Vet Times

Tag: money

  • A fair wage for fair hours?

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    Reading up on the legislation regarding working hours and the national minimum wage (NMW) I discovered that, if you work extra hours unpaid and that takes your average wage below the NMW limit, your employer is breaking the law. That said, and with the NMW only recently reaching £6.70 for over-21s, I can imagine there are situations where…

  • Oh, how we laughed

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    I’ve noted a growing trend for veterinary staff to laugh at client mistakes. While this can sometimes take the stress out of a hectic day, it can grow to become an attitude that shows when dealing with clients – and let’s face it, people are usually laughing at the simple errors clients make because they…

  • Doc Hollywood

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    We live in troubled times – economically, politically, and socially. This blog being mostly focused on veterinary matters, I’m going to turn my attention to the most animal-relevant of society’s many questions, which is this: How did the Americans get so good at telly? Like many right-minded people, my wife and I have become addicted to…

  • Crowdfunding: the new way to pay vet bills?

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    I’m seeing a rise in crowdfunding for veterinary treatment via social media. Some of it is from legitimate charities for certain cases, but also a lot from private individuals who can’t afford treatment. I’ve seen some appeals via the GoFundMe and Indiegogo websites, and others tell me they’ve seen such pages on JustGiving, which launched its own crowdfunding tool in…

  • The value of a vet degree

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    With the general election fast approaching, there’s been a big push to encourage 18 to 25-year-olds to vote, since a huge proportion of us didn’t last time. I’m not well versed in the intricacies of politics, but general consensus among young people after the last election was disappointment with regards to the tripling of university tuition fees.…

  • Get qualified

    Get qualified

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    According to the RCVS there is no such thing as an unqualified veterinary nurse, and thanks to the Royal Charter we now have defined roles of RVN, SVN and care assistants. This is a massive advance, but the situation has left a number of unqualified, yet experienced people feeling marginalised. In recognition of this, however,…

  • The unfortunate adventures of Lucky the horse

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    Although the UK’s fire and rescue services are not obligated to rescue a cat stuck up a tree or a horse stuck in an overturned trailer, the skills and resources of their firefighting teams lead to the assumption that they are the best people for the job – but while they are excellent at what…

  • What makes a good vet?

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    As a student on placement, I’m often in awe of the vets I’m working with. The ability to take a history, examine an animal, run through differentials and come up with a diagnosis or action plan within 10 minutes – all while listening to an owner commenting on the weather or traffic – seems superhuman.…

  • Show us the money!

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    As a new graduate I found it raised eyebrows and cast doubt on your character to ask about the salary too early in the somewhat shy courtship between vet and recruiting practice. I covered hundreds, if not thousands of miles attending interviews for jobs where the most basic of expectations (the remuneration) was kept secret until they offered…

  • Thank you

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    It’s a well-established principle of motivational psychology that “carrots are better than sticks” – that is: motivating people works better when there is something in it for them than when there is a punishment. This works whether the “carrot” is a nice word or a cream bun, or whether the “stick” is an electric shock…