038 - Dr Yvonne Clark - Companion Animal Veterinarian | Volunteer Veterinarian | New Zealand - similarities and differences as a veterinarian

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.

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Transcript

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Julie South 0:05

welcome to episode 38 of Paws Claws end Wet Noses, the veterinary sector podcast, celebrating all creatures great and small, and the fantabulous professionals who look after them all. I'm your show host, Julie south. Have you ever thought of volunteering? As a veterinary professional, using your skills to make a difference other than what you do in your day job today, I catch up with Dr. Yvonne Clark and Dr. Yvonne's a vet staff companion animal locum veterinarian. Who's recently returned from doing volunteer work as a veterinarian in the cook islands. Avon also shares her experiences of working in overseas clinics and New Zealand clinics. What's different. And what's similar. An old vet told my father when he was a student in Glasgow.

Dr Bryan Gregor - Veterinarian 1:09

He said, if you want to be a success in veterinary practice, just keep the bowels open. And just the rest of God, nutrition is not an opinion. It's a science. They called me that weird herbal needle. That, and I, I just remember thinking. Well, I'm still gonna do it cause I know it works and I've got the research to back it from reminiscences of the real James Harriet son to Pitt nutrition, to acupuncture the big podcast, discusses current animal health issues from around the world on veterinarian, Brian greeter from New Zealand, just search for the fit podcast. Wherever you get your podcasts from

