Advertise on podcast: Veterinary Voices

“We’ve tried social media. It didn’t work.” It’s something Julie South hears often from clinics that have already put time and effort into posting, sharing, and trying to build some form of presence online. In this episode of Veterinary Voices, she continues the Where Vet Clinics Get Stuck series by looking at why social media so often disappoints — even when clinics are doing what they’ve been told to do. Posting regularly. Sharing updates. Trying to show a bit of team life. Because the issue isn’t usually effort. It’s what that effort is being asked to do. A vet or nurse doesn’t decide to apply because of a post in isolation. They’re trying to answer a bigger question. And when they go looking for that answer, what they find — or don’t find — matters far more than the post that first caught their attention. This episode looks at four distinct reasons social media keeps falling short — from what candidates actually see, to how algorithms filter content, to why disconnected posts don’t build trust over time, and why many clinics are investing effort into the wrong platform entirely. Stay to the end for a question about what your social media activity is really being asked to do. In This Episode 00:57 – “We’ve tried social media. It didn’t work” 01:57 – The first problem: what vets and nurses actually find 03:54 – The second problem: algorithm filtering and reach 05:43 – The third problem: sound bites vs serial stories 06:26 – The fourth problem: platform (Facebook vs LinkedIn) 07:34 – What clinics can and can’t control 08:20 – A question about what people find when they look you 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

“We’ll just update our careers page.” It’s a common response when recruitment isn’t working. It feels like progress. It’s visible. It can be done in an afternoon. BUT! A careers page sits inside a website built for a completely different audience. Pet owners. Not vets or nurses who are trying to decide whether your clinic is worth the risk of leaving where they are now. That’s a different decision. They’re not looking for polished claims. They’re trying to work out: What’s the team really like? What happens on a hard day? Are these my kind of people? If they don’t find that, they don’t stay. They keep scrolling. Looking. In this episode Julie South looks at why updating a careers page rarely changes that — and what’s missing when someone lands there. In This Episode 01:32 – “We’ll just update our careers page” 02:26 – Who your website is actually built for 05:03 – What vets and nurses are trying to work out 06:00 – What happens when there’s nothing to stay for 06:56 – Why updating a careers page feels like progress 09:45 – The difference between a door and a destination 10:41 – Two questions about what your careers page is really saying  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

“But isn’t this just employer branding, Julie…?” It’s a question that comes up when clinics start looking beyond job ads and into how they’re seen as a place to work. In this episode of Veterinary Voices, Julie South answers that question directly. Because while employer brand marketing and what she’s describing can sound similar, they’re designed for different situations. Employer brand marketing comes from large organisations — built to manage perception across multiple locations, roles, and audiences. Veterinary hiring decisions don’t usually happen there. They happen at clinic level. A specific team. A specific place. A particular way of working — on an ordinary day. Julie explains why that difference matters, and what clinics risk missing when they reach for a solution that wasn’t designed for how hiring actually happens in their world. Including something less obvious: What changes inside a clinic when its own people start telling its stories. Stay to the end for two questions about what someone actually finds when they look up your clinic. In This Episode 01:33 – “But isn’t this just employer branding, Julie?” 03:59 – What employer brand marketing is designed to do 06:22 – Where hiring decisions actually happen 08:12 – Why one approach can’t replace the other 09:06 – What changes inside a clinic when stories are told 10:16 – Two questions about what vets and nurses find when they look you 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

