Sustainable Veterinary Careers - SVC

06/03/2022

A few people have checked in recently, asking about how SVC is getting on. (Thankyou – it means a lot to know that people are interested, and keen to see innovative change.)
There’ve been some really good reasons for our radio silence…

1. We took some time off over the holiday period. Many of our (wholly-voluntary) team are immersed in the daily reality of practice, or supporting practices and students as well as family life, studying, renovating and serving the vet sector and their community in other ways. Spending hundreds of hours doing something you’re passionate about doesn’t make it any less tiring. We’ve always set out to model work sustainability as well as advocating and educating for it. So many of us found some mountains, sea, family, friends, rivers, backyards (and an upgrade to PhD – congrats Haidee!). We hope you’ve found ways to breathe a bit too.

2. We’ve been analysing the survey. You were amazing – over 2000 responses and sooo many suggestions and thoughts in the open text sections – and we want to do you justice. And for that reason we’ve decided to share the results in three sections, starting with who we are listening to (spoiler alert: all of you) and what builds your trust in an organisation and the resources it provides. Look out for the launch of this first tranche in the next few weeks. If you run a practice, a corporation, a consulting business, a university or a team (or you might want to in future), you might find some of data on establishing trust interesting.

3. We’ve been taking action. SVC didn’t run a survey to gather information for information’s sake; we want to build a key NFP that meets your needs. So the “back of house” stuff has been constant – putting in place all the things you’ve said you want such as Board diversity and competence, ways to have your representative say ongoingly, and transparent policies and processes so you know what SVC stands for and how decisions are made. Might not be sexy, but we mean to do this stuff right, from the start.

We’ll be sharing a video and also a report on the first tranche findings shortly. To get it delivered to your inbox, jump on to the Contact Us tab on our website https://sustainableveterinarycareers.org/contact/ and register your email, support, or anything else you’d like to do via the fillable form. There’ll also be additional information about our activities coming up on the website soon. Again thanks for your patience, support and voice. Here’s to making it happen!

08/11/2021

A MASSIVE Thankyou to the 2129 people across our Australian veterinary sector who completed SVC’s survey!!!

We’d suspected that like some of us, you were tired. Of surveys, of talk, and often, the status quo. But for a new, completely voluntary initiative to collect this many responses, including a huge volume of your ideas and perspectives? We’re blown away by gratitude for your time and effort!

So what’s equally clear is that like us, you’re energised - ready for innovation and efficient action. To that end, we’re already working through the results.

We’ll bring a report to the industry, so you can use the results in your own contexts. And at the same time, we’re building a representative, diverse and transparent organisation that brings together and funds the resources you’ve told us you want - to help yourself and others thrive.

We know there’s lots going on in this space and there’s no single silver bullet. But now, with your voice represented right from the start, SVC can play a vital role in bringing about lasting change. Thankyou - and watch this space 💪💪💪♥️♥️♥️

30/10/2021

Today’s your last chance to tell us what you think! Please share this post via your networks and encourage all your work colleagues and Vet/nursing/vet management/reception/student etc friends to build meaningful action via https://researchsurveys.deakin.edu.au/jfe/form/SV_0Gjh72evf7AXVhY

25/10/2021

Just days to go! If you've ever worked or studied in the Australian veterinary sector as a vet nurse, in customer care or management , or as a vet - have your say before/on October 31. Check out SVC, via https://youtu.be/EESb3BBbqyA - and do and share our survey below. Do you think veterinary drug retail prices could help support access and affordability of resources and education to help you and your team thrive? And what sorts of personal, management and public education would help you enjoy your veterinary work more? Be part of the change for better at https://researchsurveys.deakin.edu.au/jfe/form/SV_0Gjh72evf7AXVhY

The why, what and how of the Sustainable Veterinary Careers initiative

08/10/2021

HAPPY VET NURSE DAY!! To all the compassionate, smart, organised, slightly crazy, thoughtful, funny, empathetic, incredibly skilled and committed vet nurses, who make a world of difference to how their patients, vets and pet owners feel in the vet workplace. THANKYOU!!! We could not do this gig without you!

Which is why SVC ( https://youtu.be/EESb3BBbqyA) is working on something longer lasting than a cupcake in a clinic kitchen (though they're great too!). We think that by helping everyone access the right tools and knowledge, we can better prevent or respond to the stressful parts of our jobs, and create workplaces where nurses - and everyone else - can thrive.

Help us out by completing the 10 minute survey now at https://researchsurveys.deakin.edu.au/jfe/form/SV_0Gjh72evf7AXVhY
And we'll work on some light bulb cupcakes.....

