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Update on the Workplace Staff Shortage – May 2023

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With the AVA Annual Conference coming up, it’s a good time to release some current figures to update the trends that Kookaburra Veterinary Employment is seeing in Australia, for the “State of the Market” panel discussion.

Vets

table showing Australian permanent vet jobs advertised with kookaburravets.com from 2014 to 2023

Of the current 735 open vet vacancies, 131 have been continuously advertised for more than 8 months.

In the last 3 months (February, March, April 2023), 1125 jobs have been advertised.

  • 27% of these have been filled by Kookaburra,
  • 2% have been filled by other advertising, or through personal contact
  • 9% have been removed because the clinic either gave up looking or restructured their clinic staff to cope – although some clinics are now reporting having a reduced workload, following the post-covid boom
  • 62% are still available.

As of 30th April 2023, 52 clinics had been advertising continuously for longer than 2 years without filling their vacancy

table showing comparison of three 3 months periods of job listings in 2020, 2021 and 2023

Vet Nurses

In March 2020 we had 236 vet nurse jobs listed.
In April 2021 we had 337 vet nurse jobs listed.
As of May 9th 2023, we have 316 vet nurse jobs listed.

Discussion

Kookaburra has noted the following factors

  • An increase in the numbers of vets required to cover the workload in individual practices
  • An increase in the numbers of new clinics opening – both corporate, and privately owned. 10 years ago Kookaburra had roughly 2100 clinics listed in Australia – we now have over 2600.
  • Many of the practice owners and managers that we talk to on a daily basis are highly stressed by the workforce shortage, and many are also resigned to having great difficulty hiring suitable new staff

Kookaburra circulated a Salary survey in the winter of 2022 and one of the questions we asked was about future plans (see chart below).
26% of vets (63 vets ) who responded to the Kookaburra Vets Salary Survey 2022 said they were planning on leaving general practice by 5 years’ time, either retiring, leaving the profession entirely, taking a break, or moving into another area of the veterinary industry.
In the 2019 survey, 24% of responding vets (142 vets) were planning on leaving general practice by 5 years’ time. That’s a lot of vets leaving general practice – and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down at all.

(copy of the full Salary Survey 2022 report available here: https://www.vetsuppliersdirectory.com.au/salary-survey-2022/ )

Chart showing survey results - 5 year plan

Author:
Wendy Nathan
Kookaburra Veterinary Employment

This information includes the views and opinions of Kookaburra Veterinary Employment and is of a general nature only. Factual information is believed to be correct at the time of writing, however, should not be relied upon and any person should confirm details with the relevant authorities and through their own research prior to acting on any of the suggestions in this article.

15/05/2023 |

Thyronorm. Easy! Safe! Effective!

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Hyperthyroidism is the most prevalent endocrine disease in cats over 10 years of age. First described in cats in the late 70s, increases in the feline population, availability and use of total thyroid hormone tests and extensions in life expectancy has seen the number of cases within clinics rise.

Most cases of hyperthyroidism will be straightforward to diagnose and treat with current treatment options available to clinicians including the chemotherapy treatment, radioactive iodine, surgical thyroidectomy, topical compounded medications or tablets. The challenge in practice and for the cat’s owner is that tablet medication is most often prescribed and therefore most clients must learn to regularly tablet their cat to be compliant.

In November 2022 the team at Norbrook® announced the launch of Thyronorm® Oral Liquid for Cats to manage feline hyperthyroidism. Dr Michael Dhar, Norbrook’s Technical Services Manager, comments “Cats with hyperthyroidism are difficult to treat initially because of the aggressive behavioural changes that occur with the disorder. Medical treatment always begins the treatment plan as either a precursor to other options or lifelong management of hyperthyroidism and is over 95% successful in returning cats to a euthyroid state.

Thyronorm oral liquid now provides Australian vets with a registered alternative to making their clients tablet a cat with hyperthyroidism”.

Thyronorm oral liquid contains 5mg/mL thiamazole (also known as methimazole in the US) that inhibits the production of thyroid hormone by the thyroid gland, in a palatable liquid formulation that has an ISFM (https://icatcare.org/) easy to give award.

The liquid thiamazole formulation provides an alternative to any tablet version including the human carbimazole formulation that is a prodrug of thiamazole.

“Carbimazole is immediately converted to thiamazole in plasma which is the active molecule within the body. It is important to recognise that the molar equivalent of carbimazole is not the same as thiamazole, so when converting doses between the two some maths needs to be done,” he continues.

