You’ve posted a job listing for an associate veterinarian online and in local professional groups. You anticipate hiring the right candidate within a few months, but the listing sits for weeks, months, and maybe even years without much promising traction. Meanwhile, you’re struggling to manage the day-to-day workload on your own, and burnout is either your inconvenient passenger or waiting for you on the road ahead.
How do you break through the slump and successfully hire an associate to join your team?
There are 5 major reasons small practice owners have difficulty hiring new doctors, but they don’t have to be insurmountable. With creativity, introspection and mindfulness, you can restructure your approach and find the right applicant to fit your practice.
Reasons You’re Struggling to Hire DVMs
Reason #1: New DVMs are afraid of being thrust into a working environment with little hands-on training.
Forty years ago, it was typical for many vet students to have worked in a practice in some capacity prior to graduating from veterinary school. Transitioning to working in a busy practice with only one other doctor would not have been alarming. And, after working through a short learning curve, new graduates usually found their footing and could work independently without trepidation.
Fast forward to today, and the dynamics are simply different. New doctors often don’t feel ready to work independently. They crave a structured team setting where they can ease into their roles with less stress and more support from tenured veterinarians.
Solution: Offer on-the-job training to your new associates. Even if a candidate wants to go with your practice over another, they might choose the one that seems safer—often a corporate hospital that has a larger team of doctors to offset their lack of experience. Make your job offer more appealing by including a clear mentorship plan. This can include a period of shadowing, longer appointment times, a robust CE allowance and more.
Reason #2: Most young DVMs don’t want to work 5 (or even 4) day weeks.
Work-life balance is having its moment, not just in the veterinary profession, but in all sectors of the American workforce. People want to work to live—not live to work. As such, many veterinarians, especially newer graduates, will be looking for positions where days off, PTO, and short weeks are guaranteed. (If you want to know more about work-life balance in the veterinary industry, especially as an owner, read our resource on the topic here.)
Solution: In order to adjust with this new mindset, you must highlight your practice’s commitment to work-life balance and taking time off. You can set yourself apart by offering high PTO and sick day benefits (recently, the concept of unlimited PTO has become more popular). Lean into supporting mental health by offering mental health days. Perhaps in your off season, make Fridays half days. You could even offer paid time for your associates to volunteer for a cause they’re passionate about.
The goal here is to encourage balance. Make sure people go home when the day is done, set the pace yourself by standing firm on your schedule, and prioritize your staff rather than trying to fit in as many clients as possible. By creating a culture of balance, you create a place people want to be a part of and call their home away from home.
Reason #3: Your practice doesn’t have a defined (or good) team culture.
“When seeking a veterinary practice to join as an associate, veterinarians are increasingly prioritizing a strong cultural fit,” says Cindy Trice, DVM, Chief Veterinary Officer at Hound. “Beyond competitive compensation and benefits, they are looking for a practice that shares their values and has a mission that resonates.”
When Dr. Trice was an associate 10 years ago, the things that led her to join the practice where she worked were the same things job seekers are looking for today.
“What attracted me to the practice was the fact that they practice high quality medicine, treat their staff well, have very good retention for support staff, and have a good tech to doctor ratio,” she says.
How well do you support your doctors? Is your staff happy? How long have they been employed? Do you celebrate each other’s wins? What is your care philosophy? These are all questions potential hires will be asking you. They want a culture that has tangible values and matches the way they want to live their lives.
Solution: Highlight the aspects of your practice that demonstrate a healthy and vibrant team culture. And don’t be afraid to have fun with it! Your culture and personality will set you apart from other practices and should shine through in your job listing, as well as during an interview visit. If you don’t have a defined culture, you’ll want to develop one that aligns with your values as an owner. (Check out Hound’s Veterinary Culture Manifesto for inspiration.)
Some examples include:
- Articulating a clear mission that speaks to how you approach your clients, patients, and employees
- Holding office hours for your employees to address needs or concerns to you directly
- Biweekly or monthly office lunches
- Hosting a book club
- Starting a wellness and fitness initiative
- Celebrating new hires and friendly departures (e.g. new opportunity, moving, retirement, stay-at-home)
Also, consider ways you can incorporate your culture into your benefits. For example, some benefits may include: maternity/paternity leave, counseling fund, mental health day, gym membership stipend, set own schedule, flex time, and more! Get creative! Ask yourself what benefits you would have always liked to have and implement them if possible.
Reason #4: You don’t have the budget and resources of corporate practices.
One of the major roadblocks to hiring an associate is finding ways to appear more attractive than the competition. With the rise of corporate practices in recent years, the competition often has larger pockets than the average independent practice and can offer applicants more robust salaries, bonuses and benefits. They also tend to market these benefits to third- and fourth-year students before they even graduate vet school. So, how do you compete?
Solution: Become more involved with your state’s veterinary students. While corporate recruiters are busy enticing future doctors with big sign-on bonuses, you can build trust and community with rising veterinary talent by providing yourself as a trusted resource in their education journey. Consider offering externships that give students hands-on experience in your practice. Offer yourself as a mentor. Attend events that allow you to network with students and recent graduates. These interactions will ultimately lead to fruitful relationships that will yield positive word of mouth and cast independent practice as a better option for employment when the time comes.
Reason #5: You haven’t evaluated the aesthetic of your practice in a while.
When was the last time you took an objective view of your practice’s appearance and functionality? Have you considered lately what working in it might feel like? Other than home, work is where they will spend most of their time—they’re looking for a place where they want to go each day and know they are set up for success. If you’ve been fortunate enough to make it to the in-practice interview with associate candidates, this aspect of the job might be to blame for a lack of interest in accepting an offer.
Solution: Take stock of your practice’s interior. Does it feel bright and inviting? Is it clean and free of clutter? Can staff easily access instruments, tools and inventory? If your answer to any of these questions is “no,” that’s okay. These can all be overcome with small but impactful changes, such as repainting walls, updating artwork, organizing a deep clean, and streamlining the physical workflow of your practice for employees.
Transform Your Results with a Valuation
Now that you’re in the mindset of streamlining your practice and enhancing its attractiveness for potential hires, as well as clients, don’t stop there. A practice valuation can offer additional insight into how you can further improve not just the management of your practice, but also its profitability. If you’re ready to transform your practice’s results, contact your local Simmons advisor today.
