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The Vet Vault: Fall In Love With Veterinary Science: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Dr. Hubert Hiemstra
Vet life can be tough—but it’s also good. So, how do we make it even better? Join inspiring conversations with veterinary trailblazers who share real stories, fresh ideas, and strategies to help the talented, passionate humans (like you!) who make up the veterinary profession thrive—in work and in life.Hosted by Dr. Hubert Hiemstra, a veterinarian with over 20 years of experience and a passion for helping vets build happier, more fulfilling careers. Hubert brings warmth, curiosity, and a knack for asking the right questions, creating a space where the best ideas in vet med come to life.
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- 1 weeks ago56 min
160: Toxic Workplaces Just Got Expensive: What The New Psychological Safety Laws Mean For Vet Practices. With Rhonda Andrews
A surgeon hurls a scalpel across theatre. It clatters off the wall. Nobody looks up. Twenty minutes later he's in the tearoom offering everyone a biscuit, and someone shrugs: "That's just him when he's stressed."If you've worked in veterinary practice for any length of time, you've got your own version of that story - maybe a bit less dramatic, but still things that completely destroy psychological safety. This episode is about that stuff, and the new psychosocial safety laws now rolling out across Australia that say plainly: no, actually, that's not acceptable. To make sense of what that looks like on a normal Tuesday in a normal practice, you'll hear from psychologist Rhonda Andrews, who works across high-pressure industries - emergency departments, the courts, and the veterinary profession - and who has spent years watching them all wrestle with the same problem: people breaking. This conversation is not about “just be more resilient”, but about systems. Rhonda makes a genuinely good-news case that these laws aren't more bureaucracy to dread - they're the push our profession has needed all along.You'll hear Why the things you've always filed under "just part the job" might now legally count as a psychological workplace injury - with consequences attachedThe myth spreading fastest right now - that bosses can no longer have an honest performance conversation - and why that's flatly wrong What the new psychosocial safety laws actually require of you as a practice ownerWhy this a team problem, not just something for management to sort outWhy "workload" is almost never the real problem - and the thing breaking your team underneath it that owners consistently missThe one shift available to everyone in the building - whatever their title - that changes culture without a single policy changeA note: this is the second in a small psych-safety miniseries. If you haven't heard Episode 158 with Dr Rebecca Faris on the AVA Thrive programme, start there for the bigger picture.Resources:Barrington Centre - Rhonda's psychosocial safety seminars (two online sessions, plus an in-person Melbourne day) and the Vet ECM training programmes for owners, leaders, and new supervisors: barringtoncentre.comFor show notes, clinical content and the newsletter head to thevetvault.com, and come find your people at a Vets On Tour conference - email me at info@thevetvault.com to find out about our new-grad 50% discount for Wānaka inAugust.Topics and time stamps04:52 Rising Mental Health Claims08:41 Mythbusting Owners Fears10:37 Defining Psychological Safety12:37 Vets Staying in Bad Jobs14:28 Sponsor Break Vets On Tour16:03 Systems vs Individual Responsibility19:35 Burnout Stats and Human Cost21:17 Who Can Influence Culture?22:46 Is Vet Work Uniquely Hard?24:05 Human Sector Parallels29:15 Business Model Reality Check30:18 ROI of Retention32:20 Psychosocial Safety Laws37:34 Workload and Rostering Fixes42:44 Leadership and Being Heard45:27 From Blame to Pathways50:27 Training Programs and Teams52:58 Myth Busting Performance Reviews54:27 Final Takeaways
- 3 weeks ago54 min
159: Tech Tools for Vets 3: Instinct ❤️ Scribble - What Happens When Your PIMS And Your Scribe Get Married? With Dr Caleb Frankel and Rohan Relan
