Tips and insights from industry experts on the veterinarian shortage
It’s widely known that our veterinary industry has been grappling with significant challenges in recent years in staffing and recruitment.
Our 2023 veterinary industry trends survey of approximately 200 professionals confirmed the shortage as a key challenge.
The ongoing veterinary shortage is a result of a combination of factors, including an overall shortage in employee numbers, COVID-19, lower graduate numbers, difficulty finding and retaining staff, and the ongoing struggle to recruit qualified professionals.
“In my opinion, the greatest challenge is ensuring that we have a sufficient number of veterinary professionals to deliver veterinary care to our community. Balancing the needs of the team to ensure that they have a sustainable and satisfying environment in which to work, with the needs and expectations of the community is a challenge that veterinary leaders need to embrace.”
Cristy Secombe, Associate Professor and Registered Specialist in Equine Medicine, Murdoch University & Head of Veterinary and Public Affairs, AVA
Shortage in employee numbers
According to the 2021 Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) Workforce Survey Report, over 40% of veterinary job vacancies in NSW took more than 12 months to fill.
These recruitment challenges have resulted in a shortage of skilled professionals to cater for the needs of both rural and urban communities, and the remaining vets are working longer and harder. According to the AVA, the reasons for the current vet shortage include:
- Growth in pet ownership, 69% of households own a pet;
- Difficulty attracting veterinarians to regional areas and into production animal practice;
- Retirement of ‘baby boomer’ veterinary professionals;
- High educational debt and low salaries; and
- Challenging work environments and excessive workloads.
Lower graduate numbers
The declining number of graduates from veterinary schools in Australia is a contributing factor to the shortage of veterinarians.
According to Animal Emergency Australia, there are only sufficient veterinarians to meet 60% of the current demand.
Difficulty finding and retaining staff
Attracting and retaining qualified staff has become an increasingly difficult task for veterinary practices across the nation too.
Another AVA Workforce Survey reported that rural and urban veterinary practice owners report struggling to fill vacancies despite advertising widely.
Other factors for low retention include lifestyle preferences, work-life balance, and limited career advancement opportunities.
The challenges are being recognised at the Government level, however, for the factors that we can control, how do we approach these challenges?
11 ways to address staffing challenges in your practice
There are positive steps that veterinary practice owners and managers can take to optimise their team’s available time and maximise practice performance.
1. Improve work-life balance
A British Veterinary Association (BVA) paper on veterinary retention found that nearly 30% of those planning to leave their jobs cited poor work hours as a reason – complaining about excessive out-of-hour scheduling and overtime expectations.
To avoid this impacting your practice, it’s important to prioritise the wellbeing of your veterinary staff by promoting a healthy work-life balance.
Encourage reasonable working hours, time off for rest and recreation, and rotating shifts to distribute the workload fairly.
By fostering a supportive environment that respects work-life balance, you can boost staff morale and reduce burnout, leading to greater employee retention.
2. Offer flexible working arrangements
Flexible work options were flagged by respondents in the AVA Veterinary Wellness Strategy as one of the top factors that impacted their mental health when not recognised.
Consider accommodating the needs of your staff by offering flexible working arrangements, like part-time or remote work options.
Aside from being best practice, requests for flexible working arrangements form part of the National Employment Standards (NES). This applies to all employees covered by the national workplace relations system, regardless of any award, agreement, or contract. From 6 June 2023, more employees can now request flexible working arrangements.
Additionally, ensure that workloads are fairly distributed among team members to prevent burnout and promote a healthy work-life balance.
3. Introduce a staff wellbeing plan
The AVA’s 2021 Workforce Survey and Veterinary Wellness Strategy led to the launch of THRIVE, a veterinary wellness initiative that aims to support veterinarians and veterinary staff to lead satisfying, prosperous, and healthy careers.
THRIVE offers wellness resources that provide facts about some of the threats to the health and wellbeing of veterinarians, such as stress, addiction, grief and loss, depression, anxiety, and suicide.
The initiative also offers advice about how veterinary professionals can stay healthy, maintain a good work-life balance, and deal positively with conflict.
THRIVE’s wellness webinars aim to increase morale within veterinary teams, build confidence and trust, and manage the impact of change.
Implementing a comprehensive staff wellbeing plan can address both the physical and mental wellbeing of your staff, so consider offering wellness programmes, access to counselling services, and regular health check-ups for your team.
A healthy and happy staff member is more likely to stay committed to your practice, fostering loyalty and productivity.
4. Continuous training and upskilling for practice staff
Investing in ongoing training and upskilling programmes can enhance the capabilities of your existing staff and give them greater job satisfaction.
Professional development opportunities can lead to a greater sense of personal growth and make your practice a more attractive place to work.
Allocate a budget for staff training and continuing education programs to ensure you and your team stay updated with the latest techniques, procedures, and advancements in veterinary medicine.
Leading providers also offer veterinary-specific events for upskilling and networking, business improvement insights and coaching, and documents and templates to improve practice productivity.
If your budget doesn’t allow for paid options, look for free virtual upskilling courses or webinars and stay on top of the changes in the industry by following key news sites such as Veterinary Practice Magazine and Provet Partners in Practice.
“Embracing continuous training is not just an investment in your team, but also in the overall success and growth of your clinic. By empowering your team with ongoing learning opportunities, you create an environment where excellence thrives. Remember, a well trained team not only provides top-notch care to your animal patients but also attracts talent and clients, making your practice a sought-after destination.”
