Episode 13 – Empowering Veterinary Locums Strategies for Success

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In this week’s episode

• Molly’s Journey: What started as a quick decision to escape burnout in 2017 led Molly to an unexpected path, where she would eventually build a thriving community of 2,000 locums.
• Locum Challenges: Molly uncovers a hidden side of locum work, where lack of business skills and proper support can lead to unforeseen pitfalls—ones she knows all too well.
• Innovation: Could technology hold the key to transforming the locum sector? Molly believes it might, and she’s spearheading efforts to make it happen.
• Vision & Advice: With bold ideas for the future, Molly offers a glimpse into how she plans to reshape the industry—and invites those curious to explore this new frontier with her.

Additional Guest Spotlights

• Julien Poublon’s Tale: Julien Publon shares a captivating story from his early days as a vet, highlighting the unexpected challenges and rewarding moments that shaped his career.
• Richard White & Leveraging Technology: Next week, we’re featuring Richard White, the co-founder and CEO of Pickles, who has transformed veterinary practice management with innovative technology and a fresh approach to client service. Tune in as he shares his journey from estate agent to veterinary visionary, and his insights on the future of the industry.

Show Notes

• Out every other week on your favourite podcast platform.
• Presented by Jack Peploe: Veterinary IT Expert, Certified Ethical Hacker, CEO of Veterinary IT Services and dog Dad to the adorable Puffin.
  
• Jack’s special guest was, Molly Fiander who took us behind the scenes of the locum world, revealing untold challenges and innovative solutions.
• Many thanks to Molly Fiander, Director of Management for Locums for her resource recommendation; Book – Unfu*k Yourself: Get Out of Your Head and Into Your Life, by Gary John Bishop

Transcription

Jack Peploe: 

Coming up on modern veterinary practice. 

Molly Fiander:

So as a locum, for the challenges I faced is the unknown. So you are going, and what most people don’t realize is exactly the same as me when I first became a locum is you just thought I can become a locum because I’m a qualified vet or I’m a qualified nurse. That’s the completely wrong mindset to go with because when you become a locum, you become a business owner. Whether you are self-employed, whether you’re a limited company, even if you are employed through an umbrella company, you still have other responsibilities that you have no idea about and you were never taught about in vet or vet nursing. And that’s where so many people fall short. I’ve had people get themselves into further debt than what they was. They get themselves into further burnout than what they was because it’s not the support and knowledge that they go and seek first.

So the massive challenge is the resources around locuming, is the education around locuming. There is no, apart from management locums, there’s no sort of educational resource where it says, okay, if you want to go into locuming, this is what we do and this is how you can go about it. And this is all the information that you need. Now you have it. Go and pick the route that’s right for you. And that’s the huge challenge when it comes to locums.

And obviously on the flip side of that, it’s practices that are taking on these locums that have no idea what they’re doing by expecting them to tick these boxes of skill set and compatibility. But you’re taking on someone that’s just hoping that they can get through the day, work to the best of their ability, which of course so many people do, but that might not be the right fit for that practice. And it’s that practice that then has to deal with, I guess, the domino effect of that, which is huge.

Jack Peploe: 

Welcome to the Modern Veterinary Practice Podcast. I’m your host and veterinary IT expert, Jack Peploe. In this episode, I’ll be welcoming Molly Fiander to the podcast who will talk to us about the dynamic world of locum veterinary work and how it’s transforming career opportunities within the veterinary field.

Molly Fiander:

So as a locum, for the challenges I faced is the unknown. So you are going, and what most people don’t realize is exactly the same as me when I first became a locum is you just thought I can become a locum because I’m a qualified vet or I’m a qualified nurse. That’s the completely wrong mindset to go with because when you become a locum, you become a business owner. Whether you are self-employed, whether you’re a limited company, even if you are employed through an umbrella company, you still have other responsibilities that you have no idea about and you were never taught about in vet or vet nursing. And that’s where so many people fall short. I’ve had people get themselves into further debt than what they was. They get themselves into further burnout than what they was because it’s not the support and knowledge that they go and seek first.

So the massive challenge is the resources around locuming, is the education around locuming. There is no, apart from management locums, there’s no sort of educational resource where it says, okay, if you want to go into locuming, this is what we do and this is how you can go about it. And this is all the information that you need. Now you have it. Go and pick the route that’s right for you. And that’s the huge challenge when it comes to locums.

And obviously on the flip side of that, it’s practices that are taking on these locums that have no idea what they’re doing by expecting them to tick these boxes of skill set and compatibility. But you’re taking on someone that’s just hoping that they can get through the day, work to the best of their ability, which of course so many people do, but that might not be the right fit for that practice. And it’s that practice that then has to deal with, I guess, the domino effect of that, which is huge.