Front Desk, Full Team: Stacey Deacon on How Energy Vets Works Day to Day Stacey Deacon didn’t train as a veterinary nurse. She’s a dedicated receptionist — and part of a reception team that sits at the centre of how Energy Vets runs day to day. In this final episode of the Energy Vets REAL+STORY series, Stacey shares what working on the front desk actually looks like inside a busy mixed practice in Taranaki. The reception team works across both the Inglewood and Waitara clinics, coordinating appointments, managing client expectations, and supporting vets and nurses through busy periods — including seasonal peaks like farm scanning alongside small animal demand. Stacey talks about the role reception plays in keeping the day running, how the team works together to manage urgent cases, and the constant balancing act of diaries, client needs, and clinical priorities. She also describes the team environment — where there’s no hierarchy, and vets, nurses, reception, and management all step in to help when things get busy. When asked what makes the difference at Energy Vets, Stacey points to the people — the way the team checks in on each other, works together, and supports one another through demanding days. And when it comes to fit, she’s clear: someone positive, who works with the team and can see the bigger picture. In This Episode 00:01 – Introduction to Stacey Deacon and the Energy Vets reception team 01:46 – Size of the reception team and working across two clinic locations 03:07 – The role of a dedicated veterinary receptionist 03:32 – How Stacey entered the veterinary industry 03:59 – What’s different about working at Energy Vets 04:34 – Busy periods: small animal demand and farm scanning season 05:30 – How the team supports each other day to day 06:02 – Reception’s role in managing diaries and urgent cases 07:16 – The type of person who fits at Energy Vets 08:18 – Energy Vets’ “best kept secret” 09:35 – Three words to describe the team 09:45 – What working at Energy Vets is like day to day 10:27 – Why Stacey joined Energy Vets 11:07 – Team environment vs expectations before joining 11:24 – No hierarchy: how vets support reception when it’s busy Hiring Link Energy Vets is currently looking for an experienced small animal veterinarian to join a genuinely team-oriented clinic. Learn more here:  careers.vetclinicjobs.com/energyvets 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

When veterinary clinics start looking at changing how they approach recruitment, certain phrases come up in conversation. They’re usually said under pressure. And they often stop things before they really get going. In this episode of Veterinary Voices, Julie South continues the Where Vet Clinics Get Stuck series by looking at one of the most common: “We don’t have time for this.” For clinics already stretched — covering vacancies, juggling rosters, and trying to run recruitment campaigns that aren’t working — that response makes complete sense. But what clinics picture when they say it… and what’s actually being asked of them… are not the same thing. And that gap matters. Stay to the end for two questions about where your clinic’s recruitment time is really going. In This Episode 00:58 – “We don’t have time for this” 01:54 – What clinics think “this” means 03:14 – What it actually looks like 05:28 – Where time is really going 07:39 – Two questions to rethink time and effort 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

Leadership, Succession, and Coming Home: Kylie Lindsay on Growing People at Energy Vets Kylie Lindsay began her journey with Energy Vets answering after-hours phones. More than twenty years later, she’s Clinic Services Manager, shareholder, and now a director of the Taranaki practice. In this second half of Julie South’s conversation with Kylie, the focus shifts to leadership and the kind of veterinarian Energy Vets is looking for as the clinic grows its companion animal team. Kylie describes the senior vet role as someone who enjoys teaching, builds relationships across the whole practice — including large animal vets who rotate through the companion animal team — and can bring both clinical and business thinking to the role. The conversation also explores how Energy Vets develops people over time. Kylie shares stories of nurses and vets who have left to work elsewhere — including Australia and overseas — and later returned to the clinic with new experience that benefits the whole team. Kylie also talks about becoming a shareholder and director in the business — an opportunity the existing directors created by changing the clinic’s constitution so a non-vet could join the ownership group. She reflects on how ideas from the frontline have shaped the clinic — including the team workshop that led to the name Energy Vets and the creation of a dedicated call-handling hub behind reception to improve client service. In This Episode 00:04 – Introduction to part two of the conversation with Kylie Lindsay 01:25 – The kind of veterinarian Energy Vets is looking for in the senior role 03:27 – Life outside the clinic: family, horses, and becoming a grandmother 04:25 – Why people often return to Taranaki after time away 06:07 – Staff leaving for opportunities and later returning to the clinic 07:48 – How returning staff bring new experience back into the team 08:24 – Examples of nurses who left, developed their careers, and returned 10:34 – Kylie becoming a shareholder and director in the business 10:59 – What it means to be invited into ownership as a non-vet 12:24 – “Skin in the game” and the open-door culture at Energy Vets 13:33 – Developing a shareholding pathway for future leaders 14:56 – How leadership listens to ideas from the team 15:27 – The team workshop that led to the name Energy Vets 16:39 – Creating the reception call-handling hub 18:45 – How the hub works day to day across both clinics 20:33 – Julie’s closing reflections on Kylie’s journey and leadership Hiring Link EnergyVets is currently looking for an experienced small animal veterinarian ready to co-lead the companion animal team and mentor the next generation of vets. Learn more here:  careers.vetclinicjobs.com/energyvets 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

