Cats and dogs one day, horses the next, even treating a giraffe at the nearby zoo – every day is different for veterinarian Michelle Noga.

It is the variety that Dr Noga loves about her work as a mobile veterinarian travelling thousands of kilometres a week around Griffith in southern New South Wales.

“Gunshot wounds, you get to see snake bites … the skills are better developed and quicker.”

Dr Noga moved to the region from Sydney after meeting her husband during her final year of training.

“He’s a farmer in Griffith and it was a no-brainer just to move and be part of this community,” she said.

“I’ve got clients who are in their 70s and 80s, who will have a towel on the table, a cup of coffee and tea, and they remember how I like it.

“The relationships you build [in the country] are different.”

Another Sydney-born vet, Sophia Johnson, moved to the small town of Deniliquin during the COVID lockdown and has not looked back.

“There’s so much that can be done these days in our country towns and some of these vet clinics are even better equipped than most city clinics.”

Bucking the trend

Research by the Australian Veterinary Association shows that 40 per cent of vet jobs advertised in 2021 took more than a year to fill.

A New South Wales parliamentary inquiry examining the veterinary workforce shortage has heard that it’s difficult to recruit vets to work in rural and regional areas – and to keep them there.

Chairman Mark Banasiak said the inquiry had heard many regional vets were overworked.

“What we are hearing is that the less vets, the more pressure it places on those vets that are there already,” he said.

Mr Banasiak said the need for HECS relief for vet graduates who practised in the country had been raised in several submissions to the inquiry.

“We’ve seen how similar schemes have worked in education where teachers are given incentives to work in rural and regional settings. There’s no reason why that couldn’t work in our veterinary space,” he said.

Addressing the inquiry, NSW Farmers representative Robyn Alders said access to university for country kids was important, as they already understood agriculture.

“[We need to be] looking at special entrance requirements to allow students from rural areas that are extremely intelligent and that did reasonably well in their ATAR and demonstrate that commitment to coming back to rural areas,” Dr Alders said.

NSW Farmers is also pushing for ongoing contracts between government agencies and private vets to boost the financial viability of rural practices.

“Having that sort of comprehensive support is really important to stabilise the veterinary workforce and to make sure that farmers are getting vets that want to be there,” Dr Alders said.

Vets search for work-life balance 

Apiam Animal Health is a major provider of veterinary services in regional Australia with 78 clinics across five states, employing 330 vets.

Managing director Chris Richard said the business had to adapt to offer new graduates the career development and lifestyle available in the city.

“We focus on putting together both career plans as well as lifestyle plans to understand what they want to do outside of work and that involves flexible workplace programs where 80 per cent of vets work a four-day week or nine-day fortnight.”

He said that incentives, such as paying up to $70,000 of student debt for recent graduates who commit to four years in a rural practice, had also helped to attract vets.

As someone who had successfully made the transition, Dr Johnson said growing up in the city was not a barrier to having a successful career in the bush.

“We’ve got connectivity with our peers in other towns and cities.

“I think give it a go.

“What’s the worst that can happen? You get that experience and you’ve got some stories to tell at the pub.”