This article is sponsored content brought to you by Unlock Veterinary Consulting.
Across Australia, veterinary clinics are facing a common challenge: maintaining consistent staffing while supporting the wellbeing of their teams.
Staff shortages, rising client expectations and increasing case loads continue to place pressure on clinics. At the same time, many veterinary professionals are re-evaluating how they want to work.
A growing number of veterinary staff are seeking greater flexibility in their careers. Reducing hours, raising families, pursuing further study, travel or more sustainable work. For clinics, however, finding trusted short-term support has historically been a challenge.
This shift in expectations is reshaping the veterinary workforce.
Clinic leaders often rely on last-minute social media posts, word-of-mouth recommendations, or recruitment agencies — approaches that can be unpredictable, time-consuming and costly.
The impact of unfilled shifts is significant. A single unfilled veterinarian shift can represent between $3,000 and $6,000 in lost revenue, not including the downstream effects on patient care, team workload and client experience.
When used effectively, Veterinary Locums and Casual staff allow permanent team members to take leave, pursue development opportunities and avoid burnout — without placing strain on colleagues. Their value extends beyond simply filling gaps. Effective locum cover also allows leaders greater focus on permanent recruitment and long-term workforce strategy.
These shifts in staffing structures and professionals’ desire for balance have highlighted a clear gap within the profession — high-quality clinics needing short-term support, and experienced veterinary professionals seeking flexible work, without a reliable way to connect.
Flexible work is no longer just a lifestyle choice — it’s becoming essential for retaining experienced professionals in veterinary medicine. It’s also time to move beyond the perception of locums as a ‘stopgap or last resort’ and recognise them as a practical, strategic solution that allows permanent teams to rest, recharge and remain in the profession long-term.
Lauren Chalwell – Founder, Shift & Paws
Shift & Paws was designed specifically to bridge that gap.
Anyone can build a platform — but Shift & Paws has been built by an industry leader who has filled shifts herself and understands the realities of clinic operations firsthand.
Shift & Paws enables clinics to post short-term shifts directly and connect with vetted vets, nurses and reception staff seeking flexible work.
Unlike traditional job boards or informal social media channels, the platform focuses on building a trusted professional community, with both clinics and professionals completing a vetting process-our point of difference, including providing registrations, resumes, references and other credentials prior to joining.
Professionals on the platform also include veterinary nurses and front-of-house teams — critical roles often overlooked in traditional locum models.
Importantly, the platform operates on a low monthly membership model (from $49) with unlimited shift postings and no commission fees.
When compared to the cost of a single unfilled shift, this represents a highly cost-effective way to protect revenue, reduce team strain and maintain continuity of care — with one covered shift capable of paying the annual membership fee many times over.
For the first time, the gap between great clinics needing short-term support and veterinary professionals seeking flexible work is being actively connected — within a single, veterinary professional-led platform.
Lauren Chalwell is the founder of Unlock Veterinary Consulting and the Shift & Paws platform.
