“You are always working towards something here at Berry, and that is what I like.”

Berry Vet Clinic Careers with Purpose

For veterinary nurses who want more than a job title, Sahra and Belle’s story shows what a strong regional clinic is able to offer. At Berry Vet Clinic on the South Coast NSW, their work has become a mix of small animal care, farm visits, wildlife, mentoring, family flexibility and community connection.

It is the kind of veterinary nursing career many people assume only grows in larger centres. Their experience tells a different story.

Sahra’s Path into Veterinary Nursing

Sahra has been at Berry Vet Clinic for six years and has worked in veterinary nursing for 11 years. Her reason for entering the industry started much earlier.

“It started back when I was probably about five,” she recalls.

Her family cat became unwell and what stayed with her was the way the veterinary team cared for the animal and spoke to her as a child.

“It left an imprint on me,” she says. “I knew that I wanted to care for animals from that age.”

After finishing Year 12, Sahra went straight into a Certificate in Animal Studies, followed by a Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing. She trained in a busy clinic, then spent around two years at Shoalhaven Animal Shelter. The shelter gave her a different view of animal care, working with lost, neglected and vulnerable animals and helping them find new homes.

“It was a different way of caring for animals,” she says. “Every animal had a really good chance at getting a new home, no matter what.”

When Sahra joined Berry Vet Clinic, she found her way back to the work she loved.

“I came here and fell back in love with nursing, thank goodness,” she says.

Belle’s Wildlife and Zoo Experience

Belle’s path was different, but it led her back to the same place. She first started at Berry Vet Clinic in 2016 while completing her nursing course, before leaving to pursue wildlife and exotics. She worked at Western Plains Zoo and Shoalhaven Zoo, caring for primates, big cats, African wild dogs and birds of prey.

“I really enjoy the wildlife and exotics and the larger animals,” Belle says.

She worked as a keeper and trainer, helped with birds that had come in as injured wildlife, and hand-raised animals that needed support. That background still follows her at Berry Vet Clinic.

“As soon as wildlife comes in, it is Belle,” Sahra says.

Belle returned to the clinic after bringing her own dog in to be desexed. What began as a consult became a career opening.

“I just came in for a consult and left with a job,” she says.

Family Flexibility at Berry Vet Clinic

That return mattered because Belle needed work to fit around motherhood. The hours at the zoo had become difficult with a young child, while Berry Vet Clinic gave her a structure that worked.

“Bryden and Sarah were great with letting me work within school hours for the first few years while my son was in primary school,” she says. “They are super accommodating with all the family lifestyle and everything.”

That family focus is not surface level. Belle’s youngest child comes into the clinic with coffee. Staff on maternity leave still visit with babies. Bryden and Sarah’s children come through the clinic too. For Belle, it feels less like work sits separate from family and more like both fit into the same life.

“It really feels like a family and extended family for my kids,” she says.

Clear Veterinary Nursing Progression

Career growth has also been central to both Sahra and Belle’s experience. Berry Vet Clinic has developed a tiered nursing structure that gives nurses clarity around skills, expectations and progression. For Sahra, this has made a major difference.

“There is no pressure to become a higher tier nurse,” she says. “If you are confident and happy where you are, then they are happy for you to be there.”

At the same time, the structure gives nurses something to aim for. Sahra says the clinic uses goals to help people develop and recognises the work that goes into growing capability.

“Because in the veterinary nursing world, according to the award, once you get a Cert IV, that is it,” she explains. “Berry has found a new way of doing tiers to help us become more experienced and get more knowledge.”

For a regional veterinary nurse, that clarity matters. It means career progression is visible. It means experience is recognised. It means senior nurses are not left sitting at the same level as someone who has only recently graduated.

“This is the first clinic I know that has created tiers to reflect your role,” Sahra says. “You are always working towards something here at Berry, and that is what I like.”

Farm Calls, Wildlife and Wider Experience

That growth is practical too. Sahra has built confidence with lab tests, catheters and blood draws. She now supports and guides other nurses. Belle says coming back under Bryden and Sarah has felt completely different from her first time at the clinic.

“I felt really supported,” Belle says. “If you want to learn more, they are keen for you to learn more and help you with that.”

The work itself is broader than many people expect from a veterinary nursing role. The clinic treats companion animals, wildlife and large animals. Nurses now head out on farm calls, something Sahra says did not happen when she first started.

“I love being able to go out on farms,” she says.

That exposure has widened her skills. Before Berry Vet Clinic, Sahra had never worked with large animals. Now she enjoys cows, horses, sheep, goats and the occasional alpaca.

“I was worried about starting at Berry because I had never done anything with large animals before, and now I absolutely love it,” she says.

Belle grew up on a hobby farm, so the large animal work fits naturally. Together, they bring different strengths to the clinic. Sahra brings long-term veterinary nursing experience and mentoring. Belle brings wildlife, zoo and large animal confidence.

Connected to the Shoalhaven Community

They also share a love for the Shoalhaven lifestyle.

“You get that country coastal aspect,” Sahra says. “You do not have the big cities with the traffic and the huge amounts of people.”

After work, summer might mean a swim at the beach. The commute is easier. The pace outside work feels calmer. For Belle, who grew up locally, Berry Vet Clinic has always been part of her life.

“This has been my family clinic for my whole life,” she says.

That local connection carries into the work. The team supports Small Farm Field Days, the Berry Show, local projects and community fundraising. They see clients at the shops, on the street and at the coffee shop. Trust matters because relationships continue beyond the consult room.

“You can really build that trust with the clients,” Belle says. “They know we are doing what is best for the animal.”

A Regional Veterinary Nursing Career Without Standing Still

For Sahra and Belle, a regional veterinary nursing career has not meant standing still. It has meant wider experience, clearer progression, closer team support and a lifestyle that fits around family and community.

Their advice to city-based vet nurses feeling burnt out is simple. The South Coast gives people space, connection and a different way to build a career.

“If they are looking for more of a stress-free life, I feel like coastal living is the way to go,” Sahra says.

At Berry Vet Clinic, their careers keep growing. The work is busy, emotional and unpredictable. It is also meaningful, supported and deeply connected to place.

That is exactly why they have stayed.

Useful Links for Veterinary Nursing Careers

For readers interested in veterinary nursing and animal care pathways, Berry Vet Clinic is a family-owned mixed general practice in Berry, NSW. The clinic provides services across cats and dogs, farm animals, equine, wildlife, birds, reptiles, rabbits and other animals. TAFE NSW offers Certificate IV Veterinary Nursing for people wanting to build professional skills in veterinary care.