Four staff members flew to Brisbane late in November to represent the clinic at the Australian Training Awards and came home with the winning trophy in the Small Employer of the Year category.

Practice manager Jacqui Kempe said the clinic went up against three well-deserving finalists.

“The quality and experience of the three Australian finalists in the Small Employer of the Year category was very high,” she said.

“Murray Bridge Veterinary Clinic (MBVC) felt honoured to be involved in the finals and felt all finalists were worthy of the title and the results could have gone to any of them.”

Ms Kempe said she believed the focus on creating well rounded team members gave the clinic the winning edge.

“To achieve this we train our staff in both technical skills and soft skills,” she said.

“This focus on soft skills is aimed at improving our emotional intelligence - meaning we can provide a high level of patient care and customer service to our valued clients and in a technical industry this focus on soft skills has identified MBVC as unique and we are very proud of our team work.

“We have also strived to identify individual’s different learning styles and training requirements and as such we are able to develop and implement personalised training plans.”

Ms Kempe said all staff members were sent messages as soon as the clinic’s name was called and were thrilled at the news.

South Australian Senator Anne McEwen said MBVC had shown great assistance in supporting staff through its investment in vocational education and training (VET).

“In offering high quality veterinary services, as well as having a commitment to staff training and further education, the clinic is a very worthy recipient of this award,” she said.

“With a focus on high quality training, the clinic has enjoyed higher staff retention rates, increased staff morale and quality patient care.”