The long-term vision is that you walk into a clinic, hit record at the beginning of the day - you walk out at the end of the day, and you never put your hands in a computer. You just did medicine, and everything went into the right place.’Sound too good to be true? Maybe. But it's closer than you think.If you've already adopted a veterinary AI scribe, you'll know it's transformed your day. But scribes are just the gateway drug. The really interesting question is what your scribe connects to next - and the answer, for a growing number of vets, is the brain of the clinic itself: your practice management software.This conversation brings together Dr Caleb Frankel, ER vet and founder of Instinct - the PIMS used by many of the world's largest specialty and emergency hospitals, and now built out for general practice too, and Rohan Relan, founder of Scribble Vet. Earlier this year, Instinct acquired Scribble - and what they're building together is a glimpse of where veterinary software could be heading.You'll hear:Why up to 80% of your veterinary work day is swallowed by a keyboard What "beyond scribing" looks like - from infographics, to embedded drug references that update in real time as you talk, to anaesthesia records that fill themselves in from across the room.The "easy to verify, hard to generate" principle - why the best AI tools in clinic don't try to replace you, they let you stay in the loop without doing the grunt work.What it means when your scribe and your PIMS talk to each other.Why an "open API" matters more than you think when individual vets can magically build for their own tools.The tech patient safety layer that can catch your mistakes before you make themWhere this all goes next - and why both guests believe we're still only seeing the beginning of what AI in clinical practice can do.We recorded this as a video with screen sharing, so if you want to follow along and see what these tools actually look like in action, watch it on Spotify.For our clinical content, show notes, and our full back catalogue, head to thevetvault.com. While you're there, check out our subscriber-only clinical podcast, our newsletter, and come and hang out with us in real life at Vets On Tour.Topics and TimestampsWhy Instinct Acquired Scribble 2:08Beyond Scribes: The Bigger Vision 7:48Demo: Scribble + Instinct Integration 10:06Plums Drug Reference Integration 11:30Mid-Roll: Events & Announcements 14:49Pushing Notes to Instinct 16:27Scribble Features: Translations, Care Cards & More 19:29Record Review & AI Verifiability 21:28Instinct PIMS Overview 24:17Instinct Expands to General Practice 24:51Instinct Features: Estimates, Safety Warnings & Clinical Tools 32:03Embedded Scribble: Voice-Controlled Anesthesia Records 38:07AI Safety: Human in the Loop 38:46APIs, MCP Servers & Vibe Coding for Vets 45:02Open vs Closed PIMS Philosophy 50:39
- Apr 22, 202654 min
158: Psychological Safety For Vets: Why The Job Might Need Fixing, Not The People. With Dr Rebecca Faris
"Maybe we're just picking the wrong people to be vets."You've probably heard some version of that line. Maybe you've even said it. 'The new grads can't cope. The younger generation is too soft. If this profession isn't working for you, maybe the profession isn't the problem - maybe you are.'But what if that's the wrong conversation entirely? Maybe it's not the people who need to change - but the job itself.That's the question at the heart of this conversation with Dr Rebecca Faris, the lead of the Australian Veterinary Association's Thrive programme - an industry attempt to figure out how we make veterinary medicine a profession people can actually stay in and enjoy.You'll learn:Why a full-time working week in veterinary medicine probably shouldn't be 40 hours - and the official position from Safe Work Australia that will surprise youThe difference between psychological safety and psychosocial safety (one is a vibe, the other is the law - and if you own a practice in Australia, you need to know which is which)What the new psychosocial safety legislation actually requires of practice owners Why "playing to your strengths" isn't the same as avoiding the hard stuff - and how to have that conversation with your employer without sounding like you're asking for special treatmentThe invisible emotional labour tax you're paying on every consult - and why recognising it changes everythingWhat genuinely great veterinary workplaces are doing differently, and why the "squeaky wheel" narrative is drowning out stories of practices that are getting it rightWhy "I can't hack full-time" might not mean there's something wrong with you - and the self-compassion case for rethinking what a sustainable vet career actually looks likeHow to get involved in shaping the future of this profession instead of quietly checking outIf you've ever felt wrecked at the end of a perfectly normal day and wondered whether it was you or the job - this one's for you.Resources mentioned:The Thrive Programme and 2025 Wellbeing Survey: ava.com.au/thriveCultivating Safe Teams training (AVA)2026 Thrive Wellness Symposium at the AVA Conference, Brisbane, 19 May 2026Safe Work Australia - psychosocial hazards guidanceThis episode is not an ad. We're not paid to feature Thrive or the AVA - we just think this is a conversation the profession needs to be having. If you've got