Hi and welcome to episode 3 of “Registered”, I’m Cat Walker. If you missed episodes 1 and 2 of “Registered” you might want to go back and listen from the start. We’re at the halfway point of this 4 episode mini-series. In this episode we’ll be unpacking 2 concepts that have come up a lot over the last episodes. And those are - autonomy and utilisation. So, what is autonomy and why is it important? What is utilisation and what does it mean for veterinary nurses and technicians working in...

Hi and welcome to episode 2 of the “Registered” mini series, I’m Cat Walker. If you missed episode 1 of “Registered” you might want to take 30 minutes to go back and listen to episode 1.   Last episode we looked at the legal and regulatory framework for veterinary medicine in Australia. We unpacked definitions and theory on the key issues surrounding registration, and became familiar with the VNCA, AVNAT and the AVBC. We considered how the registration of veterinary nurses and technicians is...

Hi and welcome to Radio Vet Nurse Registered, I’m Cat Walker. For those of you that have listened to my podcast in the past, welcome back! It’s so good to be here with you again. If you missed my last podcast mini series, you might want to take 30 minutes to listen to episode 1 of Radio Vet Nurse “Interrupted”. It will explain why this episode sounds different to the original Radio Vet Nurse show and, for first time listeners, it will bring you up to speed on my story.   It’s been nearly 2...

Welcome to the first ever episode of “The Cat Walker Hour.” I recorded this interview in July 2023 in front of a live audience at the University of Queensland’s Veterinary Nurses and Technicians Conference. My VERY special guests were Megan Brashear and Elle Haskey. The Cat Walker Hour is a light-hearted but serious session that I hope will empower and inspire listeners to navigate the challenges and opportunities we encounter in our careers. In a time where it feels like we’re exposed to...

Can you believe it's been 15 months since I released “Radio Vet Nurse Interrupted”?! I’m happy to announce that I’ve got some new episodes to share with you and lots of news. So much has happened since Interrupted so I decided to release this bonus "Prelude" episode to bring you up to speed. I’m going to let you know what I’ve been doing, where I’m at, and what to expect next! Find me on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/cat-walker-mediation-and-consulting Radio Vet Nurse on...

Hi and welcome to Radio Vet Nurse Interrupted, I'm Cat Walker. Over the past three episodes I've taken a deep dive into the vet industry to look at the factors that are contributing to the current crisis. It's been uncomfortable at times and all of the guests I've interviewed have been vulnerable and very honest. But what now? We know the cause, we know the challenges ahead, and we know what some of the most influential people in the industry are trying to do to create lasting change. In...

CW: This episode of Radio Vet Nurse discusses suicide and substance use disorder. If anything in this episode raises any issues you can contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 www.beyondblue.org.au and Lifeline 13 11 14 www.lifeline.org.au Hi and welcome to Radio Vet Nurse Interrupted, I'm Cat Walker. On the previous episodes of Radio Vet Nurse Interrupted, I shared the way the vet industry crisis has affected my life personally and I also spoke to industry leaders and experts about the biggest...

CW: This episode of Radio Vet Nurse discusses suicide. If anything in this episode raises any issues you can contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 www.beyondblue.org.au and Lifeline 13 11 14 www.lifeline.org.au Hi and welcome to Radio Vet Nurse Interrupted, I'm Cat Walker. On the previous episode of Radio Vet Nurse Interrupted I shared the story of how my world was turned upside down when my now ex husband, and father of my children, developed a substance use disorder. He fell victim to the...

CW: This episode of Radio Vet Nurse discusses substance use disorder and briefly mentions suicide. If these topics raise any issues you can contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 www.beyondblue.org.au and Lifeline 13 11 14 www.lifeline.org.au Hi and welcome to Radio Vet Nurse Interrupted, I'm Cat Walker. For those of you that have listened to my podcast in the past - you may have realised that this episode already sounds a little bit different. In 2020 my life took a dramatic turn. I lived...

In this episode I caught up with fellow podcaster Yvonne Brandenburg RVT, VTS (SAIM) from Internal Medicine for Vet Techs. Yvonne is the creator of an online community of like-minded nurses and techs with an interest in the medicine side of vet med. Yvonne is a self-confessed type A person, always expanding her brain, always reaching towards the infinite possibilities. We spoke about the need to look after ourselves, remembering to be in the moment, and finding a renewed passion for our...

In this episode I caught up with someone who always leaves me feeling sparkly and motivated - Vic. Where do we start? Vic is Australia's first VTS Nutrition and she exudes intelligence and self-awareness. She was almost literally born and raised in a vet clinic. Vic has a rare combination of clinical skills teamed with an intimate understanding of the veterinary business. If you're working in a leadership position or someone with an interest in nutrition, you're going to get a lot from this...

You're listening to Radio Vet Nurse but not as you know it. In this bonus podcast mash up episode I had the pleasure of catching up with my veterinary podcast buddies. We decided to come together to say happy vet nurse day, happy vet tech week, and to check in with each other on vet life in the global pandemic. And - spoiler alert - vet life during covid19 has been crazy busy everywhere. If you listened to our last group episode you'll know my veterinary podcast friends Yvonne and Jordan...

