013 Vet Med How Can We Retain Employees in The Veterinary Industry With Rachel Golden
Rachel Golden is a veterinary professional of 15 years, spending the last 11 at VCA where she is the hospital manager. I’ve had the pleasure of talking with Rachel on and off the air and we both have a big passion for the field. Rachel joins me in this episode to tackle a big question in the industry. Why are veterinary professionals not only leaving their jobs but leaving the field at an alarming rate?
Pre-COVID, the veterinary industry was already on edge. Overworked, bursting with burnout and compassion fatigue, the pandemic only made the pressure worse and gave way to a major shift in employee mentality. No longer are our employees putting up with extensive expectations for no work-life balance, working while sick, taking up slack for under trained coworkers, and all of the other woes of the industry. And should they have to?
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Hospital culture was suffering pre-pandemic and even more so now. With professionals leaving and the employee pool getting smaller and smaller, hospitals are forced to hire inexperienced and untrained staff. Leading to major gaps in knowledge and skills between veteran and new employees. So as a hospital manager or practice owner, what can you do about it?
When looking at this conundrum, it seems there’s no time for training, there’s no time for professional development, there’s no time for staff bonding and hospital culture. Rachel really dives into the intricacies of scheduling time for employee training and culture. It almost seems to be a lose-lose. Employees are either forced in early or out late for meetings, the day is cut short and work piles up, and the hospital is losing revenue for paying employees during closed hours.
These might seem like impossible barriers. But Rachel stresses the need for this time in veterinary hospitals now more than ever. Look at creating robust training procedures and hospital culture organisms as an investment. Not only in your employees but in your practice. Make the time, spend the money. You will make it up tenfold in employee retention alone.
Employees deserve to be trained, to work among knowledgeable co-workers, to have their time respected, and to work within a happy hospital. Use your voice. Make the time.
If you’d like to get in contact with Rachel Golden, you can find her on LinkedIn or reach her via email.
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What’s Inside:
- Why is the veterinary profession losing employees at an alarming rate?
- How has employee culture shifted post pandemic?
- How the massive knowledge and skill gap is jading employees old and new.
- How to find the time for important training and investment in employees?
- How to retain employees in the veterinary profession.