Julie South 1:48

paws, claws and wet noses is sponsored by VetStaff if you've never heard of it, VetStaff is New Zealand's only full service recruitment agency. 100% dedicated to the veterinary sector and VetStaffhas been around since 2015 and works nationwide from Cape Reinga to the Bluff and everywhere in between as well as helping Kiwis VetStaff also helps overseas, qualified veterinarians find work Aotearoa New Zealand fit staff.co dot. Indeed. Hadn't been back from volunteering in the cook islands. When we recorded this episode, she's an Australian qualified companion animal veterinarian who's worked and a number of countries and currently locums. And God's zone odd here or New Zealand for international listeners. The cook islands is a nation of 15 islands and the south Pacific with political links to New Zealand. The cooks have a resident population of around 15 and a half thousand people. And prior to COVID, Robert Honga was a popular wedding destination for many Kiwis. The New Zealand dollar and the cook islands dollar, uh, the currencies used on the islands in New Zealand and Virgin. It used to run daily flights to and from Rarotonga, but like other countries that relied on tourism, the cooks have been hard hit by closed borders. Yvonne's also volunteered and Sardinia, which is a large Italian island and the Mediterranean with a population of about 1.6, 4 million pounds. There are many ways that that near ends and veterinary nurses can volunteer both at home and abroad. Before I started this podcast, I heard many really interesting volunteer stories. Or before this episode, I'd heard many really interesting volunteer stories from nurses and vets about their work in wildlife packs, working with the big cats through to rescue work here in God's own Arturo and New Zealand. VetStaff has also had a number of vets who have deliberately chosen to go on the locum or to be on the locum route, the locum path. So they can take a few months off each year, pre COVID and volunteer, and some very poor countries doing amazing work where their skills aren't able to be afforded generally by the local. If you'd like to volunteer, but don't know where to start. Here are a few ideas. I'll put all the links on the episode page, which is episode 38 at paws claws with noses dot. If em, if volunteering's in the cook islands, sounds like it's something you'd like to do. Then you could check out TRD Manu that's beyond borders and that's fits beyond borders.org. That's looking for New Zealand based vets and vet nurses. It's beyond borders as an animal welfare charity, which deploys experienced volunteer vets and vet nurses to animal welfare projects in desperate need of help to perform. They're wonderful, but also often challenging work VITs beyond borders is one of the charities that Yvonne talks about today. Te Are Manu is a subset of Vets beyond borders and as a charity VIT clinic located on the tropical island of Rarotonga in the cook islands. Now, according to its website, the work is primarily dogs and cats. However they do occasionally see pet goats or birds, and may be required to assist in the ministry of agriculture with livestock cases. The clinic is very well equipped with guests, anesthesia I, so, and oxygen generators, dedicated surgery room with air conditioning, which you'll definitely need digital x-ray machine dental equipment onsite kennels for hospital inpatients I, the fluid pumps and a well-stocked pharmacy on your first visit there, your work closely with the clinic manager. There may also be opportunities for you to visit the outer islands, to perform D six in programs and provide basic health care to the wider community of cook islands animals as it recording this, which is July, 2021. Given the current COVID 19 situation, any Australian applicants will need to be in New Zealand. 14 days prior to traveling to the program. And of course that doesn't take into account when yeah. Bubbles trends, Tasman bubbles are on hold. Another volunteer organization that even talked about as the world wide veterinary service. And you can find that@dubdubdubthes.org.uk. She also referred or Dr. Yvonne also referred to a Facebook group and you can find the group@facebook.com forward slash groups forward slash veterinary volunteer. Added volunteer organizations included in conservation or animal care projects include world vets, which is a non-government organization providing veterinary aid around the world in collaboration with animal advocacy groups, foreign governments, us and foreign military groups and veterinary professionals. World vets work spends 34 countries and six continents and addresses not only veterinary issues, but also human health issues impacted by zoonotic diseases in developing countries, world VIPs as a 5 0 1 C3 nonprofit organization. The address again for that as duct up dub world vets.org. If you want to stay close to home and work in the south Pacific, then there's south Pacific animal welfare and its mission is to provide sustainable community-based animal management programs that benefit island communities and animal welfare. If it's long. Yeah. It's goal is to see on island expertise and the various areas of the animal welfare develop. And you can find out more at dub dub. Dub is P a w.org dot N Z. So that's okay. Pay for south Pacific animal welfare is P a w.org dot N Z. Another cook islands organization. Volunteer organization is the Ester honey foundation, Inc, which was founded by us tourist and animal advocate. Kathy Sue Reagan and arson in 1994, following a 1993 holiday that she had. Cooks while she was in Rarotonga Reagan, innocent befriended, a rubber Tongan dog named honey, and learned that there were no veterinary services in the country for its quote, thousands of cats and dogs. And that quote, according to local anti-cruelty group represented representative in 1993, there were 6,000 dogs and 8,000 cats on rarer. Reagan Edison returned to her home in Oregon and the us. And with the help of her colleagues, friends, and family began to assemble the necessary components to establish the cook islands only Vietnam, the hospital, which is dub dub dub is to honey.org and that's E S T H E R. honey.org. And then of course there are the many SPCA and other rescue charities and New Zealand main centers. And then there are other dedicated cat and dog rescue organizations. If you want to go wildlife, there may be considered zoos as well as various species specific organizations. For example, if you're entered little blue penguins, you can find out more about them. I'll put the link on there. Website as well on the post clause end with knows as dot if M website, how did the idea of the Cook Islands come up? What was the first seed that got planted? Yeah.

