Radio Vet Nurse

Cat Walker

Cat Walker is a registered veterinary nurse with dual legal and mediation qualifications and a wealth of experience in the veterinary sector. Radio Vet Nurse is a show celebrating veterinary nurses and creating a space where we can tell our story. Episodes range from: - Live conference interviews. - Mini-series such as "Interrupted" taking a deep dive into significant veterinary industry issues and trends. - A back catalogue of longform interviews with high profile vet techs and nurses sharing personal anecdotes of life and career. read less
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Episodes

Episode 2 - Radio Vet Nurse Registered
21-04-2024
Episode 2 - Radio Vet Nurse Registered
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 linked to the other big industry issues and I shared my personal belief that it is only in coming together that we have the power to make a change for good. In this episode I’ll be introducing you to more people who can inspire change in rethinking the regulatory frameworks and the need for nationally recognised mandatory registration. We’re going to talk about professional status and protection of title. What are they, and why are they so important? We’re in the land down under here and sometimes it’s useful to know what’s going on in the rest of the world. We’ll head overseas for a minute and see what’s happening with our vet nurse and technician brothers and sisters in the States and the UK. Thanks for joining me on Radio Vet Nurse Registered. This series may be uncomfortable at times, but I believe that the time to get registered is here and I thank you for joining me on the journey. I would like to thank Vetoquinol and Vet Complaints Support for their sponsorship of the “Registered” mini series. Coming up in the next episode I’ll be looking at how registration will improve autonomy and utilisation, unpacking those concepts, and explaining why they’re important. We’ll also talk about some of the boundaries to getting on board with registration and what we can do about them. See you in a week.
Episode 1 - Radio Vet Nurse Registered
14-04-2024
Episode 1 - Radio Vet Nurse Registered
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 years since the launch of “Interrupted” and that series has clocked almost 8,000 downloads. There are so many other topics that I think are worth peeling open in an “Interrupted” style podcast series, which is how this “Registered” mini series came about. I’m going to take a deep dive into the topic of registration for vet nurses and technicians in Australia and the road to professionalisation. I decided to focus on this topic first because there is no doubt in my mind that a national and mandatory registration framework for vet nurses and technicians is key to tackling multiple industry challenges. I really think this is the issue that underpins so many. I’m aware that it’s an issue that causes anxiety for some people, so we’re going to look at why people are for it, why some might be against it, and hopefully provide some reassurance that it’s going to be set up in such a way that the people with anxieties don’t have to be worried. Thanks for joining me on Radio Vet Nurse Registered. This series may be uncomfortable at times, but I believe that the time to get registered is here and I thank you for joining me on the journey. I would like to thank Vetoquinol and Vet Complaints Support for their sponsorship of the “Registered” mini series. Coming up in the next episode I’ll be zooming out and taking a look at WHY we might want to be registered professionals under a mandatory registration scheme. Thank you for joining me. Inquiry into Veterinary workforce shortage in New South Wales, Submission from the Australasian Veterinary Boards Council Inc. (AVBC) If anything in this episode raises any issues you can contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36 and Lifeline 13 11 14.
Episode 2 - Radio Vet Nurse Interrupted
08-05-2022
Episode 2 - Radio Vet Nurse Interrupted
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 demands and pressure of our vet industry and we've all paid a very personal cost. Having always had open conversations on Radio Vet Nurse about wellness and the big issues in the industry, I feel compelled to take my story and start an honest conversation about some of the challenges we are facing in the industry. That's why this series is called Radio Vet Nurse Interrupted - apart from the obvious reference to an interruption in my personal life, I think the time is now to stop and make a break in the continuity of our current industry experience. It's time to have some really honest and difficult conversations, and make a conscious decision about how to proceed and really harness this opportunity for change. Now that I've shared my personal journey, in this episode I'd like to zoom out and take a birds eye view of the industry as a whole. Thanks for joining me on Radio Vet Nurse Interrupted. This series may be uncomfortable at times - but I really believe the disruption is here and I thank you for joining me on the journey. This episode was sponsored by the Animal Industries Resource Centre and the Animal Emergency Service.