“Thyronorm also provides an alternative to the compounded topical thiamazole formulations as a registered medication that also has the benefit of reducing any possibility of accidental exposure to other pets or humans that may occur with topical medicines when prescribed.”

“We’ve received fabulous feedback about their use of Thyronorm from vet clinics so far.”, Michael adds. “It’s great to be able to share these stories but they are but a few of the cases we are hearing about.”

“One of our most recent cases is a cat that was having difficulties consuming tablets, so we transitioned to Thyronorm and now they are well controlled as they are now taking medication easily and dosing is not a stressful time for patient or client anymore.”             – Tori Calleja (Senior Veterinary Nurse) from Brimbank Vet Clinic.

“Owner has historically had trouble tableting Patient X, so the accessibility and ease of administration seemed like a win win.”             – Tanya Finneran (Head Veterinary Nurse) from Coast Animal Health.

“We have a highly aggressive cat called Patient X. When she was diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism we where devastated as no one could tablet the cat. We started her on Thyronorm and she takes it like a treat and the owner is able to give the medication at home! She is currently doing really well and t4 is within normal limits!”             – Megan McCubbin from Monier Vet Clinic.

Patient X’s owner was already giving tablets and was struggling to tablet Patient X. Our Vet discussed Thyronorm with Patient X’s owner and they jumped at the chance to have a product that’s easy to use and make compliance of giving medication everyday more successful. Patient loves Thyronorm and his owner is so happy they changed!             – Natasha Jones (Veterinary Practice Manager) from McLaren Vale Veterinary Surgery.

Thiamazole is a bitter tasting medication. In tablet form it needs to be covered in a casing to prevent the patient tasting the active ingredient. This creates challenges to a vet’s management plan of hyperthyroidism when minor dose adjustments are needed to reach target levels as we are either asking clients to then give two tablets or if they give a halved tablet there is the opportunity for cats to react to the bitter taste of thiamazole.

With previous success in formulating liquid oral medications for cats the Norbrook research team were challenged by vets to create a liquid version of thiamazole. The feedback from practicing vets was that a liquid thiamazole medication would assist compliance and management plans greatly in the medical treatment of feline hyperthyroidism. The formulation created uses honey flavouring over the top of a solution that has removed the upfront bitter taste of thiamazole.

He adds, “Feedback from our colleagues in the UK was to expect 70% of cats will readily accept Thyronorm from the syringe and that’s exactly what we have found. After a little initial training to get them used to the taste and receiving treatment from a syringe, cats are coming to their owners to receive Thyronorm as they think it is a treat.”

The Thyronorm formulation allows dose adjustments of 1.25mg (0.25mL) to be made to ensure the dose given can more readily match the management plan resulting in blood total thyroid levels at the vet’s desired target range.

Co-morbidities are common in cats that have hyperthyroidism with concurrent renal insufficiency occurring in as many as 20% of cases. Tachycardia, volume overload through adrenergic stimulation and hypertension can artificially increase GFR (glomerular filtration rate) by 100% when hyperthyroidism exists. “Hyperthyroidism results in renal damage through renal hypertension and glomerular sclerosis resulting in this population of cats having a higher incidence of renal disease.” Euthyroidism will limit on-going renal damage and if renal disease exists that should be managed concurrently. As renal insufficiency is suspected at such a high rate prior to hyperthyroid management on-going monitoring of renal parameters when monitoring blood thyroid hormone levels is strongly recommended.

A small percentage of feline hyperthyroidism cases are a consequence of a malignant thyroid adenocarcinoma rather than the more common benign adenoma. “If response to medical management is not resulting in the expected reduction in blood thyroid hormone levels then consider the small risk of an adenocarcinoma being present.” Adenocarcinomas follow on from benign adenomas generally over an extended period beyond 3 years as a consequence of further mutations. Outcomes in treatment and management of adenocarcinoma cases are less predictable.

Thyronorm is expected to ensure the pet parent bond continues with him adding “Thyronorm has been available in the UK since 2016 and the vets have made it their number one prescription for feline hyperthyroidism. With this endorsement from our colleagues, we are sure that these early results from Australian vets across 2023 will continue.” Norbrook have been manufacturing medicines since 1969 to enhance the health of animals, “This innovative product was driven by vets voicing their frustrations at current therapy options, we are proud as a company to have developed and delivered Thyronorm.” he finishes.

