Maternity roulette

Those of you that know me know I’m not a baby lover. I have a buggy, but it’s for my dog.

I don’t like to be controversial in print, but a few things have happened to friends recently that have concerned me.

I have known a number of really good nurses who found it impossible to return to work post-maternity leave. They all applied for part-time work, but were refused.

Of these nurses 100% are now happy in part-time work – but not in the veterinary industry.

This saddens me. Not just for the loss of people I know to be of great benefit to the industry, but for the industry as a whole.

I appreciate that for smaller businesses it can be hard to accommodate part-time workers, but I find it sad that, within the industry as a whole, people cannot find part-time work, or that the salaries offered are low enough to prompt a career change.

Most vets I know have managed to negotiate part-time work after having children, so is there a double standard?

Despite some research, there is little on this matter. However there are repeated mentions of it being cheaper to have lay staff or take on trainees.

Could The Veterinary Business Journal (VBJ) look into this? If we are a predominantly female work force then we need to be informed about our career prospects after child birth.