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

From Client to Clinic Leader: Kylie Lindsay on Energy Vets’ Growth and Team Culture Kylie Lindsay didn’t originally join Energy Vets as a staff member — she joined as a client. Growing up in rural Inglewood with horses and other animals, the clinic (then Inglewood Veterinary Services) cared for the animals on her family’s lifestyle block. One day, while a vet was visiting one of her horses, Kylie asked whether there might be any work available at the clinic. Her timing was good. A role had just opened on the after-hours phone team. More than twenty years later, Kylie is now Clinic Services Manager, overseeing reception, companion animal services, and stock across Energy Vets’ Inglewood and Waitara clinics in Taranaki on New Zealand’s North Island. In this conversation with Julie South, Kylie reflects on the growth of the clinic over the past two decades, how teams rotate across both clinics so clients receive consistent service, and the professional development opportunities available across the whole team — including reception and support staff. She also shares one of the clinic’s quieter success stories: the number of kennel hands who have gone on to train in the veterinary industry, with several returning to work at Energy Vets after completing their studies. When asked to describe the team in three words, Kylie chooses: welcoming, supportive, and professional. Next week, Kylie talks about the type of veterinarian who fits the EnergyVets team and her own journey from answering after-hours phones to becoming a shareholder and director in the business. In This Episode 00:04 – Introduction to the REAL+STORY episode with Kylie Lindsay 01:33 – Kylie’s role and how long she has been with the clinic 02:02 – Joining the clinic after originally being a client 03:45 – Growing up in the Hutt Valley, Rotorua, and settling in Taranaki 04:34 – Raising children and schooling in rural Taranaki 08:19 – Sporting opportunities and life in the region 08:49 – Growth of the clinic since 2005 10:41 – Professional development and leadership training 12:34 – Rotating teams across the Inglewood and Waitara clinics 15:27 – How Kylie’s role evolved as the clinic grew 17:10 – Examples of team members stepping into leadership roles 19:16 – Energy Vets’ “best kept secret” — the culture 21:14 – Kennel hands entering the veterinary profession 22:57 – Former kennel hands returning to work at the clinic 23:31 – Three words Kylie uses to describe the team Hiring Link Energy Vets is currently looking for an experienced small animal veterinarian ready to co-lead the companion animal team. Learn more here: vetclinicjobs.com/energyvets 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

When veterinary clinics begin recognising the reactive recruitment cycle, certain phrases often start appearing. They sound practical — but they’re often the cycle defending itself. In this episode of Veterinary Voices, Julie South begins a new series exploring the objections that surface when clinics start considering a different way to approach recruitment. The first phrase she hears most often is: “Julie, we need someone now — not in six months’ time.” When a clinic has been covering a vacancy for months and the team is exhausted, the idea of building something that takes time can feel impossible. But Julie explains why this objection often appears after clinics have already spent months — sometimes years — trying to fill the role through job advertising alone. The urgency is real. But the deeper problem is usually that recognition only begins when the vacancy appears — meaning every recruitment effort starts from unknown, under pressure. Julie explains why even a short, well-built information bridge — a clear picture of who the clinic is and what it’s actually like to work there — can dramatically change what happens after someone reads a job ad. Because before vets and nurses decide whether to apply, they will almost always search for the clinic behind the advert. What they find in that moment either strengthens conviction — or quietly ends the process. Stay to the end for a question about what “we need someone now” may already be costing your clinic. In This Episode 01:22 – The objection Julie hears most often: “We need someone now” 04:37 – The Job Application Decision Gap and the Cultural Visibility Stress Test 05:30 – Building an information bridge between job ads and applications 09:52 – Two questions about what reactive recruitment may already be costing your clinic Mentioned in This Episode Cultural Visibility Stress Test A short eight-question exercise designed to help clinics see whether the Job Application Decision Gap may be affecting their recruitment. It takes about three minutes and is free to complete. careers.vetclinicjobs.com About Julie South Julie South is the founder of VetClinicJobs and host of Veterinary Voices. She works with forward-thinking veterinary clinics that want to move beyond reactive job advertising by building recruitment infrastructure that creates recognition before a vacancy appears. When vets and nurses can see that a clinic is their kind of place, recruitment stops being a start-from-scratch exercise every time a role opens. 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