thoughts, pushback, or your own story about thriving (or not) in practice, drop us a line at info@thevetvault.com.For our clinical content, show notes, and our full back catalogue, head to thevetvault.com. While you're there, check out our subscriber-only clinical podcast, our newsletter, and come and hang out with us in real life at Vets On Tour.00:52 Rethinking the 40-Hour Workweek03:03 Flexibility and Job Crafting04:57 Are We Picking the Wrong People?06:05 Playing to Strengths vs Business Needs12:39 Psychological vs Psychosocial Safety15:55 The New Laws: Employer Obligations17:51 Identifying Psychosocial Hazards20:40 Cultivating Safe Teams Training24:45 Workload and Emotional Labor32:34 Vets on Tour Break34:27 Should Full-Time Be 30 Hours?36:12 Inside the Thrive Initiative39:31 Mental Health First Aid41:35 Empathy for Difficult Clients44:13 Wins and Optimism46:27 How to Access Thrive51:27 Closing Advice: Get Engaged
- Apr 8, 202658 min
157: Tech Tools for Vets 2: AI-Powered Learning with StudyAnything. With Hasitha Jayatilake
You know that feeling: exam time is looming. You've spent three days making flashcards and highlighting your notes, but you haven't even started actually studying yet...Whether you're a vet student drowning in slide decks, a membership candidate juggling articles and notes, or a resident trying to jam an impossible volume of clinical knowledge into your skull - the way most of us study is, frankly, not backed by the science. Which is why you might need a little help from technology:In part two of our Tech Tools for Vets series, software engineer Hasitha Jayatilake joins me to walk you through StudyAnything - an AI-powered study tool that generates quizzes from your notes, tracks your weak spots over time, and builds guided learning pathways based on Bloom's hierarchy of learning. (By the way - he built this tool because he couldn’t bare watching his vet student partner making Anki cards at 2am!)What you'll learn:How active recall and spaced repetition actually work - and why highlighting your notes is basically doing nothingWhat Bloom's hierarchy means for your study plan - and how Study Anything uses it to move you from rote recall to clinical applicationStudyAnything’s guided learning pathway feature (just gone live) - that turns your uploaded notes into a structured lesson plan with concept maps, assumed knowledge, and motivational contextHow the community feature works - study groups, shared question banks, and what this means for educators (or podcast hosts!) who want to create resourcesHow to generate harder questions on demand - using learning outcomes and difficulty levels to get yourself on the honours rollWhat makes this different from Notebook LM or other AI tools This episode includes screen sharing, so if you want to follow along, watch the video on Spotify. If you prefer audio only, you'll still get 99% of the value.The team at StudyAnything are giving Vet Vault listeners the opportunity to try out their top tier subscription (LOTS of quizzes!) with code VETVAULT at studyanything.academy for 50% off your first month on the paid plan. That's about $3.50 to give it a proper test run.Note: This episode isn't a promotion, endorsement or an ad - it's part of our ongoing series exploring the tools you might be considering. If you have a software you'd like us to look at, let me know at info@thevetvault.comGo to thevetvault.com for show notes, access to our clinical continuing education content and to sign up for our weekly 'best of the Vet Vault' newsletter, or join us in person at one of our phenomenal Vets On Tour conferences. (Look out for our upcoming New Zealand, Italy and Africa conferences.) Topics and Timestamps3:26 Active Recall & The Science of Studying4:06 How StudyAnything Works - Uploading & Courses7:57 Bloom's Hierarchy & Learning Outcomes9:53 Ad Break - Vets on Tour11:24 Quiz Demo19:28 Guided Learning Pathway20:15 File Summary, Concept Maps & Key Terms29:10 Study Groups & Communities31:02 Comparison with Notebook LM & Competitors32:32 Spaced Repetition & Future Features37:29 Pricing39:48 Deep Dive: Navigating the Dashboard41:00 Deep Dive: Creating & Customising Quizzes
- Mar 25, 20264 min
A New Direction for the Vet Vault? Help Shape What Comes Next
Is our podcast getting… repetitive?Honest question.Lately, we’ve felt a growing tension behind the mic: are we just saying the same things… just with a new guest and in slightly different ways?Are we actually helping you? (With is after all the point of this podcast)In this short solo episode, I ask a few questions that I’d love your input on. We want to rebuild this with you. This is your invite.Feedback to info@thevetvault.com, or at our contact form on the website, or hit me up in the comments on Spotify.
