“I’ve always had a connection with animals and I wanted to find a job I really loved”
Belinda Coleman
After completing a Certificate II in Animal Studies, Ms Coleman enrolled in a Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing and is just months away from finishing her traineeship.
Eager to enter a rewarding, in-demand industry, Ms Coleman secured a traineeship as a vet nurse with Lake Road Vet Clinic in late 2023, turning to TAFE Digital to give her the practical skills and knowledge to thrive in her new role.
Lake Albert mum-of-two Belinda Coleman spent more than a decade as a crime scene investigator with NSW Police before working as a photographer and later becoming a co-owner of Wagga Scrap Metals.
TAFE Digital has helped a former police officer make an unlikely career pivot to vet nursing and take part in an epic excursion in the wilds of Africa.
The passionate animal lover was also part of a tour group of students and TAFE Digital teachers to visit Kwantu Game Reserve in South Africa in November, where they learned invaluable hands-on skills tending to a range of exotic animals.
“I’ve always had a connection with animals and I wanted to find a job I really loved,” Ms Coleman said. “Being a trainee vet nurse is ideal because you learn on the job, and then you can go home and adapt what you’ve learned to your study.
“As a busy mum and business owner, having the flexibility to study when and where it best suits me is a huge bonus.”
Australia is the midst of a worsening vet nurse shortage, with a 2021 workforce survey conducted by the Australian Veterinary Association finding about a third of veterinary job vacancies took over 12 months to fill. The NSW Government has moved to address the shortage in the bush, recently expanding its Welcome Experience program, giving vets, vet nurses, vet technicians and their families assistance with sourc¬ing housing, childcare and other services when moving to rural NSW.
Ms Coleman said the recent excursion to South Africa was a “life-changing” experience, both personally and professionally.
“We were able to get behind the scenes with the animals and work alongside experienced South African vets,” she said. “We fed and got up close with white lions, tigers, elephants and so many others. We relocated a zebra from the reserve to a smaller enclosure and helped vaccinate, worm and do health checks on a range of animals.”
TAFE Digital vet nursing teacher Sally Lee, a vet nurse of 20 years who travelled with students to South Africa, said the job prospects for graduates were “positive”.
“There are a huge amount of jobs for vet nurses in the industry and many of our students gain employment during their first work placement,” Ms Lee said.
“And the South African trip really was an emotional and humbling experience. It gave students priceless hands-on experience but also broadened their perception and approaches to veterinary medicine.”
Caption: ANIMAL MAGNETISM: TAFE Digital vet nursing graduate Belinda Coleman (left) during a ‘life-changing’ trip to South Africa recently.
Media contact: Dan Johns, TAFE NSW Communications Specialist, (02) 7920 5000.
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