• DVM360_Conference_Charlotte,NC_banner
  • ACVCACVC
  • DVM 360
  • Fetch DVM 360Fetch DVM 360
DVM 360
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
By Role
AssociatesOwnersPractice ManagerStudentsTechnicians
Subscriptions
dvm360 Newsletterdvm360 Magazine
News
All News
Association
Breaking News
Education
Equine
FDA
Law & Ethics
Market Trends
Medical
Politics
Products
Recalls
Regulatory
Media
dvm360 LIVE!™
Expert Interviews
The Vet Blast Podcast
Medical World News
Pet Connections
The Dilemma Live
Vet Perspectives™
Weekly Newscast
dvm360 Insights™
Publications
All Publications
dvm360
Firstline
Supplements
Vetted
Clinical
All Clinical
Anesthesia
Animal Welfare
Behavior
Cardiology
CBD in Pets
Dentistry
Dermatology
Diabetes
Emergency & Critical Care
Endocrinology
Equine Medicine
Exotic Animal Medicine
Feline Medicine
Gastroenterology
Imaging
Infectious Diseases
Integrative Medicine
Nutrition
Oncology
Ophthalmology
Orthopedics
Pain Management
Parasitology
Surgery
Toxicology
Urology & Nephrology
Virtual Care
Business
All Business
Business & Personal Finance
Hospital Design
Personnel Management
Practice Finances
Practice Operations
Wellbeing & Lifestyle
Continuing Education
Conferences
Conference Listing
Conference Proceedings
Upcoming dvm360 Conferences
Resources
CBD in Pets
CE Requirements by State
Contests
Partners
Spotlight Series
Team Meeting in a Box
Toolkit
Top Recommended Veterinary Products
Vet to Vet
Veterinary Heroes
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us

© 2023 MJH Life Sciences and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

Advertisement
By Role
  • Associates
  • Owners
  • Practice Manager
  • Students
  • Technicians
Subscriptions
  • dvm360 Newsletter
  • dvm360 Magazine
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us
  • MJHLS Brand Logo

© 2023 MJH Life Sciences™ and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

Quick tool: Figure your veterinary practice retention rate by department

March 1, 2014

Find the right staff members for your team and keep them engaged to achieve high retention.

One of the most important and potentially costly decisions business owners and managers make is hiring and retention of employees. How do we recruit qualified people? How do we keep them engaged and productive? Do we know how our business ranks against the average length of employment of a staff member in the veterinary industry?

According to one source, staff replacement costs between $12,000 and $31,000 per employee. For lower-qualified positions, the average is 16 to 21 percent of the annual wage of the position, according to the Center for American Progress. This may seem high, but consider how much time and money you spend on ad placement, resumé review, interviewing, new-hire orientation, training, etc. Minimizing these costs means that hiring managers need to find the right fit for our practices as well as develop ways to keep staff engaged.

Advertisement

The first step in tackling retention is reviewing departments and job duties. Are you adequately staffed? If your average kennel attendant, for example, stays only six months, is that the result of promotions—or morale issues in that department? Do your staff members have the tools required to do their jobs properly?

Of course, avoiding the "wrong hire" is as important as keeping the "right hire." Finding qualified employees means more than just finding a warm body to do the job. In today's competitive veterinary market, finding and retaining employees who identify with your practice philosophy and culture, who want to grow in their careers and who offer the finest patient and client care is extremely important to practice success. Hire wisely, train well and communicate often. Your employees want to be a part of your team and contribute to the success of your practice. Engage them and watch your business grow.

Find the calculator here.

Art Arnaiz is hospital manager of Seattle Veterinary Specialists in Seattle. Tammi Verseman-Morrison is operations manager at the Veterinary Referral Center of Colorado in Englewood, Colo. Their hospitals are members of the nonprofit organization Veterinary Specialty Practice Alliance.

Related Content:

Personnel Management
How to be the practice of choice
How to be the practice of choice
Why difficult conversations are the most important ones to have
Why difficult conversations are the most important ones to have
PetVet365 becomes first Fear Free Certified hospital network
PetVet365 becomes first Fear Free Certified hospital network

Advertisement

Latest News

The four-letter word to why you're burning out and feeling unproductive

Merck Manuals recognizes importance of One Health concept

Topical therapy and immunotherapy can save time and frustration with dermatology cases

Texas Tech appoints new faculty member with passion for animal agriculture

View More Latest News
Advertisement