In this REAL+STORY episode, Julie South speaks with vet nurse Alana Howard about why she returned to Energy Vets after starting her nursing career there 20 years ago and then spending years working in Australia.

Alana talks about what made coming back feel like the right decision — not just professionally, but personally. She compares different clinic environments and explains what stands out at Energy Vets: how nurses are trusted to use their skills, how new graduates are supported in surgery, and how the team steps in when things get busy.

This isn’t about job titles or polished culture statements. It’s about what day-to-day teamwork actually feels like — no behind-the-scenes friction, people sharing knowledge freely, and a team that works across two rural clinics without things falling apart.

Alana also reflects on raising a family in Taranaki, commuting without traffic lights, and why rural schooling and coastal living have been part of the decision to stay.

Across this conversation, you hear what steady support sounds like from a nurse’s perspective — not from leadership, but from someone working on the floor every day.

In This Episode

00:00 – Introduction to the REAL+STORY series with Energy Vets
02:20 – Why Alana chose to return
03:04 – What feels different about this clinic
07:31 – Nurses using their full clinical skillset
09:52 – Supporting a new graduate in surgery
11:27 – How the clinic has grown over time
12:36 – Living and raising a family in Taranaki

Hiring Link

If you’re an experienced small animal vet exploring your next step, you can find out more about current opportunities at Energy Vets Taranaki

About Julie South

Julie South is the founder of VetClinicJobs and host of Veterinary Voices.

She works with veterinary clinics that want to show what working there is really like — not just list job requirements. Through VetClinicJobs, she helps clinics make their culture clear and recognisable, so vets and nurses can tell whether a clinic is Their Kind of Clinic long before a vacancy appears.

Struggling to get results from your job advertisements?
If so, then shining online as a good employer is essential to attracting the types of veterinary professionals who're a perfect cultural fit for your clinic.

The VetClinicJobs job board is the place to post your next job vacancy - to find out more get in touch with Lizzie at VetClinicJobs