02/10/2021

Maybe you’re in lockdown and you’re tired of star-studded Oscar winning movies 😉. Maybe you’re scoffing takeaway and coffee in your car before you walk into your Saturday night emergency or maybe you’re scrolling social media while wrangling wine, the new puppy, toddlers and dinner at the same time and in that order…

No matter what you’re up to, we invite you to take a moment to check out SVC’s brand new video, explaining what we’re about. Then tell us your thoughts - including any alternative models or ideas you’d like us to consider as part of this industry initiative, at

https://researchsurveys.deakin.edu.au/jfe/form/SV_0Gjh72evf7AXVhY

Thankyou to Hubert Hiemstra, Kellie Thomas, and Small Dog Design for their vision and expertise. 🤩

https://youtu.be/EESb3BBbqyA

The why, what and how of the Sustainable Veterinary Careers initiative

29/09/2021

One of SVC’s important components, to collate and subsidise or fund various resources, is the proposed levy - added to drug and/or consumable costs at wholesaler level, just like a small % freight cost, and passed onto clients within the retail cost of those items.

This % model accommodates inflation, expanding veterinary markets, and is conceptually supported by wholesalers we’ve spoken with to date. It allows a Sustainable source of funds to continue as long as there are veterinary clients, rather than being subject to legislation and/or public policy. And it empowers us, as professions and an industry, to build our own solutions, quickly.

The survey explores - among other things - your thoughts on the levy. Something to consider is whether you think that such a levy should be specifically disclosed to the clients, or whether it should just be encompassed within drug prices, just as freight costs are - as a necessary part of providing veterinary services. Tell us what you think about the levy, how it could be used and governed, at

https://researchsurveys.deakin.edu.au/jfe/form/SV_0Gjh72evf7AXVhY

10/09/2021

SVC's SURVEY IS LIVE!! https://researchsurveys.deakin.edu.au/jfe/form/SV_0Gjh72evf7AXVhY
Ever wished you could shape the future of veterinary work cultures?Or implement a national publicly-funded model to collate the best resources and programs to achieve that? Now's your time.

There’s a lot of talk about what contributes to the perceived shortage of vets and nurses, and dissatisfaction in the veterinary profession. Meanwhile, social scientists know a great deal about what motivates and satisfies people in work and life contexts. What if we could link the two?

The team behind Sustainable Veterinary Careers http://sustainableveterinarycareers.org/ aims to do just that, and we're asking everyone - at every career stage in every role within the animal health industry, including those who’ve moved on to other sectors – to tell us what you need and want to make the difference between surviving and thriving in vet. Would you support the proposed industry-wide funding model, and how do you think funds should be governed and used?

Survey participation (10-15 minutes, mainly "click the box") is completely voluntary and anonymous. The results of this ethics-approved survey (Deakin University approval number BL-EC 29 21) will be available to the entire industry. You’ll be able to use the information in your own contexts as well as contribute to a pan-professional solution.
Veterinary professionals – students, managers, teachers, customer care and nursing staff and veterinarians are warmly invited to click on https://researchsurveys.deakin.edu.au/jfe/form/SV_0Gjh72evf7AXVhY NOW to tell us what your veterinary future should include.

https://sustainableveterinarycareers.org/

10/09/2021

Tomorrow , something BIG is finally here….💪🎉

01/09/2021

WOO HOO!!!! Deakin University Ethics Approval for the SVC Survey attained today!

We're so proud that we can bring you an independently assessed questionnaire and process - something that sets SVC's survey apart from many others and demonstrates our commitment to getting this right, from the ground up.

Our sincere thanks to Dr Cathy Warburton (pictured), Emergency and critical care vet, manager, then founder and director of MakeHeadway coaching and contributor to many health and veterinary committees and working groups, for leading the survey development team. Cathy, like Dr Helen McGregor who also assisted the ethics application, "just wants to see a veterinary world where people can thrive."

The survey explores three key areas :
- would you support a wholesale levy, paid by public to support more sustainable veterinary careers?
-what non-technical resources and training and public education would you use (now or in future) to improve how you and others experience veterinary work?
-who should hold those purse strings and how should the money be allocated to resources?

This survey is the key to making wholesale change. Now all our months of pro-bono work relies on just 10 minutes of your time. So please, look out for it, share it with your friends and workmates and get it done. Your voice will change the veterinary world....for good.

I'll share the link shortly, along with some other exciting progress but I couldn't help sharing the smile immediately!

09/08/2021

Dr David Tabrett (BVSc, MANZCVS, PuMP, GAICD, MBPsych) is another valued contributor to the SVC team.