Bonus - Podcast Mashup
08-10-2020
Bonus - Podcast Mashup
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 from Internal Medicine For Vet Techs, Jeff and Dave from Vet Tech Cafe, Tasha from Veterinary Anesthesia Nerds, and Dr Lewis and Dr Robbie from Two Vets Talk Pets. Make sure you check out their shows too, I'll put links in the show notes and on social media. To my fellow Aussie listeners, happy vet nurse day! To all of you in the states, happy veterinary technician week. And to vet nurses, vet techs, veterinary assistants and students everywhere, I hope you're managing OK during these crazy times. Hosts: ● Jordan Porter, RVT, LVT, VTS SAIM and Yvonne Brandenburg, RVT, VTS SAIM from Internal Medicine For Vet Techs ● Cat Robinson, RVN, BA, LLB from Radio Vet Nurse ● Jeff Backus CVT, RVT, VTS (ECC) and Dave Cowan BA, CVT, VTS (ECC) from Vet Tech Café ● Tasha McNerney BS, CVT, CVPP, VTS (Anesthesia) from Veterinary Anesthesia Nerds ● Dr Lewis Kirkham BVSc MRCVS MANZCVS (Animal Behaviour) and Dr Robbie Anderton BVSc MANCVS (Small Animal Medicine) from Two Vets Talk Pets
Jane Bindloss - Never give up, never surrender!
04-10-2020
Jane Bindloss - Never give up, never surrender!
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, helping veterinary practices through leadership, coaching, and a push for the positive culture workplace. She's a founding member of the VNCA who has used her Jack Russell Terrier ways as a force for good in our industry. As you will learn from Jane, the unassuming Jack Russell Terrier should be a spirit animal for all of us. And as you call upon this dogged determination and cling to whatever it is you're fighting for in life, remember Jane's mantra "Never give up, never surrender!" We discussed: • SANE Veterinary Management http://sanevetmanagement.com.au/ o Contact Jane on 0418 176 170 or janeb@sanevetmanagement.com.au • Podcasts: o Blunt Dissection with Dr Dave Nicol o The Cone of Shame with Dr Andy Roark https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-cone-of-shame-veterinary-podcast/id1483387715 o The Uncharted Veterinary Podcast with Dr Andy Roark https://podcasts.apple.com/bh/podcast/the-uncharted-veterinary-podcast/id1449897688 o Conversations with Richard Fidler https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/conversations/ • The 4-eyes drug control system by Dr Andy Roark https://drandyroark.com/what-do-we-do-about-suicide/ • Time management tools such as: o Covey's grid http://www.planetofsuccess.com/blog/2015/stephen-coveys-time-management-matrix-explained/ o Esso's StepBack 5 x 5 https://www.safetyrisk.net/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2010/12/StepBack_5x5.pdf • AVNAT https://www.vnca.asn.au/avnat/
Kate - Vet Nurse of the Year
31-05-2020
Kate - Vet Nurse of the Year
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 amazing creature. Apart from my mental image of a scaled mammal at the time I knew nothing of the pangolin, the most trafficked animal in the world. A month later I had most certainly heard of the pangolin as a suspected intermediate host linking SARS-CoV-2 from horseshoe bats to humans. Since the pandemic I've thought a lot about live animal markets. It's important to note they can be legal, illegal, regulated, unregulated, and are an important source of affordable food and livelihood for many. But they are linked to the mutation of viral pathogens, which are more likely to make these jumps between species when animals are kept under duress. Pangolins are traded at live animal markets in some countries as a luxury meat and their scales used in traditional medicine. If - and let me stress, if - this is how SARS-CoV-2 was transmitted to one person at a seafood market in Wuhan China, then the whole world is paying an enormous price for this trade. We'll never know for sure if this is what happened, but is undoubtedly time to start listening to the voices of the conservationists. Like Kate. We discussed: • The Vet Tome tooth extraction system. • Dr Sophia Yin counter-conditioning nail trim phobia • VNCA Vet Nurse of the Year • Kate's qualifications: o Accredited Veterinary Nurse (AVN) o Certificate III in Captive Animals (zoo keeping qualification) o Captive Vertebrate Management (CSU) o Specialist certificate in zoo and wildlife nursing (currently completing) • Cathy's Pangolin work o Save Vietnam's wildlife o Cathy's website o Here's a link to an article Cathy has just written
Jazz - VNCA President 2018
05-04-2020
Jazz - VNCA President 2018
