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Let’s start with the facts – we’ve all done it.
Posted a FB message that went something like:
“URGENT – Looking for Locum tomorrow” 🚨
“HELP! Need nurse cover today”
“Anyone free this weekend? Need sole charge vet”
FRONTLINE VET STAFFING has quietly become reactive for many clinics across the country. But here’s what every manager needs to know:
That’s not okay.
Need = Stress = Paying inflated casual rates is not a strategy — it’s completely avoidable.
At corporates, your team might have access to internal recruitment specialists, regional float pools, or structured locum networks when staffing becomes difficult.
But at your independent clinic — where you’re doing rosters solo — none of that exists.
Guess what? You don’t NEED corporate structure to build something just as powerful, you just need to be intentional about the system you create.
Sure, some shifts are true emergencies.
But most aren’t including:
The list goes on. However this type of leave is predictable, yet clinics without a plan often only schedule several weeks in advance.
Predictable leave turned urgent = “crisis”.
The consequences?
Except when you constantly “push through” … things push back. Staff morale declines. Team members quit. And hiring permanent staff is ALWAYS more expensive than planning for it.
Corporate groups often have:
So when they need help, they’re rarely posting on Facebook links.
Independents run lean, and practice managers wear many hats. These include: Compliance, HR, rostering, finance, and client management – and they do this without centralised assistance.
But when someone submits leave, the question becomes: “How are we going to cover this?”, and the panic sets in. But here’s the thing: Independents don’t NEED a corporate structure. But they DO need to plan ahead.
Successful clinics plan their workforce in the same way they’d plan their finances. They budget for it. They prepare for it. They structure EVERYTHING else around it.
So how can you think differently about your staffing plan? Here are 5 shifts every independent clinic manager can implement TODAY.
Ok, so first up, grab a calendar.
At the start of every calendar year (Let’s restart in March shall we….), sit down with your team and block out:
Start calling these patterns. “What does our cover look like during this block?”
Holiday seasons are BUSY for a reason and they should be expected (especially if two of your senior nurses have ALWAYS taken July school holidays off… it’s not an emergency, it’s historical data!) – so build your roster expecting these gaps.
Emergency = reactive. Historical = predictable.
This is huge.
Many team members procrastinate applying for leave because they feel selfish, have had poor experience with pushback or simply don’t know how to ask.
Change the culture. Empower your team to take holidays. Better yet, give them something to holiday for! When your team is happy, everyone benefits.
Consider saying to your team: “We would prefer everyone to apply for leave 3 months in advance so we can roster around these blocks.”
Knowledge is power, and the more advanced notice you have about upcoming leave, the more options you have to cover. Conversely, the later you know, the fewer options you’ll have.
Remember: Reactivity = limited solutions. Proactivity = abundant solutions.
Signing a locum contract should NEVER be viewed as “something went wrong”. Rather, it’s how you choose to support your permanent team. Failure to backfill leave correctly, results in your permanent staff “picking up the slack.” Over-seated consult times, no lunches and rising tension.
Taking care of your permanent team by providing structured, planned casual support means:
That’s not weakness. That’s leadership.
This is probably one of the biggest mistakes I see and waiting until you’re 100% certain you’ll need a locum means you:
So when you do need them? You’ll most likely:
Late sourcing limits your options. Every. Single. Time. The earlier you start your locum search, the better your chances of finding the right fit.
Shifts aren’t a fire drill. You have time to source flexibly.
Corporate clinics have internal talent pools. But guess what? So can you.
Granted, you might not have access to hundreds of vet staff within a postcode radius of your practice. But that doesn’t mean you can’t create (or sign up for access to) a reliable database of qualified professionals who WANT flexible work AND want to work for you again.
Here’s what happens when you work with the same casual vets, nurses and receptionists on an ongoing basis:
When you have built a relationship, the scramble to find “someone” disappears. Because you know you have FIVE great candidates ready and waiting to help.
Let’s say you don’t backfill a shift – that’s half a day’s wages you didn’t pay, BUT did you factor in:
The minute you view access to short-term cover as revenue protection, you’ve won. This industry is already facing wage-price increases, new compliance standards, and rising client expectations. If there’s one thing we can control, it’s protecting our teams and culture.
Plan FOR your Peak Season, not react to it.
Independent clinics are creative. They’re resourceful. And they’re overwhelmingly committed to the communities they serve. But independent staffing models don’t have to look like panic-staffed FB posts.
The future of veterinary workforce planning doesn’t start with a missed shift. It starts with a plan.
Because when your staffing becomes predictable, your clinic operates calmer. Your clients notice it. Your team notices it. And you notice it.
The Facebook post should be your communication tool – not your staffing strategy.
Lauren Chalwell is a veterinary operations leader, consultant, and founder dedicated to strengthening independent clinics across Australia and New Zealand. With a career spanning clinical nursing, multi-site operations leadership, and large-scale system and workflow implementation, she brings practical, in-clinic insight to every project. Lauren is the founder of Unlock Veterinary Consulting, supporting clinics with people-first, commercially smart business strategy, and Shift & Paws, a modern locum and staffing platform connecting good clinics with good people. She is passionate about building sustainable, psychologically safe workplaces and helping veterinary teams balance clinical excellence with strong business performance.
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