Thyronorm provides a simple solution to the complex problem of feline hyperthyroidism. The first and only registered oral liquid therapy for cats to manage hyperthyroidism in Australia. It is the easy, safe, and effective option.

*Thiamazole is the international name of US adopted name methimazole.

 

Contact Norbrook:

Email: customercare@norbrook.com.au

Website: https://www.norbrook.com/

Click Here to watch our Video

07/12/2023 |

Therian – Designing for a Veterinary Start-up

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It can be daunting for any professional to take the leap and start their own business. However, with the right team of professionals, it can be a relatively straightforward undertaking. Whilst you may have confidence in your ability to build your veterinary team, putting together a team to design and build a veterinary clinic may not be as comfortable.

A Commercial Real Estate Broker should be one of the first professionals engaged to help with finding the ideal property for your new clinic. The Broker should be able to provide a market analysis to help identify potential properties and help you narrow down the budget that should be allowed for leasing or purchasing a property. One of the first things your Real Estate Broker will need to know is how much space or how large of a property you need. By working with an experienced Veterinary Architect when you begin to search for property, you can set yourself up for success early on and minimise the time and expense of building, which is essential to every budget critical start-up.

Pre-design services available from an Architect include “Needs Assessments” and “Feasibility Studies”. As part of a “Needs Assessment”, an Architect should be able to provide you with a veterinary specific design questionnaire that will ask you all the relevant questions about your intended business, to inform the project brief. Once the project brief is established, the Architect can then accurately estimate how much lease space or land is needed to suit your intended operational requirements. Having an accurate estimate of what is needed will quickly narrow the search by your Real Estate Broker. The Architect can then help evaluate the right-sized properties as part of a Feasibility Study. This process should help you confirm the suitability of specific properties for your start-up, and help you start to consider the potential costs involved with building your practice. There can be a broad variation in costs to fit out different properties. A feasibility study should identify the major costs to be expected, in addition to how well they may be suited to veterinary practice use.

An Architect that has worked specifically with start-up veterinary practices should be able to suggest cost-saving design ideas, to help minimise the cost of the build, and maximise the revenue-generating potential for any given size clinic. It is important for every start-up not to “over-build”. Controlling the cost of the build starts with the needs assessment by establishing the size of the clinic that is needed. The Architect’s concept design has the potential to impact construction costs and potential income by optimising space usage, maximising revenue-generating areas, and minimising non-revenue-generating areas.

Lastly, during the detailed design, striking the right balance for quality of materials that minimise initial costs, while still delivering a facility that will be easy to maintain and suitable for the intended purpose is key. An experienced Veterinary Architect can advise on the relative cost of materials and the performance trade-offs between one vs another.

When considering a new build, be sure to pre-qualify and interview your Architect as you would anyone you are going to employ. Scrutinise their specific, relevant experience, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. The Architect should serve as a trusted adviser to support you throughout the design and build, so if they are unwilling or unable to explain the process in a way you can understand, they may not be the right fit for your project. Success starts with building the right team.

To learn more about us or to get started, please call +61 7 5657 6777 or visit: therian.com.au/veterinary-clinics-hospitals/

10/08/2023 |

The Vet Shortage – Musings of an Employment Agent

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Kookaburra Vets LogoJanuary 2019

In the last 12 to 18 months, the veterinary shortage has continued to bite in Australia and is now affecting practices in the cities as well as rural and regional areas. The results of the Lincoln Institute survey in Australia have been in the news this month ( Link to SBS report) , and Kookaburra Vet Employment has recently been approached by multiple news outlets for interviews and comments ( link to ABC Sunshine Coast article )

A BVA (British Veterinary Association) and University of Exeter study in the UK released late in 2018 found that 37% of vets were actively thinking about leaving the profession (1,250 vets surveyed ). 59% of vets said they were either very stressed or somewhat stressed at work. A smaller Kookaburra Vet Employment survey from 2017 of just 336 vets showed that 17% of associates thought they would have left the profession in the next 5 years.

The suicide rate of vets in Australia has been found to be 4 times higher than the general population – that’s one vet every 12 weeks. Here at Kookaburra we feel the impact of losing a veterinary colleague way too frequently.

Male VetSo is there a shortage of vets – and is it due to vets quitting the profession?