Head Vet Nurse Nicky Smith on Team Support, Community, and Life in Taranaki In this REAL+STORY episode of Veterinary Voices, Julie South speaks with Nicky Smith, Head Vet Nurse at Energy Vets in Taranaki. Nicky has worked in veterinary clinics in New Zealand and overseas, including time living in Auckland and abroad. But when the time came to settle and raise her family, she made the deliberate decision to return to Taranaki — the place she calls home. In this chat, Nicky shares with Julie what support inside a veterinary clinic actually looks like when things get busy. Emergencies walk through the door, schedules change instantly, and the whole team moves together to make sure patients receive the care they need. She talks about how the nursing team mentors younger nurses, how new ideas are welcomed, and why humour, trust, and looking out for each other are essential in a profession that can be stressful and emotionally demanding. The conversation also explores life outside the clinic — why Nicky chose to raise and educate her children in Taranaki, the strength of smaller communities, and how the region’s people rally around causes that matter. Nicky is also the founder of the Cape Egmont Half Marathon, a community event she started after losing her father to cancer. If you’re curious about what working inside a supportive veterinary team looks like day to day — or how community shapes life in regional practice — this episode offers a candid perspective from someone leading the nursing team on the ground. In This Episode 00:05 – Introduction to the REAL+STORY series with Energy Vets  01:24 – Nicky’s background and why she returned to Taranaki  03:31 – What “supportive team culture” looks like in real clinic life 04:35 – How the nursing team develops and mentors younger nurses 05:45 – Returning to Taranaki after living in bigger cities 06:44 – Why Nicky chose to raise and educate her children in Taranaki 09:55 – Community life and founding the Cape Egmont Half Marathon 13:07 – Favourite piece of veterinary equipment: the Bear Hugger 13:51 – Three words Nicky uses to describe the team 14:00 – Energy Vets’ “best kept secret” as a workplace 14:44 – Working across two clinic locations 16:05 – How after-hours works in practice 17:14 – A memorable patient case: nursing a farm dog back to health 19:16 – How new ideas are introduced and adopted inside the clinic 20:47 – Patient handovers and communication inside the team 22:04 – The type of person who fits best at Energy Vets 24:20 – What it really means when the team “looks out for each other” Hiring Link If you’re an experienced small animal veterinarian exploring your next step, you can learn more about current opportunities at Energy Vets Taranaki here: vetclinicjobs.com/energyvets Links Mentioned Cape Egmont Half Marathon   About Julie South Julie South is the founder of VetClinicJobs and host of Veterinary Voices. Through VetClinicJobs, she helps forward-thinking veterinary clinics show what working there 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

By month five of job advertising, most vet clinics and their teams are exhausted. Posting everywhere didn’t work. Rewriting didn’t work. Spending more didn’t work. But the vacancy hasn’t just stayed a vacancy — it’s started affecting the people who are still there. In this episode of Veterinary Voices, Julie South explores what happens when a role has been open for four to six months and the pressure inside the clinic starts to build. Teams have been covering the extra work. The goodwill that carried the first few months begins to wear thin. Quietly, people start weighing their options. That’s when the conversation inside many clinics shifts. Instead of searching for the right fit, the thinking becomes: we just need someone. Julie unpacks why this “warm body” thinking feels responsible in the moment — but often creates a far more expensive problem when the wrong hire lands in an already exhausted team. This episode also looks at why the five-month recruitment cycle doesn’t end when a role is filled. In many clinics, it simply resets — except the team begins the next cycle already depleted. And Julie explains the alternative: building recognition before you need to advertise, through Culture Story Centre infrastructure that allows vets and nurses to get to know your clinic long before a vacancy appears. Because clinics that build recognition first rarely reach month five in their advertising at all. Stay to the end for two simple questions that reveal which type of clinic you want yours to be. In This Episode 00:00:06 – Introduction and the five-month recruitment cycle 00:01:16 – When more advertising and spending still doesn’t work 00:01:55 – What happens when a vacancy drags on for months 00:02:43 – The shift in team morale when “temporary” becomes permanent 00:03:44 – Quiet decisions exhausted team members begin making 00:04:49 – The arrival of “warm body” hiring thinking 00:05:51 – How desperation reshapes recruitment briefs 00:06:43 – When the wrong hire lands in an already stretched team 00:07:37 – The Job Application Decision Gap explained 00:08:45 – Why the five-month cycle simply resets 00:09:52 – Building recognition before you need to advertise 00:11:01 – Clinics that fill roles in month one or two 00:12:19 – Two questions every clinic should ask itself Mentioned in This Episode Cultural Visibility Stress Test A short eight-question exercise designed to help clinics see whether the Job Application Decision Gap might be affecting their recruitment. It takes about three minutes and is free to complete. careers.vetclinicjobs.com About Julie South Julie South is the founder of VetClinicJobs and host of Veterinary Voices. She works with forward-thinking veterinary clinics that want to move beyond reactive job advertising by building recruitment infrastructure that creates recognition before a vacancy appears. When vets and nurses can see that a clinic is their kind of place, recruitment stops being a start-from-scratch exercise every time a role opens. Struggling to get results from your job advert 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

