Successful onboarding of a recently graduated veterinarian, particularly when the position is intended for hospital growth, hinges on sufficient staffing. While there is no one-size-fits-all solution, careful planning is essential to ensure a successful onboarding, allowing the doctor to quickly achieve full productivity and confidence.
The Impact of Adequate Staffing
In AAHA's 2024 study "Stay, Please: A Challenge to the Veterinary Profession to Improve Employee Retention," teamwork is highlighted as a top driver of retention (see Resources below) Moreover, turnover for first-year veterinarians averages around 30%, so you can understand the importance of staffing when adding a recent graduate to your practice.
A veterinarian's daily success relies heavily on adequate, technically competent nursing staff. Veterinary nurses (veterinary assistants and technicians) perform many vital functions in the hospital. Veterinary nurses—veterinary assistants and technicians—play crucial roles in the hospital, assisting in exam rooms and surgery, providing patient care, and monitoring, and performing technical duties. This support allows doctors to focus on their core responsibilities
Additionally, the veterinary nursing team helps orient new doctors to hospital processes and offers guidance or feedback regarding patient safety decisions. Providing safe, quality, and efficient veterinary care requires a well-coordinated team effort.
Under-supported doctors, especially those recently graduated, can quickly become overwhelmed if they are performing technical duties such as drawing blood, placing IV catheters, taking radiographs, and monitoring patients. These demands often lead to skipped lunch breaks or late hours spent completing client calls and record-keeping, negatively impacting their well-being and engagement with the practice
Key Takeaways
Staffing for Success
As you plan for the new doctor's integration into the practice, you will have to consider three important factors:
Staff-to-doctor ratio, particularly, the nurse-to-doctor ratio.
Timing for adding staffing hours or hiring additional roles.
Experience and competence of the nursing staff.
Ratios
Determining the appropriate number of staff to support a full-time doctor is vital. Staffing ratios vary depending on the hospital's size and business model.
Veterinary Nurses: According to the AVMA 2023 Report on the Economic State of the Veterinary Profession, the most efficient hospitals maintain a ratio of 2.7 full-time-equivalent (FTE) technicians and veterinary assistants per FTE veterinarian. To calculate this, divide the total veterinary nursing staff hours by the doctor hours for the same period (see Resources below).
Entire Hospital: For total staffing, including receptionists, managers, and non-technical roles, AAHA's Financial & Productivity Pulsepoints reports an average ratio of 4.0 FTE staff per FTE veterinarian (see Resources below). This is calculated by dividing total staff hours by doctor hours for the same period.
Timing
The goal of timing is to balance providing sufficient support with avoiding unnecessary labor costs too early. Achieving this balance can be particularly challenging in smaller practices.”
The ratio of patients per doctor day is another efficiency measure to consider. New doctors typically start with a lighter caseload, seeing 5–10 patients per day during their first month while sharing cases with a mentor. During this initial period, they may only need 1 to 1.5 nurses for support. As they become more efficient and productive, their staffing needs will increase accordingly. This gradual ramp-up allows you to initially utilize hours from your existing staff while you move through the hiring and onboarding process for new team members (see Resources below).
Competence
Having the right number of staff is crucial, but the skill level and competence of the support team are equally important. Tenured, experienced nursing staff can contribute to a doctor’s training and development, where inexperienced staff require direction and oversight and can subtract from doctor comfort, time, and attention.
Avoid pairing a new veterinarian in training with an inexperienced veterinary assistant, as this can create unnecessary stress for both and introduce safety and quality risks. As you time your hiring, keep in mind that inexperienced veterinary assistants require several months of supervised training to achieve confidence and competence.
Conclusion
Thoughtful staffing preparation is a key component of successfully integrating a new veterinarian into your practice. By carefully evaluating staffing ratios, timing support staff hiring, and ensuring appropriate pairing with experienced team members, you can foster an environment that supports the growth and success of your new doctor while maintaining efficient hospital operations.
