Hello and welcome to Radio Vet Nurse Interrupted, I’m Cat Walker. Over the past three episodes I’ve taken a deep dive into the vet industry to look at the factors that are contributing to the current crisis. It’s been uncomfortable at times and all of the guests I’ve interviewed have been vulnerable and very honest.  But what now? We know the cause, we know the challenges ahead, and we know what some of the most influential people in the industry are trying to do to create lasting change. In this final episode of this series, I’d like to take a look at what we might be able to do t ..read more

Hi and welcome to Radio Vet Nurse Interrupted, I’m Cat Walker. On the previous episodes of Radio Vet Nurse Interrupted, I shared the way the vet industry crisis has affected my life personally and I also spoke to industry leaders and experts about the biggest stressors that are leading to this crisis. If you haven’t listened yet, I suggest you head back to catch up. Today I wanted to start looking to the future and will be speaking with everyone from directors, to counsellors, to the President of the AVA to get their take on what they think the industry can do to make lasting change. Dr Warw ..read more

Hi and welcome to Radio Vet Nurse Interrupted, I’m Cat Walker. On the previous episode of Radio Vet Nurse Interrupted I shared the story of how my world was turned upside down when my now ex husband, and father of my children, developed a substance use disorder. He fell victim to the demands and pressure of our vet industry and we’ve all paid a very personal cost. Having always had open conversations on Radio Vet Nurse about wellness and the big issues in the industry, I feel compelled to take my story and start an honest conversation about some of the challenges we are facing in the industry ..read more

CW: This episode of Radio Vet Nurse discusses substance use disorder and briefly mentions suicide. If these topics raise any issues you can contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 www.beyondblue.org.au and Lifeline 13 11 14 www.lifeline.org.au Hi and welcome to Radio Vet Nurse Interrupted, I’m Cat Walker. For those of you that have listened to my podcast in the past - you may have realised that this episode is a little bit different. In 2020 my life took a dramatic turn. I lived through a traumatic event. My whole family did. I went to ground and just survived. 18 months later, I’m ready to talk ..read more

In this episode I caught up with fellow podcaster Yvonne Brandenburg RVT, VTS (SAIM) from Internal Medicine for Vet Techs. Yvonne is the creator of an online community of like-minded nurses and techs with an interest in the medicine side of vet med. Yvonne is a self-confessed type A person, always expanding her brain, always reaching towards the infinite possibilities. We spoke about the need to look after ourselves, remembering to be in the moment, and finding a renewed passion for our careers through continuing education and niching down. Yvonne has her VTS in small animal internal medici ..read more

Ever since I started this podcast, people have been asking me to interview today’s guest. I wanted to wait until we could meet and record in person, but since we’re all grounded by covid19 for who knows how long, I decided that online would have to do for now. You might have heard of my guest, Jane Bindloss. Jane qualified as a veterinary nurse in the UK and eventually owned and managed a practice with her vet husband in Melbourne. She now runs SANE Veterinary Management with Sally Boyle, helping veterinary practices through leadership, coaching, and a push for the positive culture workplace ..read more

In this episode I caught up with Jeff Backus, veterinary technician and fellow podcaster. Jeff and his mate Dave host one of my favourite podcasts, the Vet Tech Café, so it was super fun to put him on the on the other side of the mic for a change. We talked about his career path from being a veterinary assistant in a GP practice to VTS in Emergency and Critical Care. He’s been quite involved with academia throughout this career too having worked as adjunct professor, and currently working at Tufts University mainly in ICU. If you enjoy this episode, the dulcet tones of Jeff’s voice, and his ..read more

In this episode I caught up with Michelle, who has been recommended for the show many times. Michelle coordinates the blood bank at the Animal Hospital at Murdock. This is just one of many interesting phases of Michelle’s career including working as a zoo vet nurse and qualified zoo keeper, and volunteering on a bear rescue sanctuary in remote Vietnam. Michelle has some great advice on how to be a career veterinary nurse, including being strategic about career jumps, moves, side steps and even exit plans. And this of course is the secret to staying fresh and motivated in your career. I real ..read more

In this episode I had the pleasure of meeting Hannah, Physio RVN. One of Hannah’s colleagues reached out to me and recommended her as a guest. I jumped straight onto Hannah’s Instagram account @physio.rvn and found myself scrolling through her content with a huge smile on my face. It’s this exquisite combination of didactic physio and rehabilitation posts with beautiful photos, and these funny self-deprecating photos of Hannah’s vet nurse life.   Hannah is the nursing team lead at Pennard Vets in the UK. She’s an RVN and is also nearly finished her diploma in animal physiotherapy ..read more

In this episode I was joined by the 2019 VNCA Vet Nurse of the Year, Kate. She’s a senior nurse at the Perth Zoo, nominated by her entire team for her work ethic and dedication to our profession. Kate has been a vet nurse for 20 years, working in zoos for 18. We recorded this episode at the beginning of March, just before COVID-19 turned the world on its head. Ever the conservationist, Kate wanted to talk about the pangolin and her vet nurse friend Cathy’s work raising awareness for this amazing creature. Apart from my mental image of a scaled mammal at the time I knew nothing of the pangoli ..read more