- Mar 18, 202652 min
156: Is Practice Ownership The Only Way To Build Wealth? The Vet’s Guide To Student Debt, Saving, And Financial Sanity. With Eric Miller
Ever check your payslip… your student debt… your mortgage… and wonder if you’re just treading water?You’re not alone, and you’re not stuck.In this episode we revisit one of the most neglected topics in the profession: money.Hubert sits down with US-based financial adviser Eric Miller to break down the decisions that can actually move the money-needle for employed vets: from budgeting and debt to investing, insurance, and increasing your income. (We do global principles with US specifics)No jargon. No guilt. Just a clear starting point for vets who know they should have a plan… but haven’t begun yet.Here’s what you’ll learn:Why practice ownership isn’t the only route to financial securityThe one habit that underpins every solid financial planA simple 70/20/10 framework for spending, investing, and enjoying your moneyHow to handle student debt without letting it control your lifeWhether to prioritise debt repayment, investing- or bothThe difference between good debt and bad debt (and why it matters)How automation quietly builds wealth in the backgroundWhat young vets need to know about insurance, income growth, and lifestyle creepAnd perhaps most importantly:A more grounded, reassuring view of the profession itself.Yes, financial pressure is real.But Eric will convince you that veterinary medicine is still a strong, high-potential career - IF you do it right. thevetvault.com for show notes, access to our clinical continuing education content and to sign up for our weekly 'best of the Vet Vault' newsletter, or join us in person at one of our phenomenal Vets On Tour conferences. Topics and Time Stamps04:24 Biggest Financial Mistakes05:42 Budgeting & The 70/20/10 Rule14:41 Retirement Planning & 401k24:09 Student Debt & How to Tackle It26:22 Loan Forgiveness28:58 Pay Off Debt vs. Invest31:53 The Debt Snowball Method (it's a good thing!) 33:55 Increasing Your Income37:44 Constructive vs. Destructive Debt41:35 Insurance & Health Coverage44:06 Looking Ahead: The Veterinary Industry49:45 One Financial Habit for Ne w GradsWe love to hear from you. If you have a question for us or you’d like to give us some feedback please get in touch via our contact or catch up with us on Instagram.And if you like what you hear, please share the love by clicking on the share button wherever you’re listening and sending a link to someone who you think should hear this.