In absolute terms looking at the widely reported figures in Australia, NZ, the UK and the USA for numbers of vets compared to numbers of pets – no, there shouldn’t be a shortage. So why are there so many veterinary vacancies? There are between 11 and 12,000 vets registered in Australia, and there are approximately 2,200 veterinary practices.

This time 5 years ago, in 2014, Kookaburra Vet Employment had 170 jobs listed for vets, and 20% of those jobs were suitable for new graduates (the clinic could provide the support and training needed for a new or recent grad). It was taking 8-9 weeks to fill a vet job.

At the moment (January 2019) Kookaburra Vet Employment has 437 current vet jobs listed, and 34% of those will now consider a new graduate. Vacancies are being listed for an average of 13 weeks. However, in the last 3 months, 11% of vacancies listed with us have been removed because the clinic either gave up looking, or restructured their clinic staff to cope. Some practices on our books have been advertising continuously for over 3 years without filling their vacancy.

So what impact does pay rates have?

Kookaburra did a small survey (including vets and vet nurses) in 2018 and found that out of 167 respondents, 73% had not had a pay rise in the last 12 months.  Out of 235 respondents, 70 % said that a pay rise would make them reconsider if they were considering looking for another job, and 21% said that it may make them reconsider.
Most vets earn in the range of $60,000 to $90,000 pa.

Female VetAn interesting study, again from the BVA and University of Exeter, released in 2018, investigated gender bias in the veterinary profession ( link to BVA Employers’ Study 2018) . The profession is becoming increasingly feminised as more than 50% of recent graduates are female. The VetFutures study surveyed 260 employers and managers. 42% believed there was no gender discrimination in the veterinary profession – but then that same section when tested in the survey offered males a higher salary than females. Could the feminisation of the profession be linked to stagnating pay rates?

As an employment agency we hear from both employers and job seekers.

For employers, retaining suitably qualified staff seems to be a challenge, however, we have found that very many clinics have expanded dramatically over the last 10 years or so, and have sought to employ more vets. Do they really have an increased workload and associated practice income, or are they trying to create a better work/life balance? Without an increase in practice income, new vacancies cannot be supported. Kookaburra has also seen a number of new practices set up in areas already well supplied by vets – including private practices, house call practices, as well as corporate practices and in-pet store clinics.  This has seemed to outstrip closure of clinics.

Associate vets are looking for a practice where they are paid well according to the work they do, where they know their work is valued by colleagues and clients, where they have accessible role models and mentors, access to and support for continuing education, a good work/life balance, and a modern well equipped workplace with trained supportive staff. Practices that provide this are likely to have less trouble recruiting, and more success at retaining the staff in whom they have made an investment.

Author:

Wendy Nathan
Kookaburra Veterinary Employment

This information includes the views and opinions of Kookaburra Veterinary Employment and is of a general nature only. Factual information is believed to be correct at the time of writing, however, should not be relied upon and any person should confirm details with the relevant authorities and through their own research prior to acting on any of the suggestions in this article.

22/01/2019 |

Ten Top Tips for Advertisers

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"Top Ten" image

There is a lot of competition between clinics to fill practice vacancies for vets and vet nurses at the moment. These are Paula’s Ten Top Tips to consider when advertising:

  1. Boost your extramural studies program: you may pick up a new graduate vet;
  2. Have a strong vet nurse team: boosting the role of your nurses makes your practice more attractive to potential applicants;
  3. Reply promptly to applicants: communicate in a timely manner;
  4. Sort out your social media: applicants are looking for practices with a strong online presence;
  5. Put your team online: pictures of your happy, sociable team can play a role in attracting applicants;
  6. Give everyone a lunch break: this will impact on your team’s work/life balance and outlook on their job;
  7. Undertake regular social activities: encourage your team to be socially engaged with each other and their community;
  8. Promote your location: applicants are looking for somewhere they can settle so provide them with reasons why for your area;
  9. Talk openly about the full benefits package: advertise your salary range on offer; and
  10. Pictures of equipment are to be avoided: this is unlikely to attract applicants as most practices use similar equipment.

My current rule of thumb is to take the emphasis in the ad off what you want from your new employee and instead put it on what you are offering.

Author:

Paula Strong
Kookaburra Veterinary Employment

This information includes the views and opinions of Kookaburra Veterinary Employment and is of a general nature only. Factual information is believed to be correct at the time of writing, however, should not be relied upon and any person should confirm details with the relevant authorities and through their own research prior to acting on any of the suggestions in this article.

08/12/2020 |
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