David is a veterinarian of 32 years, a practice founder and owner in Newcastle. He's served in long-standing roles in the AVA (currently on the NSW Executive) and ECC chapter of the College of Small Animal Medicine (currently Treasurer of the Council of ANZCVS), and holds a Master of Business Psychology degree. He's an AVA graduate mentor and also volunteers his time for advocacy and as an admin for the Australian Veterinary Network page.

We don't quite know how David has found time to also bring governance wisdom and business psychology nous to SVC's development, but we're incredibly grateful!

David's AICD knowledge will help guide SVC's governance set up currently underway. He's also generously volunteered to help develop and analyse the survey results to ensure SVC gets a clear picture of what you want for your veterinary future.

He’s a walking, talking example of how powerful it is when you bring many different pieces of the thriving vetpeople puzzle together! 💪💪🧠 (and he’s a good bloke😎) .

And if you have ways you'd like to work with the SVC team to develop a big picture solution, please do get in touch via PM :)

17/07/2021

Our SVC survey is just around the corner. And to avoid confusion: it’s not the AVA’s Superfriends one.

It might seem like we’ve been saying “it’s coming” for a while. So I wanted to explain a little more.

Because we believe there’s a big picture solution at hand, we’re working voluntarily to build a huge initiative alongside our other work and personal commitments, and that’s taken time. It’s then been tested and reviewed to make sure we use your precious time wisely.

Because we want the broadest input possible, we’d like to use the most comprehensive distribution channels possible. To access some of these, we need ethics approval, which is where our survey has been for the last few weeks. We thought it was worth the wait, to aim for even stronger data and a wider range of data uses, if it’s granted. We’re stoked that Deakin University’s MBA Director has lauded our approach and is assisting this process.

Like lockdowns for Victorians, surveys seem to come pretty constantly at the moment. It’s easy to think “really? Another one?”
Sometimes it feels like it’s time spent clicking, but not achieving change.

Now I’m on the other side, needing your support and thoughts to make a funding model happen, for a united effort for change, I just wanted to say, keep clicking, because it will change your vetting world.

Once SVC’s survey is released from Deakin’s ethics committee it’ll go live. And while there’s some alignment with others, there’s also a big difference. SVC’s is about action and practical solutions - bringing about the change we each want to be part of. It covers what YOU want to develop and have access to, but also HOW this can be achieved - through funding and great governance.

Completing all surveys that help us understand we are and where we need to go is worthwhile. And please, keep looking out for SVC’s soon - because evidence is vital, but action will change our world.

30/06/2021

Introducing another member of the SVC development team: Dr Haidee Gray (BVSc (Hons), DipCouns).

Haidee worked in clinical practice for 20 years and is now undertaking research in the area of veterinary career longevity and satisfaction as it relates to workplace culture, along with volunteering in advocacy roles. Haidee explains;

"When I started looking at what was out there in terms of veterinary support and advocacy I was surprised how many have been working on this behind-the-scenes, and for how long. However it appears that there hasn't been widespread translation of those efforts. Kate's approach with SVC is the most collaborative to date, and I strongly believe that to drive positive change across the profession there needs to be transparency and cohesion. With Kate's vision and leadership, SVC gives me hope that we can mold a profession that the next generations of vets can enjoy for life."

Amongst other things, Haidee has been part of the team developing the SVC survey. One part of the survey seeks to understand which types of "firewood" (knowledge and skills from existing initiatives and resources) YOU believe will spark improved capability, culture and satisfaction across our industry. It's your chance to build a trusted central platform for subsidised, stable, relevant and effective resources from a wide range of service providers and we can't wait to hear what you think...

Thankyou Haidee!

19/06/2021

"There is a growing movement for positive change. The elements to bring about these changes can be seen throughout the veterinary industry like pieces of firewood scattered throughout a field. What Sustainable Veterinary Careers is aiming to do is collect all the wood into a huge pile and hand out a box of matches."

- Dr Hubert Hiemstra, describing SVC perfectly in Dr Phil Tucak's Vet Practice magazine article this week.

In one word, SVC is an enabler: looking to improve the experience of being a vet or nurse by building every individual's understanding and capability to find and contribute to empowering workplaces.

We're aiming to enable greater reach and uptake of a comprehensive range of resources and programs from organisations across and beyond the industry to do this. Together, we're building a trusted, universally accessible, cohesive platform, shaped by the very people who live the veterinary life.

19/06/2021

Thankyou Drs Phil Tucak and Hubert Hiemstra for the great article in Vet Practice magazine this month. With our survey due to launch in 2 weeks we're really excited about industry input!

06/06/2021

Introducing a brilliant member of the SVC team... our communications and engagement lead, Dr Hubert Hiemstra....

