The Veterinary Hospital Managers Association (VHMA), the only professional association committed to solely supporting the distinct educational and resource needs of veterinary management professionals, has published a white paper that explores Workforce Issues in the veterinary industry. The white paper was created to help veterinary practice owners and managers address a poignant and timely human resource problem plaguing the industry: How can veterinary practices retain a skilled workforce?
By leveraging the discussions, actions and recommendations developed during a December 2021 two-day Critical Issues Summit, the aptly titled White Paper “Workforce Issues: Findings from the Critical Issues Summit” achieves two critical goals.
The first goal is to pinpoint the current state of the veterinary practice workforce by examining current conditions and trends.
The second goal of the white paper is to describe and share the ideas, experiences, recommendations, and conclusions about the current state of the workforce and potential opportunities by Critical Issues Summit participants.
The 2021 Workforce Issues Summit brought together approximately 59 of the veterinary industry’s most influential and experienced professionals for two days of intensive discussions, breakout groups, and facilitated brainstorming activities.
During their time together, the group pinpointed the strengths and identified the biggest gaps and opportunities for attracting and retaining quality talent for veterinary practices. They also honed in on the state of the veterinary hospital workforce, workforce conditions and trends, and workforce opportunities. This white paper not only summarizes this collaborative undertaking it also recognizes all attendees as co-authors to acknowledge the gravity of their intellectual contributions to its findings.
“Workforce Issues: Findings from the Critical Issues Summit” is intended to serve as an instrumental resource at a time when hiring and retention challenges associated with “The Great Resignation” are impacting the smooth operation of veterinary practices.
This 23-page publication is divided into six key sections:
- State of the Veterinary Hospital Workforce
- Workforce Conditions and Trends
- Workforce Opportunities: Examining the Practice Operation Model
- Conditions Created by Retention Issues
- Discussion of the Future
- Next Steps for Veterinary Professionals
“The timing of VHMA’s Workforce Issues White Paper could not be more critical. The ideas contributed by the illustrious group of industry leaders who co-authored this paper couldn’t be more relevant. It is VHMA’s hope that the Workforce Issues White Paper will empower veterinary practices with a heightened understanding and new approaches for identifying, hiring, and retaining the personnel they need to operate successfully,” said VHMA Executive Director Christine Shupe, CAE.
For more information about VHMA go to www.vhma.org. The white paper can be downloaded free.
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