{"id":5729,"date":"2023-09-21T14:52:57","date_gmt":"2023-09-21T01:52:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/?page_id=5729"},"modified":"2026-04-11T06:40:40","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T17:40:40","slug":"optimising-staff-utilisation-in-companion-animal-veterinary-practice-in-aotearoa-new-zealand","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/optimising-staff-utilisation-in-companion-animal-veterinary-practice-in-aotearoa-new-zealand\/","title":{"rendered":"Perspectives in Animal Health and Welfare| 2023 | Volume 2 | Issue 1 (pp2-19)"},"content":{"rendered":"<nav class=\"is-responsive wp-block-navigation is-layout-flex wp-block-navigation-is-layout-flex\" aria-label=\"Perspectives in Animal Health and Welfare\" \n\t\t data-wp-interactive=\"core\/navigation\" data-wp-context='{\"overlayOpenedBy\":{\"click\":false,\"hover\":false,\"focus\":false},\"type\":\"overlay\",\"roleAttribute\":\"\",\"ariaLabel\":\"Menu\"}'><button 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class=\"wp-block-navigation__responsive-dialog\" \n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-bind--aria-modal=\"state.ariaModal\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-bind--aria-label=\"state.ariaLabel\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-bind--role=\"state.roleAttribute\"\n\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button aria-label=\"Close menu\" class=\"wp-block-navigation__responsive-container-close\" \n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.closeMenuOnClick\"\n\t\t\t><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"m13.06 12 6.47-6.47-1.06-1.06L12 10.94 5.53 4.47 4.47 5.53 10.94 12l-6.47 6.47 1.06 1.06L12 13.06l6.47 6.47 1.06-1.06L13.06 12Z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-navigation__responsive-container-content\" \n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-watch=\"callbacks.focusFirstElement\"\n\t\t\t id=\"modal-1-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"wp-block-navigation__container is-responsive wp-block-navigation\"><li class=\" wp-block-navigation-item wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\"  href=\"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/perspectives-in-animal-health-and-welfare\/\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Home PAHW |<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\" wp-block-navigation-item wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\"  href=\"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/perspectives-in-animal-health-and-welfare\/editorial-board\/\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Editorial Board |<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\" wp-block-navigation-item wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\"  href=\"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/perspectives-in-animal-health-and-welfare\/author-guidelines\/\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Author Guidelines |<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\" wp-block-navigation-item wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\"  href=\"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/perspectives-in-animal-health-and-welfare\/volumes\/\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Articles | <\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\" wp-block-navigation-item wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\"  href=\"mailto:epress@unitec.ac.nz\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Contact Us<\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><\/nav>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size\"><strong>Optimising staff utilisation in companion animal veterinary practice in Aotearoa\/New Zealand<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Research paper<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8471-6468\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" src=\"http:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image.png\" alt=\"\"><\/a>&nbsp;Francesca Brown<sup>1, *<\/sup> ,  Sylvia Ma<sup>1, <\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Affiliations:<br><sup>1<\/sup>&nbsp;Te Kura Oraka Kararehe (School of Animal Healthcare and Veterinary Nursing), Otago Polytechnic | Te Pukenga, Forth Street, Private Bag 1910, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand<br><sup>*<\/sup>&nbsp;corresponding author:&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:Francesca.brown@op.ac.nz\">Francesca.brown@op.ac.nz<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Received: 7 January 2023 | Accepted: 12 June 2023 | Published: 22 September 2023<br>Associate Editor: Laura Harvey<br><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.34074\/piahw.002102\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.34074\/piahw.002102<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/PiAHW_2_1-Brown_Ma_Staff-utilisation_companion.pdf\">Download pdf<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Abstract<\/strong><br>Utilisation of all staff in companion animal veterinary practice has long been reported as sub-optimal in Aotearoa\/New Zealand. Evidence shows that skill utilisation is poor, and this is likely impacted by the very low ratios of non-veterinarian staff to each veterinarian in a veterinary practice. This participative action research utilised co-design with a range of staff practising in companion animal clinical practice in Aotearoa\/New Zealand, who self-selected as having experience with excellent utilisation. Participants were asked to imagine what a future with excellent utilisation in Aotearoa\/New Zealand would look like. This research clarifies role definitions of a veterinarian, companion animal registered veterinary nurse and companion animal healthcare assistant, documents examples of task allocation in an interprofessional team, and develops models to show how ratios of 11:2\u201314:2 of non-veterinarian staff to veterinarians could be operationalised. The outcomes of achieving this model are likely be beneficial to staff, animals, clients, and the business profitability. However, a significant number of barriers are present which may prevent implementation of this model. These include lack of trust, poor team culture, perceived or real skill gaps in veterinary nurses, current legal risks associated with task delegation by veterinarians, and insufficient time available to implement change. Whilst overcoming some of these barriers requires industry-led solutions, many can be resolved immediately within individual teams. Therefore, there is no need to wait for industry change to begin creating veterinary teams with excellent utilisation within individual veterinary practices.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Optimising staff utilisation in companion animal veterinary practice in Aotearoa\/New Zealand Research paper &nbsp;Francesca Brown1, * , Sylvia Ma1, Affiliations:1&nbsp;Te Kura Oraka Kararehe (School of Animal Healthcare and Veterinary Nursing), Otago Polytechnic | Te Pukenga, Forth Street, Private Bag 1910,&#8230; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/optimising-staff-utilisation-in-companion-animal-veterinary-practice-in-aotearoa-new-zealand\/\">Continue Reading &rarr;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5729","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5729","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5729"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5729\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8015,"href":"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5729\/revisions\/8015"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5729"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}