This podcast needs to be next up on your playlist! Listen in to Robyn Lowe in conversation with Kirstie Pickles, as she shares both evidence-based and personal insight on the topic of neurodiversity within the veterinary profession.

In open and candid conversation, Kirstie Pickles BVMS MSc PgCert(CounsSkills) PhD CertEM(IntMed) DipECEIM MRCVS describes her own later-in-life diagnosis of autism and her mental health journey before and after this.

As many as 1 in 6 of us are thought to be neurodivergent, making it imperative for us as a profession to be educated and aware, to be best placed to support those experiencing neurodiversity and allow them to thrive in practice.

Through her research, Kirstie found the lack of awareness of neurodiversity amongst colleagues was one of the most commonly reported stressors. To address this finding, Kirstie and a large team at Vetlife has developed a free veterinary-specific neurodiversity guidance detailing information about different neurodivergent conditions and explaining how neurodivergent individuals both may excel and face challenges within veterinary practice and how we can implement reasonable adjustments in the workplace. Yo can view it by following this link:

https://www.vetlife.org.uk/neurodiversity/

This podcast discusses the new Vetlife Neurodiversity guidance and more. We touch on the communication mismatch between neurotypical and neurodiverse individuals, the importance of being open and non-judgmental of behaviours in the workplace.

We talk about how the stigma that surrounds neurodiversity at management level is the biggest reason for individuals not to seek help, having a negative impact on their mental health. It is jam-packed with useful, practical advice.

For further help and information, Kirstie is founder of unedited minds, which provides neurodiversity awareness training for organisations and coaching for neurodivergent individuals:

https://uneditedminds.co.uk

Some more links for support include:

The National Autism Society: https://www.autism.org.uk/

The Brain Charity: https://www.thebraincharity.org.uk/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwnqK1BhBvEiwAi7o0Xw7-bl52jxdQAZszrGTLX7vez0Dy65DkeV-NNKvTVD-rnwzOo7pCqhoCjsYQAvD_BwE

The British Dyslexia Association: https://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/

ADHD UK: https://adhduk.co.uk/

We get some top tips from financial advisor Ruth Downs and Katie Ford on how anyone can kickstart their financial planning.

Ruth Downs BA(Hons) DipPFS and Katie Ford BVSc(Hons) CertAVP(SAM) PGCert MRCVS MCMA from VetYou Ltd, that offers veterinary-specific financial advice chat alongside Veterinary Voices’ Robyn Lowe BSc (Hons), Dip AVN (Small Animal), Dip HE CVN, RVN.

They discuss the value of financial clarity: knowing where you are with your money, what is coming in Vs what coming out. How splitting expenditure to non-negotiable payments (like council tax) and the stuff we spend for fun, to work out what wiggle room we have and come up with a plan for our financial future, what goals might we have and how can we achieve them.

Starting to save can seem daunting especially in the current financial climate where wages are not stretching as far as they used to.

Everyone is worthy of financial planning advice and to have personal goals to future proof ourselves. We talk automatic roundups, which can be organised through your bank, to put the extra pennies to one side and discuss the benefits of income protection.

If you are a vet or vet nurse experiencing concerns over your finances you may like to contact Vetlife, who offer a dedicated financial support service:

https://www.vetlife.org.uk/vetlife-services-financial-support/

Join farm vets Paul Horwood and Matt Dobbs in lively conversation about how the farm animal sector has changed dramatically over the last 25 years, embracing futuristic technology to provide comprehensive herd health advice, increasing animal welfare, productivity efficiency, profitability and sustainability.

Matt Dobbs BVM&S CertCHP MRCVS, is both farm vet and CEO of the agritech company Agsenze, has particular insight into the agritech world. In this podcast we consider how advancements in agritech relate to us as veterinarians: could AI take over our role? Or could in fact AI support vets to process diverse and large volumes of data to provide faster, more accurate decision-making?

In debate with Paul Horwood BVetMed DBR MRCVS, we discuss how well we are harnessing available technology in the UK, is there room for improvement to make UK farming become more efficient?

We describe the fascinating new developments in technology that allow analysis of all aspects of herd health and discuss how prediction of production disease may become possible. Could this allow us to initiate on farm changes before output is affected?

For more information, please see this article, ‘Agri-tech: will technology help or hinder food production and animal welfare?’:

https://www.skeptic.org.uk/2024/05/agr-tech-will-technology-help-or-hinder-food-production-and-animal-welfare/