Mixed Animal Veterinarians looking for a lifeSTYLE and career PROGRESSION

"As a new grad I experienced a tremendous amount of support from my senior vets, then as I have grown as a clinician, I've found myself mentoring the junior vets more...

"By the end of first year out I was happily doing cystotomies, ex laps, nares widening, etc. as well as more routine surgeries."

I’ve enjoyed working with the team at Waikiwi Vets over the past four years. The staff here, both fellow vets as well as nurses and administrative staff, are warm, capable, and an asset to the practice.

As a new grad I experienced a tremendous amount of support from my senior vets, then as I have grown as a clinician I've found myself mentoring the junior vets more.

The nurses are technically capable and all round fantastic, and there is a mix of very experienced (15y+) and junior nurses. This makes the difference when it's a hectic morning and the nurses place IVs, take and run bloods and set your patient up on fluids for you.

The caseload at Waikiwi, especially surgical, is very high - so there is great exposure to a wide variety of cases. By the end of first year out I was happily doing cystotomies, ex laps, nares widening, etc. as well as more routine surgeries.

An advantage of being in Southland is that the nearest referral centre is approx. 8hr drive away, so we tackle all but the most complicated cases in-house. This includes more complicated procedures such as orthopaedics, of which our ortho vet routinely does TPLO and TTA and fracture repair - which he is more than happy to teach to the next budding ortho vet.

That’s what Dr Emma said when we asked her what working at Waikiwi Vets in Invercargill has been like as her first employer since graduating four years’ ago.

VetStaff is proud to be partnering with Invercargill’s longest-serving vet clinic – Waikiwi Vets – in the search for their next very special team-oriented veterinarians.

Living and working in Invercargill means you truly do get to experience that ever-elusive “lifeSTYLE”.

If you’re a Mixed Animal veterinarian yearning to live in a part of New Zealand that’s a rare combination of “how NZ used to be” coupled with high-tech sophistication, with work colleagues who look after each other, then this might be just what you’ve been waiting for.

As you can see from Emma’s experience, Waikiwi Vets offers a great opportunity for the right grad with the right attitude. So if you’re looking for your first job straight out of Massey, then this could be the clinic you’ve been hanging out for.

Alternatively, if you’ve got a few years’ experience under your belt and looking for your next move to a clinic that knows how to appreciate everyone who works there, then this could be just for you as well.

Waikiwi Vets is team- and client-focussed. This vet practice is a 100% totally independent non-corporate clinic that believes in old-fashioned values (family IS important), where everyone looks after each other and where support and mentorship is critical to the entire team’s continued professional development.

There aren’t many kiwi clinics that can boast being part of the local community for almost seven decades, but Waikiwi Vets can! This shows they’re obviously doing a lot right.

Waikiwi Vets is a growing, mixed 8 FTE vet clinic, that’s proud of its specialist equipment & experienced surgeons. This clinic’s vets are known for repairing cases from fractures & dislocations through to TPLOs.

If you’d like to expand your ortho surgical skills, then working with Dr David will mean that dream can come true because he’s only too keen to mentor and help develop budding surgeons.

You’d have an interesting surgical caseload in a fully equipped, lots-of-toys-clinic which includes digital radiographs and dentals. In addition, the team’s advanced ultrasound skills mean they’re happy to accept referrals. As you’ve probably realised, with the advanced skillsets on offer, it goes without saying that continued professional development plays an important part in the career development of each vet (and support team). If you’re sick of having to justify every CPD point you want to earn, then maybe it’s time for you to consider another clinic like Waikiwi Vets.

Lifestyle is important to the team as a whole. Even though the clinic is 24/7, weekends on-call are doable at one in seven, with weeknights at once/fortnight. The full team includes 8 vets, nine experienced nurses, one tech plus a dedicated FOH and support team of five.

There’s plenty on offer in Invercargill too. Invercargill (Waihōpai) is the regional capital and commercial hub of Southland. Founded in the 1850’s, today it has a population of almost 60,000 people, it’s New Zealand’s southernmost city - and one of the southernmost cities in the world.

Invercargill acts as the gateway city to wilderness areas including Stewart Island, with its Rakiura Track and Queens Park with flower displays and sporting facilities

Numerous heritage buildings give the city a charming old-world quality, while the magnificent Queens Park impresses with its sprawling 80 hectares of beautifully kept gardens, wildlife habitats, playgrounds and sports areas, including NZs first velodrome which was built in 2008.

Fondly dubbed the "City of Water and Light", because of its long summer daylight hours, frequent appearances of the Aurora Australis (Southern Lights), and the city’s position beside the Waihopai River estuary, Invercargill has plenty of character and a friendly.

Wide streets in a gridded layout make it easy to find your way around the city to enjoy the excellent cultural attractions, outstanding nature reserves and parks, and lively cafes, restaurants and bars. There’s something for the whole family in Invercargill!

If you’d like to know more about working at Waikiwi Vets, in the first instance please contact Julie South who is project managing the recruitment of these positions on behalf of Waikiwi Vets.

Julie realises that changing jobs is a pretty major decision and, if moving to Invercargill means relocating, then it’s an even bigger decision. She’s therefore happy to (confidentially) chew the fat with you and answer some of your burning questions to start with. You can contact her on 0800 483 869 or send her an email at [email protected].

If you’re an overseas vet who’d like to know more, these positions qualify for the (current) Immigration New Zealand visa requirements provided you’re able to be Registered in New Zealand as a fully-practising Veterinarian.