Annie-Kate
Customer Success Specialist
- 06/03/2022
It has become increasingly apparent that the usual “slow season” veterinary clinics have come to expect twice a year is not coming back anytime soon. Since the start of the pandemic we have been waiting for the bubble to burst, but the fact is that the huge number of newly adopted pets that create more demand on veterinary staff members will only require more care as they age.
How can we adapt to this growing demand?
Expect The Unexpected
Your workflow can be seriously interrupted by the inevitable work-ins and emergencies that walk through the door. With waits lasting hours at your local emergency clinic it has been common for veterinary hospitals to end up double booked and inundated with these appointments. Reserving time for work-in and emergency appointments can reduce the stress on your schedule allowing for the time these pets deserve to work up their case and reduce the time cut into your scheduled appointments.
Expect The Unexpected
Leverage Technology
A large portion of your day can easily be spent confirming appointments, logging controlled substances and reminding clients of their pets upcoming vaccinations. In recent years the advances in software designed to automate these tedious and manual processes have become increasingly available. Find the point of stress and consider the time saved by automating these tasks. VetSnap’s software can easily shave time off of your day allowing them to focus on what matters, patient and client care.
Stay ahead of burnout
Veterinary staff members have scrambled to stay on top of the ever growing patient load while maintaining the same standard of care, this has created burnout and compassion fatigue that can be difficult to relieve after it has already rooted. By attempting to stay ahead of this you are more likely to provide successful solutions to a broader spectrum of team members.
Some options to consider:
- Recognize effort and encourage your team to recognize their own achievements and celebrate!
- Turn on some tunes. Music in the appropriate environments increases everyone’s mood, including your patients.
- Treat the whole staff regularly by providing lunches, opportunities for continued education, gift cards and even some extra PTO.
- Play to individual strengths, doing this allows everyone to shine.
- Provide resources to your team to support mental health and manage compassion fatigue, encourage its use and lead by example.
No one thing can relieve this growing demand but changing the way we have always done things and utilizing the growing number of resources available is certainly a great place to start.
