As veterinarians, we may be more comfortable with bacterial cultures, but building a winning practice culture also deserves a closer examination under the microscope.

Practice culture is defined in many ways, but generally, it’s the “values, beliefs, and behaviors that shape how work gets done.” In a profession suffering from burnout and compassion fatigue, a healthy practice culture can help promote engagement, efficiency, job satisfaction, and retention among employees. An unhealthy one can affect not only employee retention rates, but interactions with clients, and even the quality of patient care.

Practice culture is a broad category, encompassing both the experience a client has at the clinic, as well as how it feels to be an employee there. Sometimes there can be a disconnect between these two points of view. Suppose a clinic’s policy is to always cater to clients (working through lunch, fitting everyone in despite an already packed schedule, consistently working past closing time, etc.). In that case, it can lead to frustration and burnout in employees. At the 2022 Western Veterinary Conference, Andrea Crabtree (BS, CVPM, PHR, SPHR, PHRca, CCFP, FFCP) from Furpaws Consulting, advocated for a more employee-centric approach, focusing on “recruiting top talent, whether internally or externally, onboarding, continuous training, and professional development, and retirement savings plans, which all work together to build and retain top talent.”

These tips can help you cultivate a positive practice culture and support your employees as well.

Psychological Safety and Trust

For Wendy Hauser (DVM, founder of Peak Veterinary Consulting) establishing a workplace that feels safe to your team is the first step in creating a winning culture. If employees do not feel safe sharing their “ideas, questions, concerns, and mistakes,” practices are overrun with anxiety. Dr. Hauser recommends the CENTRE model to help improve psychological safety in groups:

• Confidentiality: nothing said in the group is shared outside the group
• Equal air time: all team members have a right to contribute
• Non-judgemental, respectful listening
• Timeliness: be respectful of others’ times and schedules
• Right to Pass: acknowledge that any person in the group might not have anything new to contribute or might need more time to think
• Engagement: be fully present in the group

Shared Values

This is the bedrock of any practice, and all employees should be involved in helping to determine the core values. Dr. Hauser recommends having each employee write down their top three words to describe the personality of the clinic, then as a team decide on four to six that best fit your practice identity. All policies, decisions, client interactions, etc. should support these values.

Continuing Education

A winning practice culture also focuses on training and developing employees. This involves providing opportunities for continuing education and mentorship for all jobs and skill levels. If you see a team member with a special interest, try to foster this. In the long run, it will make them feel special and be beneficial for your team.

Communication

It’s important to ask team members for and listen to their feedback and input regarding practice policies that affect them so that they remain engaged and invested in the practice. Training and mentorship are vital to developing a skilled employee, however, opportunities for training in soft skills (such as communication and problem-solving) are also critical.

Boost Morale

Zoetis shares ideas for boosting employee morale, including signing up for a monthly subscription snack box and implementing a peer recognition system. You know your employees best, and how you choose to recognize and support them will go a long way toward creating a fun and positive work environment.

Crabtree, A. How to Improve Practice Culture in the “New Normal” Chaos.

Healthy workplace culture initiative. AAHA. (n.d.). Retrieved November 2, 2022, from https://www.aaha.org/practice-resources/healthy-workplace-culture

Hauser, W. (2018, June 1). How is your hospital’s culture? Today’s Veterinary Business. Retrieved November 2, 2022, from https://todaysveterinarybusiness.com/how-is-your-hospitals-culture/

Crabtree, A. (n.d.). How to Improve Practice Culture in the “New Normal” Chaos. VIN. Retrieved November 2, 2022, from https://www.vin.com/members/cms/project/defaultadv1.aspx?pid=28750&catId=&id=10772509&said=&meta=&authorid=&preview=.

Hauser, W. How is your hospital’s culture?

Hauser, W. How is your hospital’s culture?