Vet Nurse Margie’s dreams, aspirations and how vet clinics can pay their vet nurses more

This is the second of two episodes where I catch up with Vet Nurse of the Year 2021 Margie Rutherford of The Strand Veterinarian in Auckland’s Parnell.

If you haven’t listened to last week’s episode – number 63 – I highly recommend you go and listen to that show before you listen to this, as it gives context.

Today, Margie shares some of her dreams and aspirations for vet nurses.

She talks about the changes she’d like to see to help stop the exodus of vet nurses leaving the industry, tangible and real steps that all clinics can put in place to help not only show they appreciate and value nurses more, but how they can pay them more too.

The habits that nurses and clinics need to form around patient care, the differences that show up when nurses are encouraged and supported to develop their professional areas of interest, the CPD courses she’s done and enjoyed and what’s on her horizon as well as what Margie does when she’s not working.

Some of Margie’s ideas for vet nurses to earn more

Look at your bills

are you charging for your VNs?   If not, start.  If you are, are you covering all your nurse’s areas of expertise – for example:

• Nurse time
• Nurse consulting services
• Nurse time for hospital patients
• Anaesthetic fees

Accurate reflection of real costs

Do your bills truly and accurately reflect the cost of patient care – for example – have you built in:

• Equipment costs
• Maintenance costs
• Nurses’ time (biggest cost)
• Inpatient care costs

Professional development plan for your vet nurses

Put in place an in-clinic professional development plan for all of your nurses – encourage them to grow and blossom according to their own unique skills, values, strengths and areas of expertise.

Two CPD courses Margie’s done / doing

Margie talked about two courses – Fear Free – one that everyone at her clinic has done and the Cooperative Care Certificate that she’s currently studying with her own dog.

Find your groove and help your VNs find their own groove because you’ll both benefit from it.

Veterinary Mastermind professional development group

A small group of in-clinic professionals who meet once/month over lunch (online) to grow their clinics and/or themselves.

Being part of this group offers members:

• Accountability
• Professional growth
• brainstorming

For more information please get in touch with Julie at julie@vetstaff.co.nz

LINKS IN TODAY’S SHOW:

Fear Free certification:  https://fearfreepets.com/fear-free-certification-overview/

Cooperative Care Certification: https://cooperativecarecertificate.com/