- Feb 13, 202644 min
155: Antibiotic Prescribing Habits Vets Need To Ditch Now. With Dr Riati Scarborough and Dr Laura Hardefeldt
Four years after our original antibiotic myth-busting episode (Ep 60), we’re back with Dr Riati Scarborough to talk antibiotic prescribing habits. This time we’re joined by fellow stewardship expert Dr Laura Hardefeldt, and this time we’re asking the harder question: Have we actually changed?The good news? Some prescribing habits are shifting. We’re seeing shorter courses and less ‘just in case antibiotic usage. But let’s not pat ourselves on the back too quickly. Because some of our most entrenched habits are still alive and well, like how we treat skin disease, and our ongoing love affair with amoxiclav.This episode is a practical, clinically grounded update on what the evidence says in 2026 - and how to make realistic changes without compromising patient care.We cover:Why skin disease remains the single biggest driver of antimicrobial resistance in small animal practice, and what to do about itAmoxicillin vs amoxiclav: when de-escalation is not just safe, but smarterWhy convenience (you know the brand we’re talking about right…) is not a clinical indicationTrimethoprim-sulphonamide and the real story on KCS riskDentals, heart murmurs, and what prophylaxis actually looks like in 2026Simple in-clinic stewardship strategies that genuinely shift prescribing behaviourThis isn’t about perfection. It’s about progress.If you’d like effective antibiotics to still exist in five to ten years…This episode is essential listening.Find out how we can support you in your vet career at thevetvault.com.Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here for Hubert's favourite clinical and non-clinical learnings from the week.Grab one last handful of spots in the Maldives for our surf/dive vet conference with Vets On Tour. Tips and Timestamps3:03 Progress in prescribing habits including UTI durations and surgical prophylaxis4:55 Skin disease as the biggest problem area in small animal practice7:01 Topical therapy versus systemic antibiotics for skin conditions9:28 Deep pyoderma and the new consensus statement11:00 Gut bacteria as a source of resistant infections12:41 Rise of MRSP, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius14:00 Amoxicillin-clavulanate overuse16:47 Vets on Tour conferences advertisement18:08 Pharmacology refresher on amoxicillin, amoxicillin-clavulanate, and cefovecin19:45 Why cefovecin is classified as high importance, vs the convenience argument for cefovecin in cats22:56 Long-acting amoxicillin injections as an alternative24:00 Getting amoxicillin back on the shelf24:53 Communicating antibiotic choices to clients29:32 Dental antibiotics and debunking the heart murmur myth34:07 Subclinical bacteriuria and stopping cultures in asymptomatic patients38:30 Reassessing the dry eye risk of trimethoprim-sulfonamide41:43 Antimicrobial stewardship trial using colour-coded pharmacy shelves
- Jan 30, 20261h 7m
154: Stop the Energy Drain: Productivity Coaching for Vets in Clinic Chaos. With Demir Bentley and Dr Ray Gates
Veterinary life can feel like a treadmill with no off-switch: 15-minute consults that always run over. Emotional labour no one trains you for. A schedule that swings from slow to chaos - in minutes.Sound familiar? You’re not alone.In this raw and refreshingly real episode, productivity coach Demir Bentley (Life Hack Method) live-coaches GP vet Dr Ray Gates, tackling the uncomfortable truth of veterinary medicine:You’re expected to be clinically excellent… while running on empty.This isn’t a listicle of “10 productivity hacks.”This is about reclaiming 1% wins that actually work in the chaos of clinical life.You’ll learn:Why productivity isn’t about doing more - it’s about protecting your energyHow “chaos as the default” leads to burnout (and how you can change the system, not just yourself)How to lower your cognitive load and reduce admin fatigueThe art of setting goals that don’t become another source of stressSmall upstream shifts that stop downstream disastersHow to finish a shift and still feel like youWhether you’re buried in charting, stuck in overbooked consults, or silently wondering if you’re just not “resilient enough” - this conversation will show you another way.You don’t need another motivational quote.You need practical tools to get your time, headspace, and energy back.And it starts here.Raise your hand here to find out more about our AI for clinics MastermindFind out how we can help you build you in your vet career at thevetvault.com.Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here for Hubert's favourite clinical and non-clinical learnings from the week.Topics and Time Stamps10:56 The problem23:04 The revenge binge26:10 Taking back the 1%35:52 Upstream changes to prevent downstream chaos41:31 Expectations vs reality52:05 You are not powerless
About The Vet Vault: Fall In Love With Veterinary Science
Vet life can be tough—but it’s also good. So, how do we make it even better? Join inspiring conversations with veterinary trailblazers who share real stories, fresh ideas, and strategies to help the talented, passionate humans (like you!) who make up the veterinary profession thrive—in work and in life.Hosted by Dr. Hubert Hiemstra, a veterinarian with over 20 years of experience and a passion for helping vets build happier, more fulfilling careers. Hubert brings warmth, curiosity, and a knack for asking the right questions, creating a space where the best ideas in vet med come to life.
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