Veterinary webinar recaps: Community care, improving staff retention, and going beyond medicine

Every month, AAHA’s Learning platform hosts a variety of veterinary webinars on topics ranging from the latest medical advances to improving practice culture and beyond. If you missed our most recent offerings, you can catch up on the basics below. Plus, you can always see all of our upcoming and past webinars here and keep an eye out for future webinars and events here!

AAHA Community Care Guidelines for Small Practice

This thought-provoking webinar provided key insights into the AAHA Community Care Guidelines, focusing on improving access to veterinary care and fostering collaboration between practices, shelters, and social services.

Rethinking the gold standard

Mark Thompson, DVM, immediate past president of the AAHA board, emphasized the need to redefine the “gold standard” of veterinary care.

“Gold standard needs to change to high-quality care,” he stated, advocating for a tiered approach where clients are presented with multiple treatment options based on their financial and personal realities.

“It’s not about sacrificing quality,” Thompson added. “It’s about offering solutions that work for both the pet and the family.”

Collaboration and systems thinking

Michael Blackwell, DVM, MPH, director of the Program for Pet Health Equity at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, highlighted the importance of integrating veterinary care into the broader healthcare and social services system.

“We need to be better integrated,” he said. “The pet’s health is inseparable from the family’s wellbeing.” He stressed the value of collaboration with shelters and nonprofits to address barriers like transportation, language, and financial constraints.

Addressing compassion fatigue

Panelists also tackled the emotional toll of veterinary work, especially when facing economic euthanasia. Blackwell reframed the common, yet harmful, mindset of “If you can’t afford the vet, don’t get the pet,” explaining it often stems from trauma and compassion fatigue rather than a lack of empathy.

A path forward

The guidelines encourage practices to:

• Build local partnerships with shelters, social services, and nonprofits.
• Implement tiered care models that balance medical best practices with client realities.
• Use data-driven tools like the Veterinary Care Accessibility Score to identify care deserts and direct resources.

“This is not a hidden problem,” Blackwell concluded. “But we are a profession of intelligent, compassionate people—change is coming.”

All are invited to explore the full Community Care Guidelines for Small Animal Practice.

Stay, Please (Phase 2): A Deeper Dive Into Employee Retention in Veterinary Medicine

AAHA recently unveiled findings from Stay Please, Phase 2, the second phase of its research into veterinary staff retention. Picking up where Phase 1 (conducted in 2023 and published in early 2024), this phase used data from a 2024 survey to dive deeper into defining key retention and attrition factors and comparing staff expectations with reality.

Key takeaways

The initial study identified nine core factors affecting retention, split into attrition drivers (like fair compensation and appreciation) and retention motivators (such as job flexibility and staff teamwork). While all these factors are important, some are higher priority for practices that are trying to slow rapid turnover, especially in certain roles. For example, according to AAHA CEO Garth Jordan, “If you want to keep credentialed technicians, paying them fairly is the most important step you can take.”

Defining factors

A major finding was the disparity between how leaders and staff define key concepts:

• Most staff linked appreciation directly to fair pay and benefits, while owners tended to view it as small gestures like thank-you notes or gift cards.
• Fair compensation meant “financial stability and personal growth” for assistants and techs—essentially, a living wage.
• Caring leadership was tied to professional growth and decision-making that considers staff wellbeing.

Addressing gaps

The report highlights the widening gap in satisfaction: owners’ expectation-versus-reality scores averaged above 3 (on a 5-point scale, where 3 meant “expectations are being met), while veterinary assistants and credentialed techs often scored below 2 (meaning their experience was between somewhat worse and much worse than expected). Jordan stressed the need for open dialogue, saying, “It’s crucial for leaders to adapt their definitions to better align with staff expectations.”

Next steps for clinics

Veterinary practices aiming to boost retention are encouraged to:

• Conduct regular staff surveys and use feedback to drive change.
• Define core values—especially around pay, leadership, and career growth—with team input.
• Explore technician optimization and practice efficiencies to fund wage increases.

“Getting compensation right means not only valuing people’s work but ensuring they feel appreciated,” Jordan concluded.

In addition to watching this webinar, you can now read the Stay, Please Phase 2 white paper in full.

 

Beyond Medicine Workshop

AAHA’s recent Beyond Medicine Workshop webinar, sponsored by Zoetis, focused on team utilization, leadership, and wellbeing in veterinary practices. Experts Bonnie Price, DVM, MPH and Rhonda Bell, CVPM, PCM-Digital, CDMP emphasized the critical role of teamwork and leadership in fostering a thriving clinic environment.

Why team utilization matters

Attrition remains a pressing issue in veterinary medicine. According to AAHA’s 2023 staff retention survey, nearly 30% of veterinary professionals plan to leave clinical practice—many exiting the profession entirely.

The top reasons for leaving include:

• Fair compensation
• Lack of appreciation
• Limited career development
• Poor teamwork

However, factors that encourage staff to stay go beyond paychecks. “A sense of teamwork and belonging is the number one reason people stay in practice,” said Price. “Fair compensation matters, but people are more likely to leave when there’s a fracture in relationships or clinic culture.”

Defining roles for better collaboration

Bell highlighted the importance of clearly defining team roles to strengthen collaboration:

• CSR (Client Service Representatives): The client’s first and last point of contact—critical for building trust.
• Veterinary assistants: The backbone of patient care, assisting with restraint, client education, and treatment area maintenance.
• Practice managers: Oversee daily operations, from financials to staff training.
• Veterinarians: Diagnose, prescribe, perform surgery, and—crucially—lead by inspiring their teams.

Leadership and wellbeing

Leadership, they emphasized, doesn’t mean management. “Not every DVM has to be a manager,” Price said. “Leadership is about mentoring others, fostering innovation, and aligning with the clinic’s mission.”

The 2023 Merck Veterinary Wellbeing Study reinforced this mindset, showing that clinics with high levels of teamwork, trust, and communication saw better overall staff wellbeing.

Action steps for clinics

• Establish clear team roles and expectations.
• Foster a culture of inclusive leadership—where every team member feels heard and valued.
• Prioritize staff well-being and teamwork to prevent burnout and boost retention.

“Efficiency doesn’t just come from working faster—it comes from working together,” Bell concluded.

 

Photo credit: svetikd via E+/Getty Images Plus 

Disclaimer: Trends™ content is meant to inform, educate, and inspire by providing an array of diverse viewpoints. Any content published should not be viewed as an official stance, position, or endorsement by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) or its Board of Directors. This article had editing assistance from an AI software.