Recruitment crisis? How to grow your own

Before COVID-19 reared its ugly head, the issue of recruitment and retention was one of the biggest single problems facing the veterinary sector – and it still is.

The world may have been turned inside out by the coronavirus pandemic, but the need to find and keep the best staff, and introduce new blood to veterinary practice, will always be vital to sustaining a healthy and prosperous business.

But for many practices – particularly those outside the south-east of England – finding the right vets and getting them to stay can be a problem – something they know all too well at Peter Fenton Equine Veterinary Practice in Middleton, Manchester.

So practice manager Diane Horner decided to think a little more long term with her team building, and developed a recruitment model she feels could help other practices solve some of their own recruitment issues.

She said: “We want to play our part in the shaping the vets of the future and we are big fans of the ‘grow your own’ mentality.”

So when 19-year-old Emily Hall came to the practice as a work experience student, having completed A-levels with a plan to take a gap year prior to applying for university, it seemed a good idea to offer her a job.

Diane continued: “We had a role in our office team that had come up; we decided to offer it to Emily as we felt it would be beneficial to both parties.

“Emily would get the chance to see the administrative and business side of practice, and get a good understanding of how the team dynamic works best, and how the clinical and non-clinical team support each other.

“In addition to this, Emily would get an exposure to the clients, and fully understand their needs both from a clinical and non-clinical point of view. I believe that this would stand Emily in good stead when she becomes a fully fledged vet as she will understand the economic and financial impact she has on any business she becomes part of in the future, and also how people need to be looked after.”

Benefits

And Emily has benefited immensely from the experience, learning and developing skills she would not be taught on a veterinary degree or in a school environment.

Diane added: “Emily has also learned a lot about empathy, patience, understanding, confidence in speaking to clients, perspective (seeing things from a client perspective, as well as from a practice perspective), monitoring cases to ensure a good clinical outcome, communicating clearly, time management and the importance of planning ahead.

“The practice has a big focus on preventive health care and takes a proactive approach. This is a life skill Emily will now use not only in her professional life, but also in her personal life, too.

“In addition to the work learning with Emily, we tried to also teach her a little about love, life, stocks and shares, ISAs, student debt, renewing car insurance and generally becoming a functional adult in what is, at times, a very dysfunctional world.”

Diane would like to expand her recruitment model and is encouraging other practices to consider using a similar approach. She added: “We would be happy to speak to other practices about our experience and assist them in setting something up. It has been a great experience for all of us through what has been a very odd year.”

And it is clear that both sides of the arrangement are happy with the way the year has gone. Emily said: “Working at Peter Fenton vets has given me a real insight as to what it is like working in practice, learning the importance of practice management and what it is like to be part of a team.

“This experience is definitely something I would recommend to other aspiring vets, as seeing what it’s like to work in practice has encouraged me to work even harder towards my goal of being a qualified vet, hopefully returning to Peter Fenton’s practice after university.”