Dr Yvonne Clark - Veterinarian 10:48

Um, so in regards to the cook islands, I saw I bought, um, an advertisement employment, my client, and they, they had expression of interest or a check to go over to one of the cook islands to go. And it was a Spanish program on a whole lot of cats. So it was looking at that. And then there was a couple of issues with, with that one. And then I, I didn't end up going on the check, but one of the vets from the, the main clinic um, so that check was for one of the attitudes. The main check. Yeah. The main clinic, uh, she contacted me and was like on the community. Sorry that you can't come, but if you want to come at some other time, just let us know. We need some help in Jane and yeah. So I just thought, oh, well, yeah, I'll I'll guard the day I might need. Um, well, my that by then. And, um, yeah, I got it going was it something that you had always wanted to do? Guy? I did a two week check to Sardinia, which is an honor for today, and that was with fit to be on board. And I really enjoyed that and I said, look, I'm going to try it. No, go on, go on and check maybe once a year or something like that. The next year, my volunteering, when, as far as one day with her, with the homeless shelter. So yeah, I do get to do much there the next couple of years. And then, and then that one came up this year, so I thought, oh, you know what? I. When I go in going through that, how different is that? It's actually as, as different as, as what I thought it was gonna be. So we still, they had like a gas anesthetic. So, you know, you could still use your ISO and we use like a triple combination with cats. We had an x-ray machine where we just had to process it at the, so you drive up to the hospital to use, use their processor. Most of the medications that are used to, but you know, the difference was that people were just paying via by a donation amount. So they had sort of like a, a recommended donation, but not, you know, this is gonna cost this much, like a hard and fast rule. So you can say, yeah, well we need to take an x-ray and it needs this medications. Yeah. You know, then that, that was like, Hey, you could sort of do what you needed today. We just didn't have a whole lot of lab there. So I have a microscope and some urine dipsticks and those sorts of things, but in regards to blood machines. So, um, we didn't didn't have any, any blood machines, but everything gas on a set of clients and those sorts of things. autoclave and my sorts of things were still the same as, as other clinics. And how many visits were you working with in Merritt Tonga? There was one vet there who works there. And then one of the weeks I was there that was another volunteer and they had a receptionist and a nurse as well. So, and, and the nurses, resident, or a volunteer she was invested in, but they have had TNS is there as well.

Julie South 13:40

The cooks compare to your experience in Sardinia. When I went to Saudi Arabia, we were just at a, at an animal shelter and just doing space incarcerates. That's all, all we were there for. Whereas the cooks were also, so there that's the only clinic in the cook islands.

Dr Yvonne Clark - Veterinarian 13:57

So we're doing consultations as well. Whereas yeah. When I went to Sardinia, it was just, you know, you're doing eight hours, nine hours of surgery every day. Whereas a bit of other stuff. When I, when I went to the court and the cooks, uh, and the locals bringing the year, was it companion and lodge or what, what sort of patients were you treating? Just, just don't companion. Do they do have a, like a department of agriculture? So if. Like, you know, a couple of paintings, a couple like outs is mainly the thing that other things around there, but the department of ag would look after that. But so the vet who'd been there for for two years, I think she'd said she'd been called out maybe twice for something glitch animal related. So it's mainly the dogs and cats and do, do the locals travel and to Ireland to bring their pets to. If they, if they had an animal that needed to be seen, that would mean to happen, but I don't think it realistically happened very much so to one of the other islands, I could talk to you where the, um, the cat check was. They usually try and go twice a year. So on that island, there's only cats. There's no dogs on that island. And they sort of just see everything. If there's something cast that that needs to be seen, it gets saved. And how often does do people volunteer? Over there is the, is the resident vet as she constantly supported or is it only from time to time for them? It's been a lot different with COVID because obviously no one could, no one could get into the country at all. So they did have, when the borders opened for essential workers, they had it. The NS go over there. But then I think pre COVID times they quite, quite frequently would have, would have volunteers going over there. Yeah.

Julie South 15:48

When you were at university, did you learn low tech ways of doing things in the event that you might have might not have a high tech option?

