still go out for my walks and exercise and see the sun, you know, whereas in Central Otago during the winters you don't see the sun for about two weeks on end and, you know, sub zero temperatures just about every day. And yeah, it's. It can be quite tough on your mental health if you're a person that likes to get out and exercise. So I think that was probably one of the biggest things for me is being able to actually get out and about and enjoy the sunshine a bit more than a Central Otago winter would bring.

Speaker C [00:04:41]:
As a vet nurse with really well developed nursing skills, how do you find that those skills are respected and utilised in Clinic at Vets?

Dana [00:04:55]:
1 yeah, I definitely feel respected as a vet nurse here. I feel quite valued and that my role is looked at quite highly. All from the vets that I work with, management and. Yeah. Higher up. Yeah, I just feel a lot of that value. Yeah. From them.

Speaker C [00:05:15]:
What does a good day look like for you?

Dana [00:05:18]:
A good day, a steady workflow. A team that's working really well together. So that's including the nursing team and then your vet to nurse team. Because usually you're put in a peer with a vet and a nurse and also out the front when, you know, communication's gone well and everything's gone smoothly, the clients are happy, my patients are happy, procedures have gone well with little to no complications. That's a pretty good day to me in my books.

Speaker C [00:05:47]:
Do you get to Rotate. You said that you are paired up. Do you get to rotate with different vets?

Dana [00:05:52]:
Yes. Yeah. So for the nurses we are on a different role each week, so for the week we are on one role. So for example, this week I'm on dentals, so I'll be monitoring dental anesthetics for the week this week. But the vet positions change every day, so. Yeah, you're working with a different vet every day, basically.

Speaker C [00:06:13]:
What's your favorite procedure?

Dana [00:06:14]:
I really like being in surgery and monitoring anaesthetics. I don't know if I have a favorite procedure as such, but something that's a bit of a challenge more than just kind of your routine desexings and dentals. Just. Yeah, something that's a little bit more than just a routine. Yeah, that can get my brain ticking a bit and I like a bit of a challenge. Challenging anesthetic and. Yeah. Challenging procedure.

Speaker C [00:06:40]:
What would you describe as your favorite piece of kit? If you could choose one piece of tech or equipment in clinic? What's your favourite and why?

Dana [00:06:55]:
Probably our multi parameter for monitoring our anesthetics. I just think it holds a lot of value. It's probably the most important part of an anesthetic is being able to record all those parameters so that you know that you're running your anaesthetic safely. I would say that's probably my. My favourite or most valued piece of equipment.

Speaker C [00:07:20]:
Are you part of the Lincoln program at Vets one?

Dana [00:07:24]:
Yes, I am.

Speaker C [00:07:25]:
What's that been like for you?

Julie South [00:07:26]:
What have you.

Speaker C [00:07:27]:
How. How have you enjoyed it or not? How have you felt like you've grown?

Dana [00:07:34]:
I personally feel like it's been really great in my personal life and at work. Yeah, there's a lot of things that I've taken of it that, yeah, I use on a daily basis at home and at work and. Yeah, I just think it's been really great. I've learned a lot about myself, I've learned a lot about others. How other people communicate and how other people work. Yeah, just other people's personalities. Yeah. And how that can all kind of connect in together.

Dana [00:08:01]:
I personally think it's been really, really good.

Speaker C [00:08:04]:
Are you able to give me a specific example of what you've taken from work and applied it to home?

Dana [00:08:09]:
One thing that comes to mind is difficult conversations, just learning how to approach difficult conversations or difficult topics, you know, topics of conflict, those types of things.

Speaker C [00:08:22]:
What sort of person? I'm hearing that the sense of humour is very well developed inside Vets one.

Dana [00:08:34]:
Yes.

Speaker C [00:08:35]:
You would agree?

Dana [00:08:37]:
Yes, definitely.

Speaker C [00:08:38]:
What sort of person do you think would fit. What sort of vet do you think would fit best inside vets?