Energy Vets, Taranaki | Starting Out as a New Grad In this REAL+STORY episode, Julie South speaks with Dr Sieara Claytor, a 2025 graduate working in her very first full-time veterinary role at Energy Vets in Taranaki. Sieara moved from the United States to study in Australia and has now started her career in rural New Zealand. Six months in, she’s already managing emergencies, assisting in surgeries beyond routine desexings, handling after-hours responsibilities, and working across two clinic branches. Rather than focusing on “graduate programs” or formal structures, this conversation looks at what support actually feels like day to day — senior vets scrubbing in alongside her, nurses staying late when needed, multiple vets available when things get busy, and space to ask questions without hesitation. Sieara also talks about adjusting to rural life, commuting without traffic lights, wildlife cases, pig-hunting injuries, and the reality of after-hours in a regional clinic. If you’re a new graduate — or someone mentoring one — this episode gives a clear sense of what challenge-with-backup looks like in practice. In This Episode 00:00 – Introduction to the REAL+STORY series with Energy Vets 01:05 – Sieara’s background and first impressions as a new grad 03:30 – Rural caseload: emergencies, variety, and learning fast 04:52 – What support in surgery actually looks like 06:43 – Realising you’re more capable than you thought 07:56 – Moving countries and adjusting to rural life 09:16 – How after-hours really works 11:32 – Differences between the two clinic branches 12:50 – The early-career lens on Energy Vets Hiring Link If you’re an experienced small animal vet exploring your next step, you can find out more about current opportunities at Energy Vets Taranaki  About Julie South Julie South is the founder of VetClinicJobs and host of Veterinary Voices. She works with veterinary clinics that want to show what working there is really like — not just list job requirements. Through VetClinicJobs, she helps clinics make their culture clear and recognisable, so vets and nurses can tell whether a clinic is Their Kind of Clinic long before a vacancy appears. 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

By month four of advertising, most vet clinics and their teams are exhausted. Posting everywhere didn’t work.   Rewriting didn’t work.   Spending more didn’t work. So you start trying random things. A Facebook post.  Asking your team to share.  Updating your careers page.  Boosting something for $50… maybe $100. Because something has to (read: needs to!) stick. In this episode of Veterinary Voices, Julie South unpacks what really happens around week fourteen of the recruitment cycle—when clinics move into DIY mode and start layering scattered tactics on top of a system that’s already failing. The problem isn’t effort.   It’s infrastructure. Social posts disappear.  Website updates sit buried.  Shared job ads still look like unknown clinics making familiar claims. These tactics create bursts of visibility—but they don’t build recognition. This episode contrasts the clinic pushing water uphill with random activity… and the clinic that built permanent culture story centre infrastructure months earlier—so when they advertise, they’re not starting from scratch. Stay to the end for one direct question about how many tactics you’ve tried that went nowhere. In This Episode 00:00 – Introduction: Month four and the shift to random tactics 01:12 – Social posts, staff shares, website updates 02:19 – The “maybe something will stick” phase 03:58 – Why your website isn’t designed for recruitment recognition 04:44 – Why staff sharing helps—but can’t replace recognition 05:29 – Buried posts and disappearing visibility 06:20 – Using the wrong tools for the job 07:15 – The clinic with permanent culture story centre infrastructure 08:15 – Why month four doesn’t have to become month five 09:28 – The question about pushing water uphill About Julie South Julie South is the founder of VetClinicJobs and host of Veterinary Voices. She works with forward-thinking veterinary clinics that want to move beyond reactive job advertising and random tactics by building permanent recruitment infrastructure—so when they need to hire, they’re not starting from cold. 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