Jack Peploe:

Welcome to the Modern Veterinary Practice Podcast. I’m your host and veterinary IT expert, Jack Peploe. In this episode, I’ll be welcoming Molly Fiander to the podcast who will talk to us about the dynamic world of locum veterinary work and how it’s transforming career opportunities within the veterinary field.

Narrator:

The interview.

Molly Fiander:

Hi everyone. My name is Molly Fiander. I am a registered veterinary nurse. I have a certification in emergency and critical care. And six months after qualifying as a nurse, I decided to go as a locum, probably one of the best and worst things I have ever done because I made every single mistake you could possibly make as a locum. But that then fuelled my passion into what I do now. And what I do now is found Management for Locums. It is a community of locums. And just as of last year, so 2023, we are now a tech start-up for direct communication with practices and locums.

Jack Peploe:

Super exciting. Well, welcome to the Modern Veterinary Practice Podcast, Molly. It’s fantastic to have you join us today. How are you?

Molly Fiander:

Yeah, not too bad. I’m not too bad. Yeah, I’m just chilling.

Jack Peploe:

Amazing. Right, so today we’re exploring the world of veterinary locums, a sector obviously you are deeply passionate about. With your extensive experience as a locum RVN and your innovative approach to connecting the community, you are leading a transformation in how locum work is approached in the veterinary field. Now, Molly, you’ve dedicated a significant part of your career to locum work. Can you share what initially drew you to this path and how your journey has evolved over the years?

Molly Fiander:

Yes. Yeah, I’ll try and keep it short. Yeah. So as I said, I started locuming in 2017 because from that point, I was really burned out. My family and my boyfriend lived really far away and I thought hell of it, let’s just locum. And it was a very split second decision, which is why it was probably one of the worst decisions of my life. But that then led me into understanding business. It’s made me understand, unfortunately, a lot of isolation and professional isolation. It is a really lonely game, the locum side. So that then pushed me into, I can’t be the only one thinking this, and I can’t be the only one feeling this. So on a whim, I just started putting it out on my Instagram and my Facebook and I found more and more locums feeling the exact same way.

I am definitely a problem solver. I love helping people. So I then started trying to find innovative ways to help others as well as help myself. So fast-forward, six years, seven years now, six years, we are now a community of around 2000 locums, and we literally just chit-chat every day. We share experiences. We ask each other questions. We share loads of resources, and now we have experts and stuff in the field.

So what it means is we’re transforming the way not only the veterinary industry sees locums because that is still so negative for so many reasons. Well, the main reason because of the solutions that are currently involved. But we’ll get there in the end. But also because there is no real support around the locum sector. There’s so much support in veterinary as a whole, but it never really gets to the locum sector. It’s always seen as you are separated from the rest. So yeah, coming together as a community is my main passion. And why now with locuming? I still do locum. I still do my night shifts, but I absolutely love talking to just veterinary professionals and practices about locuming, the good and the bad because I still get people that hate locums.

Jack Peploe:

Locum work comes with its own set of challenges from the unpredictable schedules to navigating different workplace cultures. And then you get to the PMS, which I won’t bang on about today. Based on your experiences, what are the most common obstacles you’ve faced and how have you overcome those?

Molly Fiander:

Yeah, so as a locum, for the challenges I faced is the unknown. So you are going, and what most people don’t realize is exactly the same as me when I first became a locum is you just thought I can become a locum because I’m a qualified vet or I’m a qualified nurse. That’s the completely wrong mindset to go with because when you become a locum, you become a business owner. Whether you are self-employed, whether you’re a limited company, even if you are employed through an umbrella company, you still have other responsibilities that you have no idea about and you were never taught about in vet or vet nursing. And that’s where so many people fall short. I’ve had people get themselves into further debt than what they was. They get themselves into further burnout than what they was because it’s not the support and knowledge that they go and seek first.

So the massive challenge is the resources around locuming, is the education around locuming. There is no, apart from management locums, there’s no sort of educational resource where it says, okay, if you want to go into locuming, this is what we do and this is how you can go about it. And this is all the information that you need. Now you have it. Go and pick the route that’s right for you. And that’s the huge challenge when it comes to locums.

And obviously on the flip side of that, it’s practices that are taking on these locums that have no idea what they’re doing by expecting them to tick these boxes of skill set and compatibility. But you’re taking on someone that’s just hoping that they can get through the day, work to the best of their ability, which of course so many people do, but that might not be the right fit for that practice. And it’s that practice that then has to deal with, I guess, the domino effect of that, which is huge.

