Practice Managers: Tips to Find Your Next Great Team Member

Happy Practice Manager Appreciation Week!

You’re the rock of your hospital, balancing schedules, managing personalities, and creating a welcoming environment for every human, cat, and dog who walks through your doors. 

One of the trickiest parts of the job? Finding great talent, which ironically is kinda the first step. That’s where relief staffing can be a game-changer, offering a “try before you buy” approach to recruiting that lets you KNOW if a vet or tech will be a good fit for your hospital. 

Step 1: Create a great experience for your relief veterinarians and technicians. This not only makes shifts go smoother (and gets you a nice 5-star rating on Roo!) — it makes your clinic a place they’ll want to come back to again and again (maybe even full-time). 

Here are some quick tips to create a great relief experience: 

1. Give relief staff the lay of the land

Start strong before they walk through the door. A quick email letting your relief pro know a bit about your hospital and what to expect for the day goes a long way. This doesn’t need to be something you build from scratch every time, make a template you can send with one click, which you keep updated as things change.

Toss in a little “Clinic Cheat Sheet” with need-to-know details like: 

• Your name and contact info
• List of staff names and roles
• Clinic phone number
• Computer logins
• Very brief overview of how to make a SOAP note in your software program
• Which staff to go to for access to controlled substances for euthanasia or emergencies?
• How to make phone calls out, and record comm notes
• Where to park
• Dress code

Some extras that are also nice to know:

• Which heartworm/flea/tick preventitives do you recommend?
• Vaccine protocol (which type of Bordetella vaccine, 1 or 3 year vaccines used, preferred locations given, etc.)
• How often do you require bloodwork for medication refills? (for example, to get NSAIDs/thyroid meds — do you require it every 6 months, every year, or recommended annually but not actually required to refill?)
• Are labs (especially HWT and fecal) send-out or in-house?
• Pre-surgical bloodwork guidelines (day of vs. send-out beforehand and within what timeframe of surgery)
• Who are the full-time vets who will be following up on labs sent out?

This not only makes their day easier but shows your hospital is organized and well-run, which relief staff definitely appreciate.

2. Assign a “Shift Buddy”

Everyone needs a friend on their first day, and for a lot of relief vets and techs, every day feels like their first day of work when they’re working at a new place. Make them feel like part of the team!   

Pair the relief vet or tech with a “shift buddy” from your full-time team, typically a lead tech, someone who can answer questions and show them where things are. This will help your relief pro can settle in faster so they can focus on the good stuff: providing great care for pets! Plus, it’s a great way to gauge how they work as part of a team, and if they’ll mesh with your full-time staff. 

Make sure their “buddy” is there early to greet your relief pro when they first show up and give them a little tour of your clinic. In fact, it’s great to let the whole team know a relief pro will be helping out in advance. 

3. Dedicated personal space to work

Make sure relief vets have a home base they can return to if they need to get work done.  A desk to yourself for the day makes a big difference. It can be uncomfortable when others are on and off of the computer a relief vet was told you can use, leaving them standing there waiting instead of completing their notes. It's also not a great feeling when other team members are hovering over you waiting for their turn.

A dedicated break room, if you have the space, is great for everyone. Sometimes you just need an escape hatch for a second. Even better if there’s snacks in there, which brings me to my next tip:

4. A well-fed relief vet is a happy relief vet

I’m being real right now. There are tons of cultures around the world that show love by feeding people — there’s a reason for that. Simply providing snacks makes people feel included and part of the team. Plus, it’s a nice little boost of literal energy if someone needs it (carbs aren’t always the devil).  

Make sure your relief vets and techs get a break for lunch. This is a great tip for your whole team as well — it just gives people a chance to reset in the middle of the day and get pumped for round two!

5. Be conscious of your clients and care expectations

Unless it is urgent, don’t have a patient who’s being chronically managed by another doctor see a relief vet. Chronic conditions are best managed by a single doctor who knows the whole story. It can get very confusing for clients and compromise care if they’re seeing a different doctor every visit.

This one’s just a nice to have: try to make your last one or two appointments wellness. This lets the relief pro wind down and leaves them feeling better at the end of their shift. If the last hour of the day is a sick visit, the relief vet is more likely to have to stay late and therefore possibly request overtime. Nobody wants that.

6. Show appreciation and follow-up with great matches

Did a relief vet or tech knock it out of the park? Let them know! A quick thank-you email can make a lasting impression. Building a positive connection with relief staff means they’re more likely to want to pick up shifts with you again.

If you think they’ll be a great fit for your team, Roo can help with the next steps in hiring them full-time! 

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Creating a great experience for relief staff doesn’t just make today’s shift easier — it opens the door to finding your next amazing team member! Try one or two of these tips the next time you have a relief shift, and you might just discover a future hire who’s the perfect fit for your clinic!