In recent years, the veterinary industry has seen a surge of growth that small practices have struggled to keep up with. Tianna Crane is a certified veterinary technician working in the veterinary field for over 20 years, working now as a practice manager in a small animal hospital. She shared with me a little about the challenges she’s seen and experienced, as well as the changes her practice is making to solve them.

Not One More Vet, is a slogan adopted by the veterinary industry to combat and bring awareness to the rise in suicides and suicide attempts in the field. With an extreme rate of growth, a need for care, and not enough employees to bridge the gap, staff in the veterinary field are facing burnout and compassion fatigue at staggering rates. So what can leaders in veterinary hospitals do to help?

Tianna’s hospital brought in a consulting firm to observe, talk with staff, provide feedback and coaching to improve staff wellbeing and work culture. This can be an extensive expense and feel like a big risk to business owners, but Tianna shares their ROI has been high in regard to staff retention and improved levels of care. She says when you feel good, you care more and you do better work.

A “Wellbeing Team” is an addition to Tianna’s animal hospital, the team is composed solely of staff and no management members to discuss ideas to improve culture and solutions to their daily struggles. Her hospital also puts a big emphasis on benefits for employees including CE reimbursement and health care coverage that includes vision and dental, a rarity in the field. Overall, Tianna feels that their leadership team empathizes with and listens to staff to create a positive and productive culture. 

The veterinary field is a compassionate job which leads to heart on string providers falling victim to patients’ bill complaints. However, this compassion can cause a habit of leniency and nonpayment of hefty vet bills, creating a slew of problems in the industry. Veterinary hospitals need their revenue to hire the best providers and pay their staff a living wage. Burnout is not just caused by simply working extensive hours but by working those hours and still being underwater with student debt, a common problem in the industry. Tianna encourages hospitals with these issues to retrain on these systems, setting boundaries for the good of the staff, the hospital, and future patients.

Coming from a family of veterinary technicians, Tianna wants to see these positive changes continue in the industry. These tips for leaders in the field and a focus on wellbeing for all veterinary team members are crucial to doing just that. If you’re interested in talking to Tianna Crane about her experience with these improvements or utilizing a consulting team, you can email her at TCraneCVT@gmail.com.