Jack Peploe:

So let’s pick on the business aspect and the entrepreneurship side. I am right in thinking that you help your partner set up his classic car restoration company, which I’d love to find out more about, but that [inaudible 00:08:01].

Molly Fiander:

Everyone loves talking about his classic car restoration company. Yes. No, yeah. He is doing absolutely amazing, but we were literally speaking about this the other day actually, because he has so much knowledge around classic cars and it’s bloody brilliant, but the business side he had no idea about. And having me to come and chat to shut up the account side, even with HMRC or what do I put on an invoice? Those sorts of questions that people might seem are really silly, are really, really vital and really important to actually make the business flow and make it grow as well.

And we were chatting about this the other day that when obviously I’ve set up MFL and I’ve set up a previous business, it was me just winging it in Google. And that’s where all the mistakes came from and the difference when you have a mentor or you have someone that you can go to or resources you can have, the difference in efficiency and success is massive. So yeah, I mean, he gets so many just people talking to him because everyone loves cars. I think I’m the only person in the world that doesn’t love cars.

Jack Peploe:

Come on.

Molly Fiander:

But yes, it’s a great conversation starter at networking events because everyone hates locums, but everyone loves cars. So I can start with my other half has a classic car company and I can get them talking to me.

Jack Peploe:

So with that background then, I mean, you used a couple of examples there, but are there lessons from your sort of business background that you’ve applied to your locum work?

Molly Fiander:

Yes. Yeah, massively. So even when it comes to understanding profit. So profit is a word, especially around veterinary that no one likes. They think is really scary or they think they’re not allowed to say it because it makes them sound like a bad person. And also self-worth, because when you go into locuming, you will be charging a higher rate. I’m going to do a massive myth bust here. That doesn’t mean you’re earning more, but what it does mean is that you are including that within your worth.

And when I talk to nurses that are maybe now going to be charging what would seem like time and a half if they were in a permanent role because they get benefits and lots of other things around that and they now have to take in insurance, their own pension, all those sorts of things, but they don’t see that. They just see 20 pound an hour or they just see 25 pound an hour and they go, oh my god, I’m not worth that. Or the same with vets.

And when it comes to business, I don’t know whether I’m allowed to say this, but it does harden you up. It does make you realize the world does spin and money is included in that. So you have to make sure that you’re not just surviving, you are also living, I know you did a podcast with Sylvie about flexible working and locuming is the perfect opportunity to understand your own flexible working.

When you’re in a permanent position and they go, okay, what would best suit you? You have absolutely no idea. And then you could screw up rotor after rotor after rotor trying to work it out where if you take a step back and locum for six months and your end goal is to find your forever practice, exactly what fits in with your life. And within that time you also understand what budget, what actually do you need to be taking home every single month to be living, to be seeing your family, to be doing what you want to do? So yeah, it’s toughened me up and it’s allowed me to really spread awareness of profit and self-worth within the professionals.

Jack Peploe:

No, that’s cool. So talking about the flexible working and more around work-life balance, obviously balancing a demanding career with personal interests and responsibilities can be challenging. How do you manage this balance and what advice would you give others in the locum field striving for the same?

Molly Fiander:

I’m literally the person to ask that, Jack, I work 24/7. But the thing is I see that as my work-life balance. I mean, I don’t fully like the phrase work-life balance because I just harmonize what I love to do. And what I love to do right now is working on my start-up business and that takes up so much of my time. And then when we come home, me and my other half, we talk about business over dinner where some people might say that’s their time to not talk about business. When we go on holiday, we’re still on our emails because it’s what we love to do.

If it was something that, and obviously like I said, I have had my share fair share of burnout and I’ve really sort of self-developed in that. So I know my triggers and if there is something that is coming up that I’m like, okay, I’m noticing that maybe I’m getting a little bit more snappy with my other half, I’m noticing these little things, then I’ll take a step back from whatever that is that’s stressing me out. It might sometimes be that I’m actually going on holiday and thinking that I have to take a day off and all I’m thinking about is I want to look at my emails. Now that might sound like the worst thing in the world, but to me, going back to these people that are asking for my help is what relaxes me. It is what makes me feel happy.

And it was completely the flip for a friend recently who wasn’t seeing her family. She’s just got a little boy who started nursery, so she does night shifts and she was literally never seeing him. So it’s flipping that perspective for her that her time to relax and her work-life balance is being able to also see her little boy. So it is different for everyone and it doesn’t matter if it’s like 50/50 or 90/10. It’s whatever actually makes you happy and makes you not stressed.

