From in-depth mentoring and instruction to continued training and networking, at AREC we encourage all staff to develop their careers in a variety of ways.
Every person’s journey is unique, and each team leader works with individual vets and vet nurses to set their course. With regular check-ins and goal setting, each team member feels valued and encouraged to take the next steps in their careers.
One example of such development was recently sending three of our vet nursing team to the Veterinary Nurses Council of Australia (VNCA) 2025 conference in Melbourne. Here they learned about the latest innovations in veterinary care, collaborated with peers, were inspired by industry leaders and participated in educational workshops.
A year prior to the event, encouraged by her team leader, one of our vet nurses, Melanie Reddy, submitted a paper to deliver at the conference. It was selected and, this being the beginning of her journey as a public speaker, Mel sought out guidance and feedback from her peers here at AREC. She practiced delivering her case study to our leadership team and again to her peers, taking on feedback and refining her presentation each time.
Mel’s career story is an interesting one. Originally from South Africa, when seeking new opportunities and experiences abroad, she came across a job opening at AREC and realised it was not only a great opportunity to see a different part of the world, but to progress her experience in emergency and referral vet nursing. Recognising Mel’s passion and her interest and experience in anaesthetics, we sponsored Mel for a working visa and supported her through having her qualifications recognised by the VNCA to enable Australian registration.
“I realised it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up; I had to give it a try,” she said. She’s now coming up to two years here at AREC.
When it came to submitting a case study to the conference, Mel decided on a case from back in South Africa, thinking it would be a fascinating story that others would be interested in and may not have encountered. It was the case of an emergency cystotomy on a dog that was bitten by a snouted cobra; its urinary catheter becoming tangled in the bladder. She was also able to draw correlations between the venom of the snouted cobra of this case to brown snakes here in Australia in that both venoms contain neurotoxins that can cause paralysis and respiratory failure.
Mel’s case study definitely resonated with the conference audience and judges (including VNCA board members and president, Gary Fitzgerald) – and it won her the Best Case Study Presentation award!
AREC Practice Manager, Louise Carey, also attended the event and commented, “Mel presented a great case, but what I noticed when watching all the case presentations was that Mel differentiated herself by finishing her presentation by outlining and confidently discussing and answering questions from the judges about her learnings throughout her experience in working on this case. This demonstrated not only authenticity, but also that, no matter who you are or how experienced and knowledgeable you are, we are all still learning.”
“I definitely learned a lot about myself during this process,” Mel said. “It’s built my confidence in public speaking and encouraged me to stop doubting myself.”
“If I hadn’t made this move to AREC, I may not have had this opportunity.”
Mel is now broadening her career with a Certificate of Veterinary Nursing in Emergency and Critical Care with VetsNow and hopes to increase her skills and expertise in veterinary anaesthesia.
We recognise that an emergency vet hospital is different to general practice, and it takes time to acclimatise to a fast-paced, high-pressure 24-hour environment. By nurturing and guiding staff in building their technical competence and professional confidence, our goal is to help every member of our team to continually grow.
Read about the professional journey of two of our nursing team leaders, and find out more about working with us (and our open vacancies) on our Careers page.