Dana [00:08:46]:
1. Someone that can banter with us, Someone that wants to be social as well, and someone who wants to be a part of the team. Like, we're all very much team players. Yeah. And we do like to kind of know and be kind of involved, not fully involved in each other's personal lives, but we like to, like, get to know each other and I feel like that makes us work together better when we know each other a bit better. So. Yeah, someone who's willing to kind of get to know us or we would like to get to know them and really just be a part of the team.

Speaker C [00:09:20]:
You've worked at how many clinics? At least two.

Dana [00:09:24]:
Yep. So this is my third workplace.

Speaker C [00:09:26]:
Yeah.

Dana [00:09:26]:
Third.

Speaker C [00:09:26]:
Okay.

Dana [00:09:27]:
Yep.

Julie South [00:09:27]:
How does this one compare from a.

Speaker C [00:09:30]:
Facility setup wise to other clinics that you've worked at?

Dana [00:09:35]:
Vets? One is privately owned. Clinics that I've worked at in the past have been corporate. There's quite big differences with, you know, those two. I kind of like how working for a more privately owned business, you feel a little bit more like a family member. And I feel a lot more seen and valued rather than just a number, which is how I felt in the past. Yeah, I just. I feel a lot more valued, I think, just because we're a smaller knit group.

Speaker C [00:10:08]:
Have you put any ideas to management that have been accepted?

Dana [00:10:13]:
What do you mean by that? Sorry?

Speaker C [00:10:14]:
That you've seen an idea. We could do this in the clinic and you've put it to the management team and they've said, yep, great idea, let's do that. Have you done anything like that?

Dana [00:10:25]:
Yeah, we all. We all have. Okay.

Julie South [00:10:27]:
Can you shim your.

Speaker C [00:10:28]:
What you've. Your ideas and how. And how that was received by the team and then what. What the outcome has been and how it's been, how it's worked.

Dana [00:10:39]:
Yeah, the whole team has had lots of ideas that we quite often are coming to management with or. Yeah, the directors with. And yeah, they're taken really well by the directors and management. They're quite open to ideas and suggestions.

Speaker C [00:10:56]:
Yeah.

Dana [00:10:56]:
And a lot of these ideas are being used currently. Yeah, it's just really nice that we kind of feel heard and seen and our ideas are heard and seen. It just. Yeah. Makes us all feel. Feel really valued.

Speaker C [00:11:08]:
What are your clients like?

Dana [00:11:10]:
Our clients are pretty good. Yeah. We don't tend to have lots of. Yeah. Kind of conflict or anything. Like.

Julie South [00:11:22]:
You'Ve just heard Dana describe relocating from Central Otago to Hawke's Bay for this veterinary nursing position, the contrast that she experiences between privately owned and corporate clinic structures, and the weekly roll rotations that create variety in nursing work at Vets One. Coming up next, we meet Dr. Mike Newell, another of Vets One's three directors. Dr. Mike has been with the clinic for over 20 years as a production animal and equine veterinarian. You'll hear his perspective on what makes Vets one work from the ownership and the leadership side. That's coming up in episode 1012. A quick note about what you're hearing in this series this depth of employer brand storytelling, multiple team members, genuine stories, cultural specifics beyond just job requirements.

Julie South [00:12:19]:
This is what makes recruitment really work. 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'd actually fit. Vets1 isn't just posting a job ad hoping the right person sees it. They're showing veterinary professionals what working there genuinely looks like through real veterinary voices sharing real stories. That's employer brand marketing in action and why they attract people who actually want to work there. People who, as you're hearing, choose to work at Vets1. If you are responsible for recruitment at your clinic and thinking, yes, we have stories like that, but we don't know how to capture or share them, then please email me directly julietclinicjobs.com I'd be happy to talk about how we can help clinics build this kind of genuine and authentic employer brands through our real story framework.

Julie South [00:13:28]:
And if you're a veterinary professional considering your next career move, you can find the full position details for you to join this team@vetclinicjobs.com vetsone until next time, this is Julie south signing off and inviting you to go out there and be your most fantabulous self. Because, like Dana, you work in a clinic where you're valued as a person, not just a number.