I often wonder, “Why is our industry so hesitant to give feedback to our veterinarians?” Are we afraid they might quit if we say something wrong? Do we think we’ll upset them, disrupt the delicate balance or jeopardize employee retention in an already-tight job market? I’ve been there as a hospital administrator. I had that hesitation. But here’s what I learned: Silence doesn’t keep people. It makes them feel invisible.
When You Prioritize Production
For years, one of the hospitals I worked with evaluated its veterinarians solely on what they produced. There was no discussion about team collaboration, leadership, emotional intelligence or the quality of medicine practiced. Just raw numbers. And guess what? The hospital lost some fabulous doctors.
Those veterinarians weren’t underperformers. They were talented, compassionate and dedicated. But they left because they didn’t feel valued or seen. And they didn’t quit after receiving feedback. They left because the hospital didn’t provide any.
So, let’s flip the script.
Feedback Is a Gift
What if feedback wasn’t something to fear but instead something to offer? A tool for growth. A sign of respect.
Let’s stop treating feedback as a disciplinary action and start thinking of it as an opportunity to help someone level up. We owe it to our doctors (even seasoned ones) to support their growth as professionals, leaders and team players.
What if we helped them see how their presence, tone, delegation and decisions shape the hospital’s culture? What if we used feedback to strengthen the entire team?
Who should deliver the feedback is critical. It must come from someone with trust, credibility and a working relationship with the doctor. That might be the hospital manager, medical director or practice owner. Ideally, this person understands both medicine and people and can offer insight into clinical excellence and team culture.
Therefore, don’t hand off the responsibility to someone with zero relationship with the doctor. That’s a recipe for defensiveness and disconnection.
What Should It Entail?
Let’s get one thing straight: If production is the only thing you measure, you miss the big picture, and you will burn out your most valuable players.
Here’s what should be part of every evaluation.
Leadership
- How do the veterinarians perform under pressure?
- Do they create psychological safety for the team?
- Are they role models for respect, adaptability and accountability?
Leadership is about behavior, not barking orders. It’s about how doctors communicate with, empower and inspire those around them.
Impact on Others
- Do the doctors lift others or tear them down?
- Do they mentor veterinary technicians or dismiss them?
- How does the team like working with them?
Veterinary medicine is a team sport. A doctor’s influence on team morale, collaboration and communication is just as important as surgical skills.
Team Utilization and Efficiency
- Do the doctors empower technicians to do their jobs?
- Are they willing to teach the technicians and elevate their technical skills?
- Are they efficient, or do they bottleneck the workflow by taking on tasks others are trained to perform?
- Do they allow team members to educate clients?
A well-utilized team is the heartbeat of a thriving hospital. Doctors who hoard tasks (often unintentionally) waste time, frustrate staff and miss the opportunity to empower others.
Medical Excellence
- Do the doctors practice up-to-date, evidence-based medicine?
Remember, practice leaders aren’t evaluating competence only. We are also assessing consistency, communication and a growth mindset.
How Often Should You Give It?
Feedback should be part of the culture, not a surprise attack once a year. Schedule formal check-ins quarterly but remember that the magic happens in the day-to-day. What can be more powerful than any formal review is a quick “Hey, the way you communicated that treatment plan with Mrs. Smith was awesome” or a “Let’s circle back to how that appointment went.”
Regular feedback builds trust. It normalizes communication, reduces defensiveness and makes course corrections easier when an issue arises.
Follow-up is everything to make feedback stick. Feedback that feels like a drive-by critique won’t land well. Unofficially check back in and ask the doctor, “How’s it going?” Celebrate when something improves and provide ongoing support or resources. Your responsibility as a practice leader is to follow up and follow through.
Finally, make feedback a loop, not a lecture. The more consistent and open the feedback culture becomes, the less intimidating it will feel and the more growth you will see.
Don’t Forget Recognition
Feedback isn’t just for course correction. It’s for affirmation, too. Doctors need to hear what they’re doing well. They need to hear that their calm tone during a chaotic emergency anchored the team. They need to hear that their extra effort in mentoring a recent DVM graduate made a difference.
The bottom line is this: Your doctors deserve more than a production report. They deserve mentorship, growth and feedback that helps them be the best version of themselves, not just for your clients but also for the team and themselves.
Start the conversation today. Make it safe and consistent. Be honest, kind and straightforward because feedback doesn’t push people away. Silence does. In a profession built on connection, compassion and constant learning, none of us can afford to feel invisible.
LEARN MORE
Check out VetFolio’s RACE-approved courses on feedback at go.navc.com/feedback-VF. Among the offerings are “Feedback & Coaching,” “Communication Styles: DiSC,” “Communicating Across Cultures,” and “Psychological Health and Safety in Veterinary Medicine.”