Just when I thought I was smooth sailing through 2023, the second quarter hit me with an unexpected jolt: three team members telling me in April they were leaving our veterinary practice. BOOM!
I cannot fault them for their reasons – aging family members who require full time care giving (2) and acceptance into a higher education program (1), but that does not mean that I don’t feel unsettled by the situation. Actually, “unsettled” is an understatement; I feel completely disrupted by this unexpected turnover.
Suddenly, everything has to be reprioritized and some things have to be placed on the back burner.
Suddenly, my days are filled with reviewing resumes, conducting interviews or (worse) setting up the conference room for a candidate that is a no-show.
Suddenly, I face the reality that our practice, which I always thought bucked industry trends (at least the bad ones), is, in fact, suffering from the same workforce plight as the rest of the veterinary industry.
I have to be honest: facing that reality sucks.
After a deep dive into the “why are they really leaving?” pool, I saw clearly that they were leaving for the actual reasons they said they were leaving. Nothing more and nothing less. Had that not been the case, I certainly would have taken the steps to assess the macro or micro problems that were causing these departures.
With renewed confidence that these departures were unpreventable, I sat down with a familiar friend: my recruitment and hiring procedures. Luckily, the reunion was a smooth one because, by now, I have job descriptions and the process for promoting them down to a science. Same thing with the interview process, the reference checks, etc.
To be honest, stepping back into my hiring role wasn’t so terrible. In fact, it has its benefits:
- I meet new people who want to do a job that ultimately benefits animals. It’s a common thread that brings us all together and it really brings me joy
- I relish in new beginnings and the electricity that new people with unique ideas bring to the practice knowing that I was the one who found them.
- I hone my skills at expecting the unexpected and learning to minimize its disruption.
I guess this silver lining approach worked because I have filled those three positions! Now, I can refocus on the project that have been sitting on the backburner for too long. I can even squeeze in some time to enjoy summer by reading a book, not a pile of resumes.
It is my sincere summer wish that you can too!
Sincerely,
Jessica Speas, CVPM, SPHR, PHR-ca, SHRM-SCP, CCFP
VHMA President