Locum Veterinarian Jobs & Locum Veterinary Nurse Jobs
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the USA and similar bodies in the UK, Australia and worldwide, opportunities for Veterinarians are set to climb by 19 percent through 2026, while roles for Veterinary Nurses and Veterinary Technicians will increase by 20 percent in that same time frame.
Working as a Locum Vet or Locum Vet Nurse in Australia and across Asia is an ideal environment to strengthen and diversify your veterinary skills and build a network of friends and colleagues to keep you motivated and happy in your career.
Find Flexibility with a Locum Job
Locum Vet and Locum Vet Nurse jobs are temporary positions that aid established veterinary practices in filling their medical practitioner needs. It’s very common for vet clinics to need to find temporary vets and nurses to cover maternity leave, holidays, and sick leave. Establishing yourself as a reliable Locum can open up many doors for your career.
Locum jobs offer many advantages over working in one clinic. For starters, the pay for Locum Vets can be considerably more. Based on a study performed by Recruit4 Vets in 2016, they reported a majority of Locum Vets were making between $400- $600 a day. In addition to great pay, there tends to be less stress when working as a Locum Vet. As you will be working for short periods in multiple clinics you are able to avoid the clinic dramas that can occasionally arise. It’s easier to ignore conflict when you know you are only going to be in one place for a short period. Since your stints will be short, you will also be able to network and establish friends and colleagues everywhere you work. These connections can lead to further job opportunities.
Increasingly, Locum Vet Nurses are becoming in high demand for similar reasons – vet practices needing temporary Vet Nurses to cover maternity leave, holidays, and sick leave. In addition, there is a growing supply of Locum Vet Nurses; many, having gained their qualifications and good experience, use their abilities to open up travel and lifestyle opportunities.
The biggest challenge for Locum Vets and Nurses is getting started. Most positions require the vets to be experienced. As you will be staying for short periods of time in a variety of clinics you need to be able to perform veterinary medicine at a higher level. You should have knowledge of vaccine protocols, common surgeries like desexing and wound repair, and treatments for common diseases. You may be placed in a situation where you are the only vet on duty or the clinic is too busy to interrupt another vet while they are seeing patients or in surgery. It’s very challenging to land a job as a Locum Vet if you are fresh out of school. If you want the flexibility that being a Locum offers you will need to be willing to work for it. Many Locum Vets start by picking up random shifts on weekends or during holidays or at night while working full time in a vet clinic. Tap into your network of colleagues for opportunities to help fill in open shifts.
Once you have established yourself as a reliable and helpful Locum Vet or Nurse the opportunities to work are almost endless. Spend summers in your favourite towns and winter in warmer climes, if you prefer. If you are struck by wanderlust, then being a Locum is pretty much the best job you can have. You get the pleasure of treating animals, you provide stress relief for follow vets, and travel the country and world. And more and more, Vets and Nurses are seeking more flexible hours and variety in their work, so being a Locum can help fulfil family or lifestyle choices, and for others it can even refresh their enthusiasm for being a Vet or Nurse.
Working as a Locum Vet or Locum Vet Nurse is a great opportunity for passionate vet care professionals. With a little effort and luck you can be working in no time.
Here at Vet & Pet Jobs, our listings of Veterinarian jobs, Veterinary Nurse jobs, Veterinary Technician jobs, Veterinary Hospital Manager jobs and Relief Vet Locum jobs in Australia, New Zealand and throughout Asia makes the process of Vet Job hunting fast and easy.
Before you know it, you’ll be starting a new job in an exciting Veterinary Hospital, Vet Clinic, Pharmaceutical, Agricultural or other Pet and Animal Care business, and it all starts with just one click.
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