Perth 24-hour Vet Empowering Women
Perth Vet Emergency, a 24-hour emergency and critical care hospital is empowering women to save critically ill pets by putting family first.
Director and Principal Vet Dr Penelope Seet oversees a team of 40 working as emergency veterinarians, nurses and in client care, including an all-female management and senior vet teams.
Dr Seet is on a mission to empower women within the veterinarian industry as well as provide opportunities to grow their skill sets.
Explaining her mission Dr Seet said, ‘I’ve been lucky enough to have been given opportunities in my career to grow my own skills, and I want to help other women grow in their careers and upskill’.
As an industry that is becoming more female-dominated, Dr Seet believes more clinics need to become family-friendly when it comes to their employees.
“Working within an all-female management team, all who have their own children gives us the first-hand experience of how challenging it is to raise a family while in the workforce”.
Previously, the Australian veterinary industry was a male-dominated profession. However, times are changing with 80% of vet science graduates and 60% of practitioners being female, as reported by the Australian Veterinary Association’s 2016 Veterinary Workforce Survey.
Understanding family needs, as well as flexibility, has been key in supporting staff in reaching their career goals.
“We do our best to be compassionate and meet people’s needs when we can. We have flexible working hours, from part-time to a full-time seven-day fortnight,” says Dr Seet.
As well as managing a team of 40 in a 24-hour business, Dr Seet is also a mum of two under the age of two.
‘It’s challenging, but you make it work when you’re doing something you love. And working for an organisation that supports working mums helps immensely’, describes Dr Seet about how she manages a work-life balance.
Interested in a career at Perth Vet Emergency? Find out how to become a part of our team by contacting our hospital or exploring our current vacancies.