Jack Peploe:

I mean, you’ve got to love what you do, don’t you?

Molly Fiander:

Exactly.

Jack Peploe:

If you do, it makes everything a lot easier. I couldn’t agree more.

I mean, earlier you mentioned around innovation. Could you tell me about some innovative solutions or practices you’ve introduced or encountered that are making a difference in how locum work is managed and perceived?

Molly Fiander:

Yes. I think currently the solutions out there are really inefficient when it comes to locuming because the two main, well, three main things is as I said, education, communication and compatibility. Because for so long in the locum sector, we’ve all just thought and we’ve thought on a reactive basis rather than a proactive basis of someone’s called in sick or someone’s got a holiday, I need that covered. And a practice will go, I just need a vet or I just need a nurse.

And if you did that the same as permanent, you would just take on a vet or just take on a nurse. No one does that. Everyone thinks, okay, are you going to be fitting in with the team? Are you going to be having the right skill set for us? Do you fit in with the dynamic? And that should be exactly the same when it comes to locums because if you are implementing a locum or a locum is taking on a job that they know doesn’t suit them, that is always going to end negative. And that is what has happened over and over and over again.

So the innovation is to utilize technology because compatibility is the game that literally no one has time for because when it comes to locums, obviously we are temporary. We are that external member, but we are still part of your team When you need us. When someone needs to take a step back, we take a step forward. And to have someone that you can consistently rely on, consistently trust and the team knows is so invaluable. But like I said, everyone continues to work on, not everyone, most people are continuing to work on a sort of a reactive basis. So I just need a vet, I just need a locum. And the solutions around that is using data, using technology to take away those administrative tasks, to take away the whole matching the emails and the texting and, well, no one does interviews when it comes to locums, but that sort of thing that takes up hours.

We did a poll within our community and it was like a ridiculous, I think it took a practice once 16 hours just to get one locum. And that locum turned out that they couldn’t actually do the more complex surgeries that they needed anyway, and they also spent X amount on agency fees. That’s just negative after negative after negative. No wonder everyone hates the locum sector. But if you flip that and go, okay, we’ve actually got a service that doesn’t cost a fortune. We’ve actually got a tech that uses data and is able to match us with someone that’s 100% compatible, not only with the skill set we need on that week, but also the team that are going to be in, and we can continually rely on them in regards to our budgets and stuff. Because that’s the other thing. Yes, practices are great because they understand a bit more about profit and business, but they are still rubbish at understanding how locums can build revenue rather than take it. There is a super easy calculation that I do over and over again with practices and they go, oh yeah, that makes sense.

So yeah, so it is building that software and building that technology that matches both compatibility and also the skill set and building a bank for practices that they can continuously rely on.

Jack Peploe:

So Molly, what’s your ultimate vision for the future of veterinary locums?

Molly Fiander:

I don’t want to plug myself. Am I allowed to plug myself?

Jack Peploe:

Go for it.

Molly Fiander:

But essentially, I’ve been doing this for so long and I’m so passionate about it now that I enjoy leading the way. You know, MFL is literally becoming that software which allows people to communicate directly, allows them to review one another. Locums are the best ambassadors for practices. They have absolutely zero ties to you, but they still think you’re amazing. Like put that on a Google review and watch those terms roll in.

They’re the best investors, but they’re also still human. They’re also still qualified veterinary professionals, so treating them as such and understanding that they’re the external team. The complete vision is that whole educational hub where if a veterinary professional says, you know what? I think now is the best time for me to be a locum, and that can be for whatever reason.

We have amazing startups and amazing companies that have come from founders who have locumed while they’ve been building that. And for loads and loads of different reasons, if someone decides to be a locum, they go, okay. I go here, MFL, for this. And I can see everything that I need and I understand, and I now have also a community that I can talk to and I now have practices that I can see and I can connect with. And it’s the same for practices. Instead of going, oh shit, I need a locum, they go, no problem. We’ve got this massive list of our extended team who’s free for this day.

And it’s just taking away the stress, taking away the admin, taking away these ridiculous costs that are currently coming from A to B. I mean fees, not locums. But yeah, just making it completely streamlined and compatible and a community of both practices and locums to completely flip that perspective for practices and for locums, so the industry as a whole actually see us as part of the sector rather than just on the side.

Jack Peploe:

No, no.

Molly Fiander:

It’s a big challenge. I’m fully aware of it and I’m fully prepared.

Jack Peploe:

You’ve got a plan, Molly, that’s the main thing.