Dr Yvonne Clark - Veterinarian 16:00

Oh, that's a good question. As a general raise. And I might say not so much, I think, and then maybe like ice, a lot of clinics now, still, you know, your cats, you're doing that under the chip. All you might not use. I saw it, but it popped from that. Not so much, but it also depends. Like if you working in an area where, you know, people don't have a lot of money to spend on diagnostics, you sort of learn how to use it. Well, you know, we need to do blood. Someone need to do x-rays when he's doing ultrasound, but which one are they going to get the most answers for? And, and which one should we do first? And that's, you know, sometimes you just gotta work through that, especially if you worked in places where, you know, like I was saying, people don't have all that money, so you sort of do it the same thing that you might, but my Mike go, go over there and use which, which one. We don't need to vary everything for everything. Okay. Do you find that, or did you both times that your dictate of skills might have improved I'm to say most the, like this time and when I went to Sydney, it was mainly about spaying and neutering. Maybe not quite, quite so much. You sort of also. No, if you, if you can't take x-rays quite so often or those sorts of things. So it was a real blessing to have an x-ray machine there, which is still used quite, quite a lot, actually in the two weeks I was there. So sometimes in that you might say that. Yeah, no, no, no. So we would go up to the hospital. And that was the human hospital. Was it? Yeah. Yeah. So I'm gonna take the x-rays in the clinic and then just, just drive, drive them up. So thankfully, still computer it wasn't back in the dark ages, but you had to dip the films or anything like that. Have you done that? Oh, yeah, I'm sure. Um, but that was, that was a little back when I did a vet tech degree before I did that. Yeah. The clinic I worked in there and we still had a dark room and then in there, and I'm fine. What did you learn about yourself while you were volunteering? Maybe just that, you know, you can help and it doesn't have to. You know, you don't need to do every diagnostic and people are just really glad that you're there. Yeah. And sometimes I think, you know, obviously you want everything to have a good outcome and you want to do all your best, but a lot of people are just grateful that, that you can help the animals. Yeah. So that at least, you know, even if it's. It's might be one mine, not the other, that you've still done. Everything that she could is as well. So having access to various meats as well, are you limited in that way? When you're out in the field? Um, then I had a lot of donations, different medications, so we had nice. But pretty much that we needed that way, but you were just, I may limit things like, you know, they're not going to have convenient because it's HEC expensive and it's going to go out of date really fast and, and, and those sorts of things, or then yeah. So then you just sort of work with, with what you got, like obviously, you know, you're not going to have any free nonsteroidals that you're used to using. So they're like, oh, we've got this. That's what's going to might be like, you know, it will get by with this. Anybody, it doesn't need the hot hitting anybody. Cause we might not have that for the case that does need that.

Julie South 19:58

How long were you there for even this time? Just gone.

Dr Yvonne Clark - Veterinarian 20:02

I just, I'm just gone. I was always there for two weeks. And that's this sort of how, how, what works worked for me, but they usually do prefer people to be there for it for three weeks or longer. Um, just the time. So the main thing get things done in you've only just traveled.

Julie South 20:21

So we are recording this and July, 2021. You've only just come bank, New Zealand. The borders are still closed. How was traveling for you?

Dr Yvonne Clark - Veterinarian 20:32

We have to wear a mask the whole time. It's very exciting to get some new passport stamps. So it's exciting to get new possibilities. But I think like, like I said, that only opened maybe two weeks before I went to something three to two to three weeks before I went. So, you know, they were still excited that they have tourists. And noticing the difference with, with having some somewhat tourists around is as well, was the aircraft full going over? It was full, but coming back, it was, it was quite empty. And so one of the other girls that was there, she, she was on the first flight that went over and there wasn't many tourists on her flight, but on my flight, it was mostly tourists. Can you repeat the list thing to just get it to fate expose and, and can travel again.

Julie South 21:22

So how easy was it for you to book flights?

Dr Yvonne Clark - Veterinarian 21:26

It was easy, actually. So I went, I went to the double agent was like, oh, I'm going to cook on. And they just needed to have a 48 hour window. That was a government regulation. Yes. I booked on that this time left on the Saturday. and Pre-Covid testing? No. So it didn't need to do any pre COVID. Most people in the cook islands have had at least one vaccination and probably tell you by now that they weren't doing like, yeah. Mess all vaccinations, probably be more than we've had here, but set of the population. Yeah.

Julie South 22:00

If somebody is listening to this and as thinking, I'd like to be a volunteer, you've done it twice. Two different countries. What would you say to them?