Sue Crampton, Business Manager and Lead Training Consultant at Covetrus’ Crampton Consulting Group
5. Create a positive work environment and strengthen workplace culture
Research shows that nearly 40% of vets leave their job because of management-related problems. Issues around organisation, autonomy, and regulation are given as reasons for quitting.
Practice managers are responsible for managing employee workloads/schedules and they have a critical role to play in creating a positive workplace environment.
Mismanagement in these areas can create a toxic work atmosphere that can create employee dissatisfaction, resentment and affect workplace relationships.
To avoid this, cultivate a positive and supportive work environment that encourages open communication, teamwork, rest breaks and mutual respect.
Celebrate staff achievements, recognise their efforts, and create opportunities for social interactions within the team.
A strong workplace culture fosters a sense of belonging and camaraderie, leading to higher staff retention rates.
“Generally, vets are very good at seeing immediately what’s in front of us. We see emergencies, the daily grind. But it’s important to think ‘What is it I want to achieve this year? Where do I want to go, where do I want to be in the next three years?’ And have a plan for that. ‘What are the big things that will make a difference to me, my practice and people?’”
Gemma Barmby, Veterinary Business Consultant
6. Review your technology and efficiency opportunities
One of the veterinary profession’s greatest enemies is time; or rather, the lack of it. Modern technology can remove practice chaos, streamline your administrative processes, enhance efficiency, and free up your staff for more value-adding activities.
Woofy’s on Kuhls are using Covetrus Ascend and making significant time and cost savings each week. What would you or your team do with more time in the working week?
Cloud-based PMS require less time spent on training new staff or locums. They automate tasks like appointment scheduling, client communication, and record-keeping, which frees up staff time and reduces their administrative burden.
They also enable efficient task allocation, better communication between team members, and tracking of patient progress, which enhances collaboration and workflow management.
All these factors collectively make your practice more attractive to potential employees.
“The innovation in technology and adoption of it in clinics came about because of the pandemic and also the need to think outside the square. Learning to innovate and other ways to get the job done is really important. For any business in this age, technology is so important.”
Alex Hynes Senior Emergency Vet and Chief Strategy Innovation Officer at Animal Emergency Services (AES)
7. Keep up with advances in veterinary instrumentation and equipment
Proactively try to stay at the forefront of technological advancements in the veterinary industry.
Offering modern equipment and access to cutting-edge medical technologies can attract skilled professionals looking for opportunities to grow and build their skills with these technologies.
8. Collaborate with educational institutions
Forge partnerships with veterinary schools and educational institutions to offer student placements, internships, and mentoring programs. This gives you a direct opportunity to promote positivity within the profession for younger students as well.
Engaging with aspiring veterinarians early in their education can create a pipeline of talent for your practice and foster a sense of loyalty among students who appreciate the support.
9. Address working conditions and promote teamwork
Evaluate and address broader working conditions within your practice, such as physical workplace ergonomics and staff safety.
Implement a compensation model that promotes teamwork and encourages collaboration among your staff.
By actively promoting how your practice approaches teamwork and culture on your practice website or social media, you’re more likely to entice top candidates when hiring, or before you are even looking for staff. You could also consider including testimonials from your team about their experience of working in your practice on the website to help attract candidates as well.
“Find out how well you and your team really are. From your mental health to general training needs. Look at your processes, policies and procedures. What can be revamped and improved? What are you investing in? Are your staff up to scratch medically and emotionally etc? You can reinvent yourself and get back in shape.”
Ian Shapland, Co-founder of VetDigital
10. Start cross-training for roles
Encourage cross-training among your existing staff so that they can handle multiple functions.
For example, your staff could learn more front-office duties and client management, so that if you are presented with a gap in skills, your staff are better equipped to deal with change.
Additionally, cross-training is useful when considering your hiring needs. With scarce staff available in specialist areas, consider upskilling new team members who are a good culture fit first and foremost. Then helping them build their skills to suit the needs of your practice.
This enhances flexibility within the team, ensures smooth operation during staff absences, and provides opportunities for professional growth.
11. Building a plan to deal with challenging clients
Consider taking steps to protect your staff from ‘veterinary bashing’.
You could document a plan which states how you and your team are going to respond to challenging circumstances with clients. Get staff buy-in to this plan and make them feel heard, it’ll increase the effectiveness when these scenarios arise.
“Whether the animal lives or dies, the cost of treatment to the business is the same. But the mixture of grief, loss and the financial burden to the client can stir huge emotions leading to a complaint.”
Danny Chambers, Senior Vet and trustee of Vetlife
More useful tips on dealing with challenging clients:
- Avoid knee-jerk reactions. Do not respond to abusers online out of emotional upset. Often you can reply privately in a professional manner to the triggered customer or person to offer a resolution or acknowledgement.
- Empower your teams to speak up and communicate with managers at any time. Veterinary staff should feel safe to talk about issues and complaints with their senior reports, without them thinking it has an impact on their career.
- Make your complaints policy visible and simple to use so that clients can use this route before complaining online.
- If your practice often experiences clients having difficulty with their finances, consider offering flexible payment plans or educating clients on insurance options.
- Share pet parent best practices and treatment reminders in your marketing communications with clients. This increases their awareness of issues that regularly occur with pets and how to prevent them early, before it becomes a larger, more expensive issue for the client and pet.
Lastly, yes, it’s important to understand the challenges, the vet shortage and the state of the industry.
What’s more important is to foster positivity within your team and the profession. Think about how your practice can act on strategies within your control to address these challenges.
For more information on the state of the industry and 2023 trends, download our eBook with insights from approximately 200 veterinary industry professionals.
This post first appeared on the Covetrus Blog: How to address veterinary staffing challenges in your practice
