Thank you for the reply. With my next job, I would be asking for a 3-6 months trial period as a casual before signing a permanent contract. It wasn’t easy for the clinic to juggle new grad training with the influx of clients. No time to spare. All the best with your practice and your new grad!

Thanks for writing in. I’m honestly not surprised to hear of experiences like yours, and I’m really sorry that it’s happening. One look at the number of job vacancies listed both for vets and vet nurses tells you just how desperate things are at the moment, and I can imagine the stress that the remaining workers are feeling in some clinics. However, let me say that it is certainly not all clinics.

Firstly, it’s definitely not you and it’s got nothing to do with your abilities. No one can fulfil client expectations in the Internet age straight out of university. Every single graduate from the University of Adelaide is excellent if they are given the time to develop. You are definitely no exception.

My advice after all you’ve done to get this far is to not give up yet unless you feel you are at risk. Employers are so desperate right now that they will be willing to accept pre-conditions if you make them. Tell them exactly what you need, especially how much time you need and exactly how much work you can cope with before it is too much. Set clear boundaries with new employers – you have that power in the current climate. If necessary, consider working only a few days a week, and be prepared to leave other jobs if they aren’t sufficiently healthy working environments.

My view of is that there are some practices that are relatively stable, and others that have gone into a vicious circle of a high rotation of stressed and overworked staff due to repeated staff losses. Only look at the stable ones if employers are not prepared to accept that you can’t do all of the work required in these understaffed practices.

P.S. I had not thought of the contract problem – bear in mind that there are plenty of non-corporate vets who will be happy not to have one – generally I have never asked vets to sign contracts as after all they have all the power in the current situation anyway!

Valid concerns. I graduated in feb 2021 from uni of Adelaide. By feb 2022, I had left my employment (mutually agreed). Not that there wasn’t enough support – someone was always there to answer my questions or help me with surgeries. It was the sheer amount of workload, many expectations placed on me, stressed employers yelling and being overly critical, having to work with new nurses and training them. I’m not saying the expectations were unrealistic, it’s the fact that I had to juggle inexperience, employer expectations, client expectations, and working with other stressed staff members. I tried to voice this concern on meetings but they were dismissed as excuses.

I’m very disillusioned at the moment and I cannot bring myself to apply for another job. I feel that I’m not good enough, may never be good enough for anyone, and I really don’t want to feel mentally beaten up every week. I hope my confidence would eventually recover.

Thank you for reading this far 🙂