Dr Yvonne Clark - Veterinarian 22:14

I would say definitely go, you know, it it's always a good experience. Sometimes systemic guys to the clinic. They might not be able to take a new grad or a vet student just because they don't have the time or the manpower to be able to monitor. With someone, but I mean, they do definitely need, need someone there to nurse as well. So even if you are a student or a new grad, we might not get to do surgery, but you might not get to nurse and just be, be in that experience. And you don't have to be, you know, the, the fastest surgeon. In the world, but also you don't want to be someone who's going to take two hours to do a spay or something like that. But I it's a really rewarding experiences as well. So that way, when I went to Sardinia was it was quite a big shelter that we went to in it at lunchtime set outside and their cats were just like mob cats, really? Like, they just sort of, they didn't, they weren't in cages. They did. Well hung out outside and I would just come and sit with us for lunch and, and those sorts of things, so felt good to make a difference and talking to them when they were like, you know, before this year to started, you would say, Stray dogs and stray cats everywhere. And you didn't have that as much there.

Julie South 23:31

And that was with, without borders.

Dr Yvonne Clark - Veterinarian 23:33

Yeah. So let's be vets beyond borders. They do like some different partnership once is as well. The clinic there had sort of joined with vets beyond borders and that's habit tracker, like, come on, Pam regarding the, the volunteer, the volunteer. Yeah.

Julie South 23:52

Is there anything that you think it's important for somebody who's contemplating to know about themselves perhaps themselves personally?

Dr Yvonne Clark - Veterinarian 24:04

Yeah. So look, some things are not going to be your ideal situation. You know, and the suture might be out of date or the medications might, might not be, you know, they might be out of date as well. So I think you just need to adapt that not everything is going to be perfect and that's, that's probably a big thing, but at the same time, you know, you're, everything is still sterilized. You know, if you want to wear gloves, we have gloves to say, or, you know, so it's not as if you're going home gung ho and, and all of those, those sorts of things. So, yeah, I think you've just got to be adaptable is probably the biggest thing. Um, and PayPal's what people put emphasis on minimums might be different than what you do, and it might be different to what you're used to at home as well. So, and I mean, it's not. But they not interested, but they might not realize things or that accommodation wise.

Julie South 25:04

What, what does that look like? Do you have to organize that?

Dr Yvonne Clark - Veterinarian 25:07

Uh, do people bill it, how does it work? I had a combination there, um, for, for us to TA's, but, um, different, different charities might, they might ask for a donation when you go as, as well. Usually will help cover your accommodation cost or, or those things. Yeah, but they, they did organize a combination that was really close to the clinic and close to the beach and all those good things. Is it private or are you sort of sharing massive bunk rooms? Uh, in a four, four bedroom house. And so we each had our own bedroom and then when I play it stayed at the other place, then they'd like, put us up. Yeah. Yeah. And in a nice places as well, a couple of the different ones. If you're taking a partner, they might suggest that you stay somewhere else, just because that might just be a slightly awkward for people I think is as, as more about it. But I do know people that that might take their partner on, on these texts with them as well. Or, you know, they're going to go over for a couple of weeks, somewhere, right? I've had one, a couple of weeks betting in a couple of weeks holiday or, and five countries as a veterinarian. What differences have you noticed? Well, let's start at the beginning. Where did you qualify? Oh, um, so I'm, I'm going to Australia. So I qualified from the university of Queensland. So I worked in quietest then. And then, uh, went into the two year stint in the UK when I was there. That's when I went to Sardinia and then back to Australia and then over to New Zealand. And what differences have you noticed different immigrants too? Probably, uh, appointment times how much you need to get done, how much you booked up and what sort of, of the population. We'd have to have pet insurances as well. So as a general rule, if the UK was very fast paced, no 10 minute consults, usually back-to-back consult. Most people had had insurances as well. So you could, could, you know, work things up. But then also I think when, like, you know, we're like, oh, they've got insurance. We can do lots of things, but they might also only have an insurance up to a certain level. And a lot of people might not realize that that either, you know, and they're like, oh, you know, we've got this, this insurance, but actually that may or may not cover everything they're getting as a general rule. I think like the Aussies and Kiwis are quite similar in the fact that they are a little bit more laid back, obviously still lots of the basic 50 clinics, but they're usually 15 when it comes out. It's not 10 minutes, which actually makes Mex issues different in that makeup. Also the UK clinics. A lot of them are open till seven o'clock at night, every night. So, you know, you're quite often doing 10 hour shifts that are, you know, can be super, super, super busy as well as well, a lot. And at each different clinic or each different country. Yeah. Yeah, I definitely did. When I first went to England, one of the girls I worked with in Australia, she was, she'd gone over there before me. And she said, look, there's no ticks is nice Nikes. There's not many dog attacks and there's not many hit by cars. And I was like, what do you do? You know, that's, that's mainly mainly what we did. And I think my, like my medicine skills definitely increased dramatically when I first went to the UK, just because I'd worked in a small rural clinic. So. Wait, uh, you know, not everyone wanted to work things fully up or by the time they come in it's it's too night and there's not a whole lot. You can do either. But saying that, you know, it's not unusual to have a 20 year old cat in the UK. Whereas if you had a 20 year old cat here in Australia, like, you know, it's, it's super old. Yeah, you do. You do see those more medicine cases maybe because they're not getting hit by cars and bitten by snakes and you know, those sorts of things.

