How to Staff a Veterinary Clinic

Veterinary staff members provide a variety of tasks.

Opening a new veterinary clinic requires several steps, including financial planning, selecting a location and hiring your staff of employees. If you have never managed employees or worked in human resources, you may wonder just where to start. A good staff will help you meet your customers' needs and provide exceptional service. Determining what positions to create and fill, as well as hiring knowledgeable and responsible employees, can help make your veterinary practice a success.

Things You'll Need

• Computer
• Printer

Instructions

1. Consider both your ability and your desire to perform work beyond the scope of your veterinary responsibilities. Determine how much cleaning, bookkeeping, scheduling and advertising you want to do yourself. If you want to focus all your efforts on performing veterinary care, you need to hire people to perform the other tasks.

2. Hire one person to act as a veterinary practice manager. Like a general office manager, this employee can keep your practice running smoothly and act as a liaison between you, your clientele and other staff members. Depending on the size and type of your practice, plan to hire people to manage the administrative tasks, provide medical assistance during procedures, feed and water the animals and keep their kennels clean. Decide whether you need a partner to share your workload and cover your practice when you are absent.

3. Create job descriptions. Make a list of all the tasks you want each staff member to accomplish. Provide accurate detail, including occasional assignments and everyday responsibilities. Acknowledge that your staff members' responsibilities may change due to workload and absences.

4. Consult an employment agency or advertise open positions. For a fee, an employment agency can provide advertising, interviewing and screening duties, saving you valuable time.

5. Construct a questionnaire to help you determine how well your prospective employees will interact with you and your animal patients. Find out why your staff members want to work in a veterinary clinic and whether they possess relevant experience or education in the field. Follow up on references and contact past employers.

6. Comply with all federal, state and local employment laws. Familiarize yourself with laws regarding discrimination and employee tax deductions. Keep accurate records on your employees, including proof of citizenship, payroll deductions, insurance coverage and work schedules.

References

• Nassau Veterinary Clinic: Staff
• The Canadian Veterinary J: Veterinary Managerournal
• Business.gov: Ten Steps to Hiring Your First Employee