Veterinary professionals are fueled by their passion for animals. This passion – combined with advanced medicine, a fast-paced setting and emotional cases – creates a profession that requires many skills.

‘Everywhere I go, people say: "I need a new veterinarian, can you find me one?" or "I need a new technician, can you find me one?"’

- Brandon Tucker, The Lost Vet Book

There is a talent shortage; we can all agree on that. There is also the problem of retaining talent and finding the best talent for your practice. Taking a passive approach to this is unlikely to deliver the desired results.

So, what can we do to attract the best veterinarians?

Employee Value Proposition

One of the things we always encourage people to do is to consider an EVP; Employee Value Proposition. This is about what you can offer to talented individuals so that they will not just want to work at your practice, but stay there, truly believing it to be the best place for them.

ACTIVITY TIME:

Grab a piece of paper and start to think about what you are offering your employees. 

Is your salary competitive? 

Do you offer appropriate benefits that somebody in your industry would expect and value?

How do you recognize people, say thank you and recognize great performance? What does that look like?

Do you have values you can tell people about? 

What are the key things important to your existing team or the people you’re recruiting for? 

A prospective employee will be considering what deal they might receive and will want to understand how being at your practice could help their career progression.

So, why not create something that can be shared as your employee value proposition, and which can form a part of your recruitment tools? This is something that can be woven into job adverts or included in discussions with recruiters.

Finding the Right People

You will lose out on the best people if you just sit back and hope they will find you. 

So, how do you make your practice stand out? What will speak to those employees and graduates and make it clear that your practice is the best place for them to be?

Potentially, graduates will be Gen Z and a values-driven business is important to those individuals. 

They will have gone into the veterinary profession wanting to make a difference. When they leave education, they will seek an employer who can help them fulfil their ambition. 

If you make it clear they can do that within your practice, you’ll create an environment that’s attractive to new talent. 

Succession Planning

Thinking about retiring professionals, we recommend you take the time to do succession planning.

Have a think about the individuals in your teams and how long you’re likely to have them in the business. If the retirement age is coming up, you can answer that definitively.

This allows you to plan for what you will do when the time comes for them to retire. 

Ask yourself questions like;

“They have got loads of knowledge. How do we transfer that knowledge?”

“How do we make sure we’re ready for when they leave?” 

Consider if you have someone within the business who can step into their vacant role or whether you’ll need to recruit somebody new. Whatever the answer, be prepared so you’re not left with gaps that can hurt your practice and how your teams work.

Taking the First Step

We recommend taking an hour out of your day as the first step in this process.

Write down all the things that make your practice special and dig deep. Create that story and a clear picture of what will encourage people to join and then stay. Then use it as an internal engagement tool as well as externally as a recruitment tool.

Here are 3 questions to think about…

1. What are you offering that makes you a destination for the people you want?
2. What skills do your existing team have that you could utilize first?
3. What needs to be fixed in the practice before a new person starts?

This blog has been written in relation to The Lost Vet book. Read the full book for more amazing tips.

Read the Full Book

Create the Best Environment for your Veterinarians with The Lost Vet

At The Lost Vet, we help you find your passion and purpose again.

You’ll have:

• The job you always dreamed of
• More time for you and your friends and family, hobbies and interests
• Increased profit and growth with less stress
• An empowered team
• Clients that truly value the service and advice you provide

Don’t take our word for it, contact us today to find your passion and purpose again.