Julie South 29:11

How, how about somebody say coming from the UK who, who might not have that much exposure of a hit by a car? How do you think they, what would they need to know and how might they cope best?

Dr Yvonne Clark - Veterinarian 29:25

Um, I mean, we still definitely definitely had hit by cars in the yard. But like, um, it may, I think the first thing is, is just stabilization and shelter things. So, you know, we've been hit by car. The first thing that's, that's maybe we need to start on some, some shock fluids and some oxygen, and then just those small, simple things, and just keeping your head as, as well. Like, you know, if you're stressed out about it, I mean, obviously you're going to be stressed out about it, but if your tastes just that, you're not thinking straight, what that's, that's probably going to just, it just makes everything worse. 10 fold. So if you're like, okay, this dog is trying to Don this, what, what do I need to do first? And if your, if you can do things in a logical level, Your, your head's just, uh, a lot better as, as well. I think, I think over time, like when I first started, I might've been that stress event that was like, okay, you're getting super stressed about, about everything. And then. Then. Okay. So logically let's, let's just do this than that and, and that's okay. And yeah, keep, keep my head a lot, a lot better mind. You're a locum. How do you, do you have a strategy that every time you go to a new clinic, these are the questions that you ask or the things that you do. I mean, most clinics have most things that are, that I need. So I sort of want to know, like, you know, What sort of ad out of hours, do we have, where can I find things that I need quickly? Because probably I'm going to be in a clinic where I know when I think he is, and it's in the middle of the night and there's no one here to help me. So if I can just sort of Norway where the general things are and then would probably okay. But like, cause I've been in so many clinics now, like, you know, I've probably seen the computer system they use and I've probably seen the blood pressure. That they use and, and the x-rays they use. So in regards to certain questions or set procedures, not, not so much that I would say that I, and

Julie South 31:36

I asked that was because you might, my experience of placing quite a few locums over the last, however many years as sadly, very few clinics have onboarding or induction. An induction process of some kind it's, it's more like his, the consult room go for it, or he is the computer. Here's your login go for it. If you, if you don't have a system, it would be quite easy to feel like you're a bit out of control.

Dr Yvonne Clark - Veterinarian 32:13

Yeah. I would say most of my experiences probably are that this is just a computer system and this is. Uh, you know, most places do, do have the same thing. So I don't really find out of control, but I'm going to open every drawer to find one. And you just sort of apologize on the first day. I was sorry, it's just my first day. I'm just finding where everything is. There'll be like, I'm not normally in this consult room. I'm normally in the other one, which is, you know, building,

Julie South 32:49

have you found these a different each country has different cultures, a different cultural system and icon.

