When veterinarian Fiona Stewart left work to have children she did not foresee that returning to the job she loved would lead her to uproot her family and move overseas.
But after repeated efforts to meet requirements for returning to work in Australia she made the difficult decision to move to the UK in January of 2019, where she quickly secured a full-time position as an emergency vet.
Dr Stewart had spent 10 years out of the workforce to raise a family.
While she understands the need for the requirement to refresh her skills after a career break, she says there was no clear guidance, pathway or time frame from the Veterinary Surgeons Board of South Australia (VSBSA) on how to regain full registration.
"I was unemployable," Dr Stewart said.
She undertook a restricted registration from the VSBSA, but it meant that she needed direct supervision from another vet for all procedures.
The restriction was burdensome and the practices she approached to employ her were unable to provide that support.
Rules 'made up on the run'
Over two years Dr Stewart completed voluntary work with animal rescue groups, undertook clinical placements and online training, and also covered the cost of her own indemnity insurance.
She turned to online job adverts for UK positions, a country she had worked in before.
She told the ABC that even before relocating she had secured a job in the UK, which includes a re-entry program especially made for vets returning to the workforce, and was given full registration by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, the UK's national regulatory body.
"They relied on my professional integrity (which has not been diminished by years away from the profession) to not undertake any procedure I did not feel competent in," Dr Stewart said.
She has shared her experience to highlight the challenges facing veterinarians wanting to return from a career break, and has called for national reform.
"Moving my three children to the UK and being separated from my husband (who initially returned to Australia for work) was emotionally and financially draining."
The Veterinary Surgeons Board of South Australia said it did provide Dr Stewart with "a very clear pathway for her return to full and unrestricted registration after her career break of at least 10 years".
Chairman John Strachan says this includes a reduction in the level of supervision over time, consistent with the requirements of the Veterinary Practice Act which exists to protect animal health, safety and welfare and the community's interest.
"The act requires all veterinary surgeons who have not practised for three or more years to apply to the board for approval," he said.
"Dr Stewart was informed of her right to apply to the board at any time for the supervision level to be reduced or removed."
National reform needed
In Australia the ability to work in the veterinary industry is regulated by veterinary surgeons boards in different states and territories.
While each jurisdiction has different rules, generally once a vet has been out of the industry for more than two years, additional training and supervision is required.
The national body representing veterinarians, the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA), wants a national model to be adopted.
Head of veterinary and public affairs Cristy Secombe said it had been working with the Australasian Veterinary Boards Council (AVBC) to advocate for regulatory reforms including a national body to replace individual state boards.
"The human health sector has an overarching governing board AHPRA (Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency) and in the long term we would like to see that as a profession so that we have harmonisation of regulations across the entire country," Dr Secombe said.
"We think that would make it much easier for veterinarians and for the public as well, that everyone's on the same page."
The association has introduced a return-to-work program for its members in recent years but acknowledged there was not a clear retraining pathway that was recognised by individual boards.
Urgency amid national vet shortage
Border restrictions have added pressures to the industry, which is experiencing a shortage of veterinarians, particularly in regional areas.
The AVA has also called for government support to allow veterinary practices to offer additional training and supervision to those returning to the industry.
"That supervision comes at a cost to the people delivering and we don't really have a mechanism to support those supervisors so it doesn't come as a cost to their businesses," Dr Secombe said.
She said while there were no figures showing how many veterinarians had left the industry, a recent survey of members showed 20 per cent expected to take a career break during their working life.
Reasons for this included a disparity in graduate salaries compared to other professions and that women more likely to leave work to care for family.
"We want to see that people who undertake that training stay in the profession as long as possible and use those skills so we need to make sure we have a pathway that is frictionless to leave and come back in."
A South Australian government spokesperson said under the Australian Constitution, the veterinary profession and standards of care were regulated by state governments and that it did not support changing that model.
“A national body would not be answerable to the South Australian parliament for maintaining standards and adhering to our legislation.”
Editor's Note (27/06/22): This story was updated shortly after publication to include a rebuttal to Dr Stewart's allegations from the Veterinary Surgeons Board of South Australia, the statutory authority established by the South Australian Parliament to regulate the veterinary profession. The story has also been amended to clarify the circumstances of Dr Stewart's relocation to the UK, and to attribute her claims and those of the AVA.