Molly Fiander:

Yeah.

Jack Peploe:

So what advice would you give to someone considering the locum path in veterinary medicine?

Molly Fiander:

Come chat to me. The reason being is because, like I said, we’ve got loads of resources and we’ve got loads of things that you can see, and you can go on Google and you can chat to other people, but essentially you want to be talking to someone who can give you all of that information. And then you make your informed decision. Don’t go and chat to someone in a practice because they charge this rate and they do this. That may not work for you because you have a different goal, you have a different family, you have a different location, you have a different qualification, whatever.

What works for someone may not work for you. And that’s the whole joy of locuming. We’re all unique and we’ve all down different paths, so chat to someone who knows everything and then make your own informed decision. So come chat to me because also I love chatting to people.

Jack Peploe:

Molly, your insights today not only have highlighted the vital role of locums in veterinary medicine, but also showcased the importance of innovation, community, and passion in shaping a more flexible and fulfilling career path. Thank you for sharing that experience and vision with us. But before we close off, can you tell us how the listeners can find out more about you and get in touch?

Molly Fiander:

Yes. So MFL does have a website, so managementforlocums.com. I know it’s really long, sorry, we’re working on it. And that’s where you can find all about our software and our revolutionized platform, which allows direct communication between practices and locums. If you want to chat to me, and I mean this in a way of if you want to chat about locuming or if you are a person who is currently listening to this right now and is going, I still hate locums, please still reach out to me because I want to chat to you and I want to see if I can flip your perspective. I love it. I love a challenge. So yeah, you can find me on LinkedIn is probably the best shout, which is just my name, Molly Fiander.

Jack Peploe:

Loves the challenge. Molly, thank you so much. You’ve been amazing. Really, really great to catch up and to have the session with you.

Molly Fiander:

Thanks so much.

Narrator:

Pause for laughs.

Jack Peploe:

Each episode, we invite our guests to share their most unforgettable animal related bloopers, giving us a glimpse into the lighter side of veterinary life. Today, dr. Julien Poublon joins us to recount a particularly memorable mishap from his early years as a vet. It’s a tale that might make you chuckle or cringe, but certainly one that Julien hasn’t forgotten.

Julien Poublon:

So yeah, so my plummeting post story, I guess some people might find it vaguely amusing. I certainly didn’t. Okay, so I’ll share something that was very humbling. It’s 22 years ago. Okay, I’ve been a vet for one year, I think. And so it’s a long time ago, back in the days when third eyelid flaps were a good idea, a gift for some people. So I had a little patient, a carrot-eating child, I’ll never forget her little face and just a bit of a struggle to treat bilateral dry and ulcers.

And one of the eyes had an ulcer that could be managed conservatively. The other ones was getting very deep and decided to do the third eyelid flap. Now, I’ve got a lot of ophthalmology friends, by the way, so they probably are gasping already, but sadly that’s not where it ends. The real moment is when I brought the poor patient back to its owners to be told that I’d done the flap on the wrong guy.

And so I’ll never forget that moment. It still sort of haunts me at night, but I guess the lesson, well, first of all ended okay, so the dog was fine in the end. Both eyes recovered. Okay, so there’s no harm down, but maybe that’s at I guess the source of my paranoia. I was about to say attention, but paranoia for details and triple checking everything. So yeah, whenever I feel a little bit good about myself, I think about that moment and it brings me back to earth.

Richard White:

Our biggest impact on our clients and the experience is our people and the environment we’ve created. That was what I was really, really, and I still focus on doggedly day in, day out. And actually that’s what a lot of our people get the most satisfaction out of is getting those thank you cards, getting those reviews, getting that, oh my goodness, the time that you’ve taken has made such a difference.

Jack Peploe:

Coming up next week on the Modern Veterinary Practice Podcast, we’re excited to welcome Richard White, a dynamic figure whose unconventional path led into the forefront of the veterinary industry. As the co-founder and CEO of Pickles, Richard has transformed veterinary practice management through innovative technology and a fresh approach to client service. Join us as Richard shares his insights from his journey from estate agent and software entrepreneur to veterinary visionary. We’ll dive into how his experiences have shaped his leadership style, his vision for the future of veterinary practices, and his passion for making the industry better for pets and their people. Tune in to discover how Richard is redefining the vet experience and inspiring change across the field.

That’s it for this episode. All links and recommendations we talked about are in the show notes. Don’t forget to subscribe and share the podcast if you found it useful. In the meantime, thanks for listening and see you next time. 

• Please send any questions, ideally in audio-form (or any other feedback) to jack@veterinaryit.services.