Vet nurse's bid to win back job fails

Holistic Vets Ltd (HVL) director Liza Schneider

A Bay vet nurse who ordered prescription medicine for her own use has failed to have her dismissal for serious misconduct overturned.

Emma Campbell claimed her dismissal was unjustified and her employer had breached its good faith duties under the Employment Relations Act.

Holistic Vets Ltd (HVL) director Liza Schneider told the Employment Relations Authority Ms Campbell was dismissed after a full and fair disciplinary investigation.

Ms Campbell, who started working at Holistic Vets in July 2009, was initially employed as a vet nurse, and promoted to senior veterinary nurse in 2012.

She was responsible for ordering the clinic's drugs. The prescription drug Imovane, which is used to treat insomnia, was found among deliveries.

Ms Campbell initially claimed she had mistaken the drug for another with a similar name, then later said she thought vets were allowed to order prescription medicine under a company policy.

A subsequent investigation revealed she had also earlier ordered the anti-pain medicines Voltaren and Brufen and was seen by a co-worker taking some cat food from the office.

Legally vets can order human prescription medicines to treat animals but not for personal use.

Authority member Eleanor Robinson said Ms Campbell was experienced enough to know she had acted illegally and found no disparity in the way her dismissal was handled.

"I have found that HVL found substantive justification for terminating Ms Campbell's employment on the basis of serious misconduct after undertaking a full and fair investigation process.

"I determine that Ms Campbell was not unjustifiably dismissed by HVL," she said.