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 page for news of alternative plans and future dates. I talk a lot on the show about my previous life as a lawyer, but my first degree was in International Studies at RMIT's school of globalization. The whole premise of our degree, and my subsequent career in corporate social responsibility, was that we live in an age of globalization. So watching COVID-19 close national borders and halt global flows of trade and people has blown my mind. It leaves me with little doubt that it is now crucial to maintain the global flow of ideas, knowledge, and our support for one another. Stay connected during this time of isolation as we face unprecedented challenges in an industry that was already tackling challenges of its own. Take comfort in knowing that this experience will make us more resilient, flexible, and grateful. Carry on - we got this. In this episode I caught up with VNCA President, Jazz. A quick caveat for this one - like all episodes over the past 6 months it was recorded in advance for my maternity leave. We recorded in August 2019, and I'm sorry I wasn't able to get her reflections for the full year. We did however cover the first 6 months, including the hugely successful launch and roll out of the AVNAT Scheme. Aside from being President of the VNCA Jazz was recommended to me by multiple people as a perfect Radio Vet Nurse guest. She got her start in the industry at the ripe old age of 11 and her passion and enthusiasm will leave you straightening your stethoscope and fist punching the air. Another caveat for this episode, Jazz was unwell when we recorded and a bit concerned that she (a) might have a coughing fit and (b) sounded like a pack a day smoker. I quite liked the Janice Joplin voice but definitely edited out a few coughing fits, including one caused by our ongoing laughter at my favourite unexpected Radio Vet Nurse tangent ever - the subtle art of fainting. Jazz listens to these podcasts: · Dr Carl · Cosmic Vertigo · Stuff You Should Know
Bonus Episode: COVID-19 as at Sunday 22 March 2020
25-03-2020
Bonus Episode: COVID-19 as at Sunday 22 March 2020
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 unprecedented challenges. So with that I'd like to introduce my veterinary podcast friends - Yvonne and Jordan from Internal Medicine For Vet Techs, Jeff and Dave from Vet Tech Cafe, Tasha from Veterinary Anesthesia Nerds, and Dr Lewis and Dr Robbie from Two Vets Talk Pets. We're hoping to check in with each other again in a month or so, since things are changing rapidly. Feel free to reach out to any of us with questions or issues you would like us to discuss in a future COVID-19 episode. But for now beautiful people stay safe, wash your hands and look after each other. Take comfort in knowing that this experience will make us more resilient, flexible, and grateful. Carry on - we got this. Hosts: ● Jordan Porter, RVT, LVT, VTS SAIM and Yvonne Brandenburg, RVT, VTS SAIM from Internal Medicine For Vet Techs ● Cat Robinson, RVN, BA, LLB from Radio Vet Nurse ● Jeff Backus CVT, RVT, VTS (ECC) and Dave Cowan BA, CVT, VTS (ECC) from Vet Tech Cafe ● Tasha McNerney BS, CVT, CVPP, VTS (Anesthesia) from Veterinary Anesthesia Nerds ● Dr Lewis Kirkham BVSc MRCVS MANZCVS (Animal Behaviour) and Dr Robbie Anderton BVSc MANCVS (Small Animal Medicine) from Two Vets Talk Pets We discussed: ● COVID-19 in terms of: o Zoonosis and reverse zoonosis. o What we know about domestic pets. o Fake news and the importance of finding reliable information. ● How we are mitigating the risk in our workplaces. o How to minimize a pandemic in general. o Employees, clients, patients and supplies. o WHS risk assessment and hierarchy of control measures. ● The importance of having a COVID-19 response plan. o Listen to the Uncharted podcast for a great guide to writing a response plan https://www.facebook.com/1695680574018782/posts/2542810305972467/ ○ If you would like to see an example of Cat's Ready Vet response plan reach out to her here https://www.radiovetnurse.com/contact however please note that this plan was drafted 14 March 2020 and much has changed since then! ● How to keep our family or housemates safe if we are essential workers continuing to leave home and go to work. ● Mental Health in the new normal. Resources to learn more. ● AVMA COVID-19 page: https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/animal-health-and-welfare/covid-19 ● CDC page: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html ● Here's the uncharted podcast...