Ever since I started this podcast, people have been asking me to interview today's guest. I wanted to wait until we could meet and record in person, but since we're all grounded by covid19 for who knows how long, I decided that online would have to do for now. You might have heard of my guest, Jane Bindloss. Jane qualified as a veterinary nurse in the UK and eventually owned and managed a practice with her vet husband in Melbourne. She now runs SANE Veterinary Management with Sally Boyle,...

In this episode I caught up with Jeff Backus, veterinary technician and fellow podcaster. Jeff and his mate Dave host one of my favourite podcasts, the Vet Tech Café, so it was super fun to put him on the on the other side of the mic for a change. We talked about his career path from being a veterinary assistant in a GP practice to VTS in Emergency and Critical Care. He's been quite involved with academia throughout this career too having worked as adjunct professor, and currently working...

In this episode I caught up with Michelle, who has been recommended for the show many times. Michelle coordinates the blood bank at the Animal Hospital at Murdock. This is just one of many interesting phases of Michelle's career including working as a zoo vet nurse and qualified zoo keeper, and volunteering on a bear rescue sanctuary in remote Vietnam. Michelle has some great advice on how to be a career veterinary nurse, including being strategic about career jumps, moves, side steps and...

In this episode I had the pleasure of meeting Hannah, Physio RVN. One of Hannah's colleagues reached out to me and recommended her as a guest. I jumped straight onto Hannah's Instagram account @physio.rvn and found myself scrolling through her content with a huge smile on my face. It's this exquisite combination of didactic physio and rehabilitation posts with beautiful photos, and these funny self-deprecating photos of Hannah's vet nurse life. Hannah is the nursing team lead at Pennard...

In this episode I was joined by the 2019 VNCA Vet Nurse of the Year, Kate. She's a senior nurse at the Perth Zoo, nominated by her entire team for her work ethic and dedication to our profession. Kate has been a vet nurse for 20 years, working in zoos for 18. We recorded this episode at the beginning of March, just before COVID-19 turned the world on its head. Ever the conservationist, Kate wanted to talk about the pangolin and her vet nurse friend Cathy's work raising awareness for this...

I'm officially back from maternity leave, and this was my first time hitting record in 6 months. Anyone following me on social media will know that coming back to the mic with a 5 month old baby was harder than I thought. But this guest gave me just the boost I needed. Unless you have been living under a rock with no wifi you've probably heard of Veterinary Anursethesia. Court is the vet nurse behind this incredible resource and works at the Royal Veterinary College in London. I knew from...

I recorded this interview with Jazz in August 2019 just before starting maternity leave. At the time we discussed how a lot could happen in 7 months, but we couldn't have imagined the state the world would be in. Life as we know it has been turned on its head as we try to navigate the COVID-19 global pandemic. In this episode Jazz and I discuss the 26th VNCA conference to be held in Melbourne this month. Like veterinary conferences the world over, it's now been postponed. Follow the VNCA FB...

You're listening to Radio Vet Nurse, but not as you know it. This is a bonus COVID-19 episode in which I caught up with some fellow veterinary podcasters to talk about how we are navigating the global pandemic. As COVID-19 closes national and state borders and brings global flows of trade and people to a grinding halt, it is crucial now more than ever to stay connected. By maintaining the global flow of ideas, knowledge, and our support for one another we can band together to face these...

In this episode I caught up with Jess who was once described to me as "human extraordinaire"! Jess is a registered human nurse, a registered veterinary nurse, and works both in general practice and as a vet nurse educator. She has her Cert IV in Veterinary Nursing and Diploma in ECC, a double degree in biomedical science, and a bachelor of registered (human) nursing. Jess lives on a farm with her kids, her fur kids, and her vet husband. She's extremely passionate about educating and...

In this episode I caught up with Trish Farry, clinical academic at the University of Queensland. Trish was on my radar from when this podcast started forming in my brain in early 2018. At the time she was the 2017 Hills Vet Nurse of the Year. Since then I've had the pleasure of meeting Trish through VNCA circles and seeing her speak at conference. Trish has a varied role at the university with some time on floor at the hospital, some teaching undergrad vet science and vet tech students,...

In this episode I caught up with Sophie to talk about her experience working in shelter medicine. Sophie worked as head nurse at the RSPCA and was kind enough to share some eloquent and considered thoughts on the shelter environment, behaviour, and enrichment. The shelter environment is a crazy one and really different to general practice. Nurses and technicians working in this area have an extremely high volume of patients passing through their care, each needing extra love and TLC since...

In this episode I caught up with super-motivated and wildlife-mad veterinary technician, Gary. What started as a childhood love of catching snakes and reptiles has been refined into Gary's niche as a small animal anaesthesia enthusiast with a special interest in wildlife and exotics. Gary is the Nurse Manager at the University of Queensland's Veterinary Medical Centre. In addition to leading the nursing team he also lectures students within the Vet Science and Vet Tech degrees, and teaches...