Living and Working at Energy Vets Taranaki with Mixed Animal Veterinarian - Dr Sam Armstrong - pt 2/2 - 1028

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 Episode00:00 – Introduction and context for Part Two01:01 – Life after the settling-in period02:04 – After-hours work and how it’s managed03:59 – Recovery time, sleep, and safety04:51 – Using a regional after-hours clinic05:43 – Commuting, call-outs, and New Zealand roads07:49 – What overseas vets benefit from knowing09:22 – Visas, residency, and practical logistics11:27 – Team culture and why people stay12:08 – Closing reflections on sustainability and support14:04 – Final sign-offIf 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/energyvetsAbout Julie SouthJulie 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.Could Your Kind of People recognise Their Kind of Clinic?A job ad may catch a vet’s or nurse’s eye. But it’s their own due diligence that determines whether they apply—or keep in touch.Culture Story Centres turn real experiences from inside your team into credible, discoverable recruitment evidence, giving vets and nurses meaningful reasons to choose your clinic.Explore Culture Story Centres for veterinary clinics