Energy Vets, Taranaki | Growing a Career That Grows With You

In this REAL+STORY episode, Julie South speaks with Dr Michelle Gosling about what it looks like to build a long-term veterinary career in one place — and why she never felt the need to leave Energy Vets after joining as a new graduate in 2013.

Michelle reflects on her journey from new grad to senior large animal vet, working parent, farm services manager and, most recently, shareholder in the business. Rather than focusing on titles, this conversation traces how responsibility, trust and flexibility have expanded alongside different stages of her life.

What emerges quietly throughout is a picture of a clinic that adapts as people change — supporting maternity leave, part-time work, leadership development and ownership without forcing people into a single version of “progression”.

This episode will resonate with vets who are thinking beyond their next job and trying to picture whether a clinic can still fit years down the track — as careers deepen, families grow and priorities shift.

In This Episode

00:00 – Introduction to the Real Story series with Energy Vets
01:05 – Michelle’s journey from new graduate to shareholder
02:27 – Moving to Taranaki and settling into the region
03:56 – Family life, schooling and working four days a week
05:12 – Support, flexibility and parenting at Energy Vets
06:38 – The role of farm services manager and developing people
08:14 – Being invited into ownership
09:24 – Who fits best at Energy Vets
14:12 – What long-term progression really looks like in practice

Hiring link

If you’re an experienced small animal vet exploring your next step, you can find out more about current opportunities at Energy Vets Taranaki at: vetclinicjobs.com/energyvets

About Julie South

Julie South is the founder of VetClinicJobs and host of Veterinary Voices.

She works with forward-thinking veterinary clinics that want to show what working there is really like — not just list job requirements. Through VetClinicJobs, Julie helps clinics make their culture recognisable and familiar, so vets and nurses can tell whether a clinic is Their Kind of Clinic long before a vacancy appears.

Struggling to get results from your job advertisements?
If so, then shining online as a good employer is essential to attracting the types of veterinary professionals who're a perfect cultural fit for your clinic.

The VetClinicJobs job board is the place to post your next job vacancy - to find out more get in touch with Lizzie at VetClinicJobs

When a job ad doesn’t deliver suitable applicants, most clinics assume the problem is the wording.

So they rewrite it.
Add more detail.
Highlight mentoring.
Emphasise work-life balance.
Polish the benefits.

And wait.

In this episode of Veterinary Voices, Julie South explores what’s really happening in month two of the recruitment cycle—when “posting everywhere” hasn’t worked, and rewriting feels like the logical next step.

But vets and nurses aren’t analysing your headline. They’re pattern-matching. And when your clinic is unfamiliar, even the best-written ad becomes just another unknown name making familiar claims.

This episode unpacks why better copy doesn’t fix a recognition problem—and why some clinics fill roles without obsessing over wording at all.

Stay to the end for a question that may change how you think about every job ad you’ve rewritten.

In This Episode

00:00 – Introduction: Month two of the recruitment cycle
01:14 – The rewrite instinct and why it feels productive
03:03 – Pattern matching: how vets and nurses actually scroll
04:41 – Why even professional copywriters can’t solve this
07:45 – What job ads are really designed to do
08:52 – Two clinics, two very different outcomes
09:44 – The question about how many times you’ve rewritten the same ad
10:55 – What happens in month three

About Julie South

Julie South is the founder of VetClinicJobs and host of Veterinary Voices.

She works with forward-thinking veterinary clinics that want to stop relying on reactive job advertising and instead build recognition over time—so when they do need to hire, they’re not starting from cold.

Struggling to get results from your job advertisements?
If so, then shining online as a good employer is essential to attracting the types of veterinary professionals who're a perfect cultural fit for your clinic.

The VetClinicJobs job board is the place to post your next job vacancy - to find out more get in touch with Lizzie at VetClinicJobs

Energy Vets | What Makes the Job Work Long-Term (Part 2)

Settling into a role is one thing.
Staying in it — sustainably — is another.

In this episode, Julie South continues her conversation with Dr Sam Armstrong, a mixed animal vet at Energy Vets in Taranaki, looking at what work feels like once the initial settling-in period has passed.

Sam talks candidly about after-hours, workload, seasonal pressure points, and how the structure around him makes the job feel manageable over time. He also reflects on commuting, working across clinics, and what overseas vets benefit from knowing before making the move to New Zealand.

This is Part Two of a two-part conversation with Energy Vets, offering a grounded look at how support, systems, and everyday decisions shape whether people stay — not just how they start.

In This Episode

00:00 – Introduction and context for Part Two
01:01 – Life after the settling-in period
02:04 – After-hours work and how it’s managed
03:59 – Recovery time, sleep, and safety
04:51 – Using a regional after-hours clinic
05:43 – Commuting, call-outs, and New Zealand roads
07:49 – What overseas vets benefit from knowing
09:22 – Visas, residency, and practical logistics
11:27 – Team culture and why people stay
12:08 – Closing reflections on sustainability and support
14:04 – Final sign-off

If you’re an experienced small animal vet exploring your next step, you can find out more about current opportunities at Energy Vets at:
vetclinicjobs.com/energyvets

About Julie South

Julie South is the founder of VetClinicJobs and host of Veterinary Voices.

She works with forward-thinking veterinary clinics that want to show what working there is really like — not just list job requirements. Through VetClinicJobs, Julie helps clinics make their culture recognisable and familiar, so vets and nurses can tell whether a clinic is Their Kind of Clinic long before a vacancy appears.

Struggling to get results from your job advertisements?
If so, then shining online as a good employer is essential to attracting the types of veterinary professionals who're a perfect cultural fit for your clinic.

The VetClinicJobs job board is the place to post your next job vacancy - to find out more get in touch with Lizzie at VetClinicJobs