Avoid Veterinary Burnout With These 5 Tips
In veterinary medicine, burnout is an incredibly overlooked problem. Between handling client appointments, performing procedures, diagnosing patients, answering phone calls, and working alongside other professionals, this role is by no means a cake-walk! Veterinary medicine can indeed be stressful, therefore it’s very important to ensure that your staff is feeling both mentally and physically well so they can perform at their best.
How can you boost the morale of your staff and ensure a healthy work environment without compromising on output as a veterinary professional? That’s exactly what we’ll be covering in this article! Read on to learn more about mitigating burnout for a happier and healthier workplace.
#1: Don’t Overload Your Schedule
Controlling your schedule will help protect your staff from burnout—even if that means having to say “no” to new clients. We can understand that you want to try and help as many patients as possible, but sometimes it just isn’t possible to work above a certain capacity. This is not a bad thing! Having a healthy work schedule will allow you to give the very best care possible to all your clients, and also keep you in a better mental state.
Keeping an eye out for availability and workload will help put an end to an overloaded schedule before the fatigue from a high workload begins creeping up.
#2: Implement Mandatory Holidays
Certain members of your staff might be hesitant about taking days off. This could either be because they think it implies lack of motivation, or because they have a lingering fear that their pending work might suffer if they take a long break. Whatever the case may be, this is not a good dynamic to exist within your clinic. Even if you’re doing the best you can from your side to encourage employees to take a break, sometimes people are just reluctant to take certain initiatives themselves. A good way to combat this is by implementing mandatory holidays in your work calendar.
#3: Set Aside Time for Breaks
Many people overwork themselves without realizing it. When you have a lot of work to do, you might feel the urge to get everything done in one sitting or develop the anxiety that taking a break will severely delay your pending work. This is not a good mindset at all because working non-stop will definitely burn you out.
The best way to solve this issue is to set mandatory breaks every hour or two. Set concrete break times, even if they’re as short as five minutes, and divert your mind from work. Get up from your desk, and maybe even take a short walk. Some fresh air and some movement will do wonders. Setting aside longer breaks for having snacks and catching up with colleagues is important too.
#4: Schedule One-on-One Check Ins With Employees
It’s a great idea to check in with your employees to discuss how they’re doing, how things are going at home, and what they are up to besides work. Empathy and consideration makes a huge impact on the psyche and mood of your employees, therefore you must ensure that you’re actively listening to them. Apart from that, if there’s something weighing on them you should try to offer as much help as possible. Having both formal and informal catch up sessions with your employees is a great way to build rapport and uplift the mood of your entire team.
#5: Remember to Appreciate Your Staff
Letting your employees know that they’re valued can go a long way. You’re a team after all—making sure everyone feels appreciated can dramatically improve your staff’s mood and it’s incredibly simple to do. A simple thank you or a few words of encouragement are always helpful so make sure it’s a part of your culture.
There you have it! Five effective tips that you can incorporate into your workplace immediately that will reduce burnout. We hope you practice the tips above and take a proactive approach towards managing your workload as a veterinary professional! Interested in growing your practice with the latest in regenerative care? Get in touch with us!