Dr Yvonne Clark - Veterinarian 32:58

Oh, I found over definitely each clinic does it. Yeah. As well. And it might be how they utilize things. So, you know, you might work in a clinic, that's a busy clinic, but I've got a lot of nurses and those nurses might take on a lot of things. Like when you're like, can you do on some blood to put this dog on trip? So just stuff like that. Or then you might go to another clinic and it's, and it's the vets that do most of that. So. You know, you don't really want to come off as being a princess and asking other people to do everything when they sort of used to, oh one, you know, the vets, the vets do that normally, or, or those sorts of things. So that's, that's probably one of the biggest coaches that, that have found different as well. I'm nuts. That's an entire clinic as, as well as a inter-country, but as a general, I would probably say. In the UK, the nurses probably did do a little bit more in my God stay, you know, when you're, when you're delegating things and that's, that's not being derogatory to, there weren't any one or another, and it also sort of come down to Boston and who's in charge. And you know, what, what they're used to doing is as well, so that you don't come across as princess. Like how, how do you. What's your, you align for finding out whether it's up to you or up to renews to do something at that clinic. Sometimes it's just a trial and everything. That's that's to be honest, also it depends how busy I am. So like, if, if you're back-to-back consults and, you know, you might be running behind or those sorts of things, then yeah. Just sort of gain. What their reaction is. So if you're like, oh, this dog needs labs, they're just sort of waiting for you. And you're like, oh, okay. You want me to get, get the blood? Oh, those sorts of things as well. But I mean, yeah. Nice nurses are really keen to do stuffers as well. Like yeah. But it might just be that they haven't done that much of it. So. You know, in just sorta general chat or like, you know, one of the nurses she's like, look, I'd really like to practice putting more catheters in because as a general rule, the vets just do it here. So you're like, yeah, no worries. I'm more than happy to, to hold an animal. Well, while you put catheters in and for somebody who's listening in the UK, thinking about coming to New Zealand to of course, when borders open and they qualify and all the rest of it, what would you say to them? You're going to have a lot less hours here that, you know, there's a lot of clinics that shut by like five, five or six, six. Compared to seven o'clock. Yes. So it's, it's a little bit more laid back lifestyle. I mean, obviously you, you got to get your busy days, but it's not going to be your constant 10 minute consults and you know, lots on it. So I think like a work life balance is probably a little bit better in New Zealand than what it is in, in the UK. Yeah. And it's just somebody different and somewhere, somewhere to explore. And yeah, what I love about locuming is, is that you go to a new place. You work and you've got some people to hang out with because you're probably going to get along with the paper in the clinic. But my son, Todd, I've got some really good friends with people that have worked with Newtown. You've got a place to live. You've got a place where you can have a base as well, and just explore in your area. How about the money because UK fits are used to earning as a locums, at least getting a lot more picks and privileges in funds in their back pockets. How, what would you say to that or about that? The pie is actually, you know, kind of similar on, on your locum. Like, um, days have taken like pretty much all my jobs have included accommodation. As as well. So you've got that pack of the same as in the UK. What's different though, is that as a general rule, you're on a per hours basis instead of a day basis. So in the UK, you know, you're on so much per day and. It, it took me a little while to work out that maybe I should charge more on the days that I know that I'm kind of going to do big days. So, you know, if you do an eight hour day, you do a nine hour day, you do 11. I would say you're getting the same amount of pay because that's what your grade on. Whereas here, if you're getting paid on a per hours basis, then you know, you don't mind if you're there an extra half an hour, an hour, those, those sorts of things, because you're going to build people for it. So, um, so that's. Yeah. I, I much prefer to work on a, on an hourly rate than a daily, right. Because everyone knows that it's never an eight hour day. It's always going to be a little bit longer in regards to the money side of things. So you. Have like, uh, like your registration here. I did find that that was a little bit more expensive than the UK and, and increase as well, but yeah, payment. Um, cause I'm, I'm used to not all at some British locums here and they want accommodation and they want a vehicle and they want this and they want that. And then their dollars are way up because that's what they used to uni in the UK. And it it's sometimes hard for them to, to experience it different. Well, when I went to UK, I was, that was like the first time that I was like coming. So maybe I didn't charge as much as I spent some other people say, now I do find that a cow is dented in a little place where it's here. I've had cars and in some places or other places, it might only be if you do large units, maybe you're not smart. Um, which, which is probably the difference. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Julie South 39:03