Energy Vets, Taranaki | Why Alana Came Back In this REAL+STORY episode, Julie South speaks with vet nurse Alana Howard about why she returned to Energy Vets after starting her nursing career there 20 years ago and then spending years working in Australia. Alana talks about what made coming back feel like the right decision — not just professionally, but personally. She compares different clinic environments and explains what stands out at Energy Vets: how nurses are trusted to use their skills, how new graduates are supported in surgery, and how the team steps in when things get busy. This isn’t about job titles or polished culture statements. It’s about what day-to-day teamwork actually feels like — no behind-the-scenes friction, people sharing knowledge freely, and a team that works across two rural clinics without things falling apart. Alana also reflects on raising a family in Taranaki, commuting without traffic lights, and why rural schooling and coastal living have been part of the decision to stay. Across this conversation, you hear what steady support sounds like from a nurse’s perspective — not from leadership, but from someone working on the floor every day. In This Episode 00:00 – Introduction to the REAL+STORY series with Energy Vets 02:20 – Why Alana chose to return 03:04 – What feels different about this clinic 07:31 – Nurses using their full clinical skillset 09:52 – Supporting a new graduate in surgery 11:27 – How the clinic has grown over time 12:36 – Living and raising a family in Taranaki Hiring Link If you’re an experienced small animal vet exploring your next step, you can find out more about current opportunities at Energy Vets Taranaki   About Julie South Julie South is the founder of VetClinicJobs and host of Veterinary Voices. She works with veterinary clinics that want to show what working there is really like — not just list job requirements. Through VetClinicJobs, she helps clinics make their culture clear and recognisable, so vets and nurses can tell whether a clinic is Their Kind of Clinic long before a vacancy appears. 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

Why Spending More on Job Ads Doesn’t Work By month three of advertising, most vet clinics assume the problem is reach. Not enough applications?   Then not enough visibility. Not enough visibility?  Spend more. Premium placement. Featured listings. Boosted posts. Maybe even a recruitment agency. But the real problem isn’t reach. It’s recognition. In this episode of Veterinary Voices, Julie South unpacks what actually happens around week ten of the recruitment cycle—when rewriting hasn’t worked, posting everywhere hasn’t worked, and the numbers start looking impressive while the applications still don’t. Because exposure isn’t the same as recognition. And paying to be seen doesn’t fix being unknown. Julie explains why month three is when budgets escalate, agencies start circling, and something more dangerous begins to build: the wrong kind of recognition. The clinic that’s been advertising for 10 weeks. The clinic people start questioning. This episode contrasts two very different outcomes:  The clinic that keeps upgrading listings and reinforcing concern… And the clinic that fills a role within days—not because their ad was premium, but because they weren’t unknown. Stay to the end for two questions about what your recruitment budget is actually building. In This Episode 00:00 – Introduction: Month three and the instinct to spend more  01:44 – Premium placement and the visibility trap  02:30 – Exposure vs recognition: why big numbers don’t mean results  03:33 – The uncomfortable money conversation  05:07 – The recognition you’re building (and why it’s not good)  06:12 – What actually creates the right kind of recognition  07:26 – Why premium placement amplifies but doesn’t create trust  08:13 – The exhausted clinic at the $2,000 mark  09:01 – The clinic that fills the role in three days  09:53 – Two questions about what you’re really paying for About Julie South Julie South is the founder of VetClinicJobs and host of Veterinary Voices. She works with forward-thinking veterinary clinics that want to stop escalating job ad spend and instead build recognition before they need to hire—so when they do advertise, they’re not paying to be unknown. 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