Hubert is a veterinarian, former practice owner and podcaster (check out the VetVault if you haven't already). His veterinary career has spanned 2 decades and three continents, and he is on a mission to find ways to help those on the front lines of the veterinary profession thrive both professionally and personally.

All this experience and knowledge means Hubert asks all the right questions to cut to the heart of things. He's far more succinct than I am 😉 and writes amazingly, so he's driving SVC's engagement with the industry. Because the more vets, nurses, managers, reception staff, students and academics - past, present and future - who know about SVC, the more voices can shape our veterinary future.

Thankyou Hubert Hiemstra, for your skills, insight, passion and teamwork - you rock. Can't wait to see the exciting SVC project you're working on now....(watch this space...🤩👍)

05/05/2021

This might seem like a strange photo for a veterinary initiative. But it’s how things are feeling in the SVC team right now...preparation, planning, and team work have progressed to really exciting anticipation of this massive project taking off!

We can’t wait to get a solution-focussed view across our veterinary landscape via our survey! Launching in the next few weeks to test SVC’s proposed funding, governance, and educational and connection resources, it’s key to ensure the SVC journey meets our industry’s needs and wants. The destination: more satisfying and sustainable careers within the veterinary professions.

And This weeks’ SUPER exciting news? !!Legendary leader, impact-driven researcher and Deakin University MBA Director Andrea North- Samardzic has committed her own time, resources and funding to suppprt this major research piece rigorously and efficiently through to completion! This is a massive endorsement of the value of what SVC is aiming to achieve, and highlights the importance of gathering evidence to develop a strategically sound approach to industry change!

I am so very grateful for such an amazing team of people, including Andrea, who are passionate about taking synergistic action to help the veterinary professions thrive. Keep an eye out for the survey and share it with your whole veterinary team and network, knowing your voices will shape the future of Vet.

24/04/2021

Happy to the thousands of dedicated people who prioritise animal health everyday. The world needs you more than ever, and you are so appreciated by so many.

One Australian vet who recognises our collective need to develop more balanced, well supported ways to keep on "vetting" amidst many contemporary challenges, is Dr Oliver Liyou. As we introduce some of the people behind the development of Sustainable Veterinary Careers on this page, Oliver is a great bloke to start with as it was his "levy" idea that ultimately sparked SVC's genesis.

A very small % levy charged by veterinary wholesalers and passed on to owners through medications pricing would net significant funds, Australia-wide. These would be used to strategically collate and amplify access to existing personal, business leadership and public-facing education and resources from within and beyond the profession.

Achieving pan-professional long term improvement needs pan-professional funds, so no matter where you are in your veterinary career or in the world, you can access what you need, when you need it. Thankyou Oliver for proposing such a game-changing key piece of the puzzle!

We'll soon be asking the whole industry for their thoughts and refinements of the funding model via the SVC survey. Until then, Oliver's has shared some thoughts on SVC as it's unfolding....

" Sustainable Veterinary Careers is undoubtedly the most exciting and promising solution to the troubled waters that the veterinary profession has been going through over the past decade or two!

Through transparency, great leadership, and bringing together some of the best and brightest minds and stakeholders in the veterinary industry, it will be a long term , sustainably funded, charitable organization that will have the health and well being of the individual people working at grass roots level in our industry at its core!

Never before has our profession faced such challenges in the way of the shortage of vets wanting to work in clinical practice, ongoing mental health issues, competition from non veterinary animal health products and services, practice financial sustainability and the list goes on.

This organisation will seek to spend 5% of its time defining the problems and 95% on developing solutions, and no doubt will have profound beneficial impact on the veterinary profession and industry as a whole.

Many talk but few DO! So thank you to Dr Kate Clarke (a doer!) for taking the initiative to get it off the ground.

Let's all get behind the SVC team to help them to help us, our vets, nurses, managers and ultimately the animals of Australia!"

-Dr Oliver Liyou BVSc (Hons1) MANZCVSC (Eq Dent)

Many thanks Oliver - we hope you had a brilliant world veterinary day and felt the love!

30/03/2021

SVC aims to help build an Australian veterinary industry filled with thriving individuals.

Based on the existing challenges of veterinary work, we believe that building diverse capabilities and opportunities will help vets, nurses, managers, and students to grow, achieve, lead and connect in more satisfying, sustainable and authentic ways.

A key component of our plan is to institute a wholesaler levy that will fund and continuously measure the impact of non-clinical education and resources. The centralised collation of these resources across an evidence-based framework aims to build greater awareness, knowledge and capabilities at individual and business levels, and an increased public understanding of veterinary care.

Ultimately we want to spark an industry-wide cultural shift to deliver stronger mental health, inclusion and retention of veterinary professionals long into our future.