When Team Members Are in Short Supply

Regardless of what the data says or doesn’t say about employee shortages, many veterinary practices face a formidable challenge that threatens the stability and effectiveness of their patient care. Correcting a hospital’s staffing situation requires innovative, sustainable solutions.

Let’s first address the elephant in the room. Industry experts disagree on whether a workforce shortage exists and how to manage the supply of licensed veterinary professionals. Rather than arguing which experts are correct, let’s help the practices that are actively recruiting people but struggling to fill open positions.

According to the June 2023 Insiders’ Insights survey, 43% of the respondents were looking for front desk help, and nearly 6-in-10 were trying to hire a credentialed technician or veterinarian. Furthermore, the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association reported that one-third of practices had two or more DVM vacancies.

While the hiring dilemma lacks a quick solution, any practice can take crucial steps to find the best solution for their unique situation.

That’s right, I said unique. Every veterinary hospital is unique, and how one might solve a workforce issue, such as by offering higher pay or a shorter workweek, isn’t necessarily another hospital’s answer. Therefore, start by analyzing your staffing problems, creating ways to overcome them and understanding the changing face of the veterinary health care team.

Know What Ails You

Staffing shortages can have significant consequences for veterinary practices, including lower-quality patient care, increased workloads, more team member stress, reduced client satisfaction and greater financial challenges. To troubleshoot the problems, a hospital manager or owner should consider the following:

• Monitor employee workloads and assess whether team members consistently work longer hours or take on additional responsibilities.
• Watch for signs of employee burnout, such as increased absenteeism, decreased morale and less job satisfaction.
• Review patient records for lapses in patient care or delays in providing necessary treatments.
• Scrutinize patient outcomes and client feedback to identify any concerns about the quality of care.
• Survey pet owners to gauge their satisfaction with your practice’s services. Pay attention to any negative comments or concerns about wait times, appointment availability and communication.
• Track client retention rates.
• Analyze your practice’s financial performance to identify the adverse effects of staffing shortages, such as increased overtime pay or reduced revenue due to appointment cancellations.
• Keep track of staff turnover. Did employee shortages contribute to team members quitting your practice?
• Conduct exit interviews with departing team members to understand why they’re leaving and whether staffing issues played a role.
• Measure and monitor client wait times before appointments and while pets are being treated.
• Double-check communication to ensure team members address client inquiries and concerns promptly.

Different issues can require different solutions. For example, clients on hold for extended periods might hang up and never call back to schedule an appointment. The answer in that case could be to hire another client service representative or invest in technology that enables real-time online scheduling. In addition, high employee turnover might signal a need to assess the workplace culture, invest in team training, or improve workflows and responsibilities so that technicians and veterinarians work at the top of their licenses.

Hiring another employee might not be the only treatment for some in-clinic ills, such as long wait times and high turnover. That is why the management team should assess the issues and formulate short- or long-term solutions.

Treatment Options

When staffing issues occur, practice management becomes the “doctor” and takes charge of preparing a treatment strategy. Here is what a manager can do:

• Consider cross-training employees, adjusting work schedules or contracting with relief personnel while you wait to hire someone.
• Engage a professional recruiter. The fees you pay can be a better deal compared with the financial losses incurred at your short-staffed hospital.
• Prioritize employee tasks so that your practice satisfies essential patient and client needs. Updating standard operating procedures and eliminating unnecessary, time-consuming protocols can improve efficiency.
• Offer competitive pay and additional fringe benefits to attract and retain staff members. Sometimes, paying more is the solution, but how your practice compares to local hospitals is always good to know.
• Upgrade your practice’s technology, such as appointment scheduling software and telemedicine options, to improve efficiency. Tools like virtual assistants, automation and mobile apps can reduce workloads.
• Solicit team member feedback on their workloads and stress levels. Involve everyone in the decision-making when you address staffing challenges.
• Ensure that everyone has opportunities to use all their licensed skills.

The goal is to maintain the quality of patient care, satisfy clients and support the practice’s financial health. Decision-makers must understand that the veterinary industry is evolving and that thinking outside the box (or outside the exam room’s four walls) is necessary.

The Team’s Changing Face

The veterinary profession is adapting to different ways to care for pets. One involves remote team members, who do everything from conducting virtual patient visits to monitoring the data broadcast by wearable devices to communicating with clients. Instead of pet owners having to delay an in-hospital visit, patients can be seen by a primary care veterinarian or specialist. Accessibility and convenience are part of the changing face of the industry.

Technology has created a growing number of remote veterinary positions. For example, practice managers may work from home when ordering supplies, processing payroll, posting data into bookkeeping software, analyzing PIMS reports, communicating with clients and vendors, conducting team meetings, scheduling employees, managing websites and social media channels, and training new hires. The options are endless.

Some hospitals use a remote receptionist to speak with clients via an exam room video link, process payments, and schedule follow-up appointments while the technician or veterinarian moves on to the next patient. A remote client service representative can handle many in-hospital duties if the proper technology is in place.

Veterinarians and specialists can deliver remote care, too — from consultations and follow-up assessments to answering client questions and reviewing data from wearable devices and in-home tests.

Understanding how remote work can change where, when and how veterinary professionals do their jobs is vital in addressing staffing issues. Remote work means your next hire doesn’t need to live within driving distance of your hospital.

Finally, remember to pivot as needed. Don’t suffer through months of short-staffing when hiring someone was the only treatment you considered. Look at other options for improving your business’s health and your team’s well-being. After all, an efficient, productive, well-managed practice is much more attractive to job candidates.

WAITING GAME

The Veterinary Hospital Managers Association asked survey respondents how much time typically passed before they hired someone. The most popular answers were:

• More than six months: veterinarian, credentialed technician, groomer
• One or two months: non-credentialed technician, veterinary assistant, management position, receptionist
• Less than a month: kennel worker

LEARN MORE

Talent Territory columnist Stacy Pursell dishes up advice on recruiting employees. Check out:

• “How to Audit Your Recruiting Process,” bit.ly/audit-TVB
• “Bad Things Happen If You’re Slow to Hire,” bit.ly/slow-to-hire-TVB
• “A Brand-New You,” bit.ly/branding-TVB