Building a strong veterinary nursing team is essential for the long-term success of your practice. It involves not only recruiting skilled staff but also investing in their development and creating a supportive working environment. Here are ten practical strategies to help grow, build, and refine your veterinary nursing team.
1. Hire an apprentice veterinary nurse
Hiring a veterinary nursing apprentice can provide a cost-effective way to build your team whilst training future staff. Apprentices work and study at the same time, giving them the opportunity to learn on the job and gain practical experience within your practice. This approach allows you to mould the apprentice into a fully integrated team member who understands your protocols and the specific needs of your patients.
Over time, they will become a valuable asset to your practice, with the advantage that you have been directly involved in their training from the start, ensuring they are aligned with your standards.
2. Offer work placements to student veterinary nurses (SVNs)
Another way to support the growth of your nursing team is by offering unpaid work placements to student veterinary nurses (SVNs). These students, during their training, can take on certain responsibilities under supervision, such as assisting with patient care and monitoring animals.
Offering placements not only provides immediate support for your team but also creates a potential recruitment pipeline. Many practices find that SVNs remain with them after qualifying, ensuring a seamless transition from student to fully-fledged veterinary nurse. This is a low-risk way to assess potential future team members while easing the workload in your practice.
Find out more about offering work placements to student veterinary nurses.
3. Provide Continuous Professional Development (CPD)
Investing in the ongoing professional development of your veterinary nursing team is essential for maintaining high standards of care. By offering CPD opportunities, you ensure that your nurses stay up-to-date with the latest clinical practices, technologies, and regulatory changes. This investment in education not only enhances patient care but also shows your team that you are committed to their growth and development. In turn, this can lead to higher levels of job satisfaction, improved retention rates, and a more knowledgeable, skilled nursing team that can handle a wide range of clinical situations with confidence.
Explore our veterinary nursing CPD and veterinary nursing congresses.
4. Create clear career pathways
Establishing clear career progression opportunities within your practice can be a strong motivator for veterinary nurses to stay and grow with your team. Whether it’s through additional training, specialisation in a specific area of veterinary nursing, or moving into leadership roles, having defined career pathways gives your team a sense of purpose and direction. By regularly discussing individual career goals and offering support in achieving them, you demonstrate a commitment to their long-term development, which can boost morale and reduce turnover. This proactive approach helps build a more skilled and dedicated team.
Discover career development options for registered veterinary nurses.
5. Foster a positive work environment
The work environment plays a significant role in team retention and performance. By fostering a positive and supportive workplace culture, you can help your veterinary nursing team feel valued and motivated. Encouraging open communication, recognising staff achievements, and promoting teamwork can contribute to a more harmonious and productive practice. Mental health support is also crucial, as the demands of veterinary nursing can be emotionally taxing. Ensuring that your team feels supported and listened to can help prevent burnout and improve overall job satisfaction, leading to a more stable and committed workforce.
6. Invest in leadership and management training
Strong leadership is key to maintaining an efficient and cohesive veterinary nursing team. By offering leadership and management training to senior nurses or those with management potential, you can help build a more effective and empowered team. Leadership training can cover areas such as team management, conflict resolution, and decision-making, all of which are crucial in ensuring that your practice runs smoothly. Well-trained leaders can also help mentor and guide less experienced staff, contributing to the overall growth and development of your nursing team and the practice as a whole.
7. Regularly assess and rebalance workloads
Ensuring that workloads are evenly distributed is essential for maintaining morale and preventing burnout in your nursing team. Regularly reviewing and rebalancing workloads can help prevent staff from becoming overwhelmed, particularly during busy periods or when the team is understaffed. Delegating non-clinical tasks to support staff or utilising temporary help during peak times can allow your nurses to focus on their core responsibilities. By proactively managing workloads, you create a more sustainable work environment that supports long-term team performance and wellbeing.
8. Offer flexible work arrangements
Offering flexible working options, such as flexible hours, job sharing, or adjusted shift patterns, can greatly improve job satisfaction and staff retention. Many veterinary nurses have personal or family commitments, and by accommodating these needs, you make your practice a more attractive and supportive place to work. Flexibility can also help reduce stress and fatigue, ensuring that your team remains motivated and engaged. In the long term, providing flexible work arrangements helps to retain skilled staff who might otherwise leave the profession due to incompatible work-life balance.
9. Use locums to cover short-term recruitment gaps
Locum veterinary nurses can provide essential relief during periods of high demand or staff absence. While this may not be a long-term solution, locums can help ensure that patient care continues uninterrupted and prevent your permanent staff from becoming overworked. By using locums strategically, you give your team the support they need during busy periods, allowing them to maintain high levels of patient care without feeling overwhelmed. This can be particularly useful during holiday seasons or when unexpected absences occur, helping your team maintain balance.
10. Conduct regular performance reviews
Regular performance reviews offer a valuable opportunity to provide feedback, set goals, and discuss career progression with your veterinary nursing team. These reviews help ensure that each team member is performing at their best while also identifying any areas for improvement or additional support. Performance reviews should be seen as a two-way conversation, where both the practice and the employee can discuss achievements, challenges, and future aspirations. This not only helps refine individual performance but also strengthens the overall team dynamic by ensuring that everyone is aligned with the practice’s objectives.
Building and refining your veterinary nursing team is a long-term commitment that requires strategic planning and consistent support. By investing in apprenticeships, offering student placements, fostering professional development, and creating a positive work environment, you can grow a skilled and dedicated team that meets the demands of your practice. Additionally, regular performance reviews, flexible working options, and leadership development help ensure that your team remains motivated, well-balanced, and focused on delivering high-quality care. These strategies will not only help your team thrive but also contribute to the long-term success of your practice.
Looking to expand your veterinary nursing team? Grow your own veterinary nurse with The College of Animal Welfare
If you’re looking to expand your veterinary nursing team, have you considered taking on a student veterinary nurse? By doing so, you could gain an extra pair of hands whilst saving money on recruitment costs!
You can support an SVN by offering an apprenticeship vacancy or unpaid work placement in your practice, and meet your recruitment needs at the same time. Join over 500 practices who have chosen to become a CAW training practice and receive:
- Keen and motivated placement students
- FREE training and standardisation events for clinical supervisors
- Ongoing support from a dedicated IQA
- Discounts on all CAW virtual VN events
- FREE recruitment help if you wish to hire an apprentice
- Guidance through the TP approval process where applicable
If you would like to have an informal, non-obligatory chat, to talk through your options and any concerns/queries, please call our team on 01480 422060 or leave your details here and our team will be in touch.