Striking the balance – veterinary medicine with Dr Stuart Burrough
Revolutionising Veterinary Care: Elevating Vet Nurses and Tackling Vet Shortages with Dr Stuart Burrough
The Importance of Utilising Vet Nurses in Veterinary Practices
Revolutionising Veterinary Care: As the demand for veterinary services grows, veterinary practices face staffing shortages. Dr Stuart Burrough, principal and companion animal veterinarian at Vet Marlborough, believes that veterinary practices can use vet nurses more effectively to navigate the shortage of vets.
Dr Burrough is a strong advocate of efficiency improvement, business development, and leadership, with years of experience in the vet industry and business ownership.
What does it really take to revolutionise veterinary care? Dr Burrough recommends delegating more technical and administrative tasks to vet nurses. For example, tasks like drawing blood, running lab tests, conducting research, and taking x-rays can fall under the responsibility of vet nurses.
When it comes to freeing up vets’ time in clinic (in other words, revolutionising veterinary care), he believes that vet nurses are capable of doing many tasks that vets currently undertake.
image provided by Vet Marlborough
Dr Burrough acknowledges that some practices may be reluctant to employ nurses because of cost. However, the benefits of using nurses outweigh the cost.
Revolutionising Veterinary Care: Breaking Barriers and Promoting Confidence
image provided by Vet Marlborough
Vet nurses should show their capabilities and be confident enough to request specific tasks.
Nurses can provide business plans to initiate projects that can better the practice. However, some vet nurses may struggle to put themselves forward, particularly if they are naturally introverted.
Dr Burrough encourages vet nurses to harness their potential, communicate with confidence and promote the importance of the role they play in the veterinary team.
Vets may not be keen to relinquish some tasks due to fear of losing control. Vet nurses can prove their abilities to vets by requesting the opportunity to try specific tasks without being micromanaged. This builds trust and demonstrates that vet nurses can assist vets effectively.
Revolutionising Veterinary Care: Boosting Efficiency in Veterinary Practices
Dr Burrough is passionate about innovation, respectful leadership, and empowering vet nurses to reach their full potential.
He owns Vet Marlborough in Blenheim, where he has been innovative in utilising highly skilled nurses to improve efficiency. The nurses’ responsibilities at Vet Marlborough include admission of patients, pre-anaesthetic checks, catheterisation, calculating and drawing up of pre-medication and anaesthetic medications, and assisting in complex surgeries.
Vets at Vet Marlborough undertake fewer technical tasks, which enables them to spend more time on strategic planning and innovation. Additionally, Dr Burrough advocates for continuing education and special interest groups for all staff, ensuring that the practice remains at the forefront of the industry.
From Vet to Business Owner
In a fascinating conversation with Julie South on the Paws Claws Wet Noses podcast, Dr Burrough shares his journey from a clinical vet to business owner. Initially, Dr Burrough worked for the Graham Vet Club, a farmer-owned cooperative, where he gained three years’ clinical practice experience.
He then ventured into a small practice in Richmond, where he was offered a partnership. However, the caveat was that the partner retained complete financial control, which he declined.
Dr Burrough then worked at another practice in Blenheim, where he got the chance to become a partner.
With an appetite for innovation, Dr Burrough thrives on exploring new ideas and opportunities.
He is keen to empower other veterinary professionals by sharing his expertise and experience in the industry.
Investing in Continuing Education and Training
Dr Burrough is passionate about continuing education and has held roles on the Council for the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists and the board for Veterinary Continuing Education. Dr Burrough’s dissatisfaction with the lack of qualifications for vet nurses and the lack of investment in their training and education led to him being appointed as the patron of the New Zealand Vet Nurses Association.
Continuing in continued professional development (CPD) and continuing education (CE) is something Dr Burrough believes in very strongly. He regards CPD and CE as an investment and necessary to develop a veterinary team.
In conclusion, Dr Burrough is a veterinary thought-leader ideal for the current veterinary workforce and industry challenges.
He understands the importance of utilising the vet nurses’ skills, empowering their potential, and promoting respectful leadership to limit vet shortages and increase efficiency and effectiveness in veterinary practices. He encourages all veterinary staff to invest in continuing education and training to ensure that they remain healthy, happy, and grow in their careers.
High Standards of Care – Small Animal Veterinarian vacancy at Vet Marlborough
Dr Burrough and his team at Vet Marlborough are dedicated to providing best practice standards of care.
In fact, Vetstaff is currently looking for someone who shares their passion for providing best practice standards of care to join their team.
For more information – Vet Marlborough | Companion Animal Veterinarian
If you’re interested in being part of the type of team Dr Burrough describes, we encourage you to get in touch with either Julie South or Isobel Cooper at VetStaff.
Be deliberate – choose a PEOPLE.first vet clinic employer – quote by Julie South
Episode 1 (of 3) with Dr Stuart Burrough
Striking the Balance: Veterinary Medicine at the Cutting Edge with Work-Life Harmony Dr Stuart Burrough
Revive Your Drive – Mental Health Awareness for the Month of May
To view the playlist on YouTube click the logo in the bottom right hand corner of the video below