I can usually organize a vehicle for a mixed somebody that's doing large. How about between Australia and New Zealand? As they're very much different there. I mean, Australian vets in way more than kiwi vets and nurses So I haven't no like give him a gods the money or in regards to work culture attitude. So I

Dr Yvonne Clark - Veterinarian 39:29

haven't, I haven't found a huge difference between what cultures in Australia compared to New Zealand. I didn't say that. I haven't like I've mainly worked for just a couple of companies in New Zealand. I haven't gone to heaps of pizza places in, in New Zealand. So for me, working for a larger company was, is definitely been something different to what I've done before. And so I, I think part of that culture is probably just because it's a large company. Compared to being individually, publicly privately owned, owned, and run clinics is, is what I've found different. Am it got to skills is, is pretty similar. And how much you say, like you guys don't have like ticks and snakes and heartworms. So once again, north Queensland, that's what we see up there. But like, I haven't, I haven't done very in Austria. So I couldn't really tell you about how those compare or all of those sorts of things. If we got to way where you can find different volunteering opportunities. So there's a group on Facebook, which is called bet, me volunteering. And it's different charities from all over the world. You know, they might post post on there. Or basically there was someone who posted and she was like, look, I'm in Australia at the moment, but I'd like to do. Some volunteering was whereas close by those sorts of things could be good ways to find out about, about different opportunities, but also have a look at some of the different websites as well. So there's, that's beyond borders. So they do partnerships with a few different clinics or different organizations. So I know there's the, I went to Dany, I've got a few in India and I think they've also have just going to in as well. So have probably a good place to. Is it so well, Vetri have UVS blood volunteering sentences, and I, they do some different programs and felony programs might cost a little bit though. And so, but they might, they sort of organize a holiday with volunteering. Listeners Yvonne has

Julie South 41:45

just mentioned in any others that I find as well on the episode or this pagePaws Claws Wet Noses dot fm. Thank you for coming and such short notice. And thank you for being a bit stuff like I am. I can't wait to, to put you into an assignment. Yeah, there's, there's, there's a bit of code for work at the moment. Have you found Yvonne as interesting to listen to, as I did and talk about synchronicity, I didn't realize when I invited Yvonne onto paws claws and Whit noses to talk about her volunteer work that Dr. Bryan Gregor Who's from the Vetpodcast was also recording a very similar podcast. And with that, I encourage you to hop over to the vet podcast. That podcast is one word, wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts, because you'll find it there. You're looking for the episode dated 20 July 21. So 20 0 7 21 and titled have spake, it will travel fits beyond borders, delivering veterinary aid and difficult times. And that episode, BryanGregor chats with Dr. David Gray. Who's a veterinarian director and treasurer about the amazing work fits beyond borders does and the impact it has on the communities that it serves. I'll put a direct link to that podcast episode on episode 38 of paws claws, wit noses dot F. Thank you for listening. If you're new to paws claws with noses, and you enjoyed this episode, which I hope you did, then you can click the follow button wherever it is. You're listening to it too, so that it will show up in your feed, your podcast feed. And it means that you'll never miss out on future episodes because it will always appear in your face. If you didn't enjoy, or you don't enjoy pause close with nosers or you didn't specifically enjoy this one, then please let me know what you think I can do to improve. You can send me an email. Julie, at VIT staff.co dot indeed. I promised to reply and I promised to respect your feet. And critique Kia. paws, claws and wet noses is sponsored by vet staff. If you've never heard of it, staff it's new, Zealand's only full service recruitment agency. 100% dedicated to the veterinary sector and staff has been around since 2015 and works nationwide from Kate ringer to the bluff and everywhere in between as well as helping Kiwis. Also hubs overseas, qualified veterinarians find work and art hero and New Zealand fit. staff.co dot. Indeed.