The Power of Mentoring in Veterinary Clinics to Improve Recruitment & Retention

0:02 Have you ever wondered whether there's a proven way to boost staff retention rates and create a positive team culture at your veterinary clinic? Or what about whether it's possible to improve patient care while providing personal and professional growth opportunities for your team? The answer lies in a formal mentoring program. Today, we're delving into the game-changing benefits of mentoring for clinics like yours. Stay tuned as we uncover the secrets to success and explore how mentoring can transform your clinic's culture. Welcome to the Vet Staff Podcast, your go-to guide for navigating the vet recruitment scene and boosting employer brand power.

0:49 Discover practical strategies for both employers and employees to enhance your personal and clinic brands. Get ready to rock the recruitment market and create an exciting workplace where everyone loves going to work on Monday mornings. I'm your show host, julie South. Welcome to Episode 144, where we're exploring some of the benefits of what happens or what a clinic can expect if when you incorporate a formal mentoring program into your clinic's DNA. Mentoring isn't a new 20th or 21st century management thing someone invented.

1:34 It's been around pretty much since the beginning of time. The concept of mentoring has very old roots and can be traced back to ancient civilizations. Mentoring at its most fundamental involves a more experienced and knowledgeable individual providing guidance, support and advice to a less experienced person in their personal or professional development. Whilst it might not always have been termed mentoring and I use that term in air quotes mentoring in the past the practice of passing down knowledge and wisdom from one generation to the next has played an integral part of human society's mammalenia.

2:18 Historically, mentoring was often informal and passed down within families or tribes, where elders or experienced individuals would guide and train the younger members of the community. This is what helped maintain cultural traditions, the transfer of valuable skillsets and pass on accumulated knowledge. The concept of mentoring can be found in various ancient texts and stories from different cultures. Back in ancient Greece, the term mentor originates from Homer's epic poem, the Odyssey, which was written around the 8th century BC. In the poem, mentor was a trusted counselor and advisor to Odysseus, who served as a guide and protector to Odysseus' son Ptalaeumachus during his father's absence.

3:10 The classic tale produced the concept of a wise and experienced mentor providing support and guidance to a younger individual. In ancient Rome, the Roman philosopher and statesman Seneca wrote prolifically about the importance of mentoring in education. He emphasized the role of mentors in helping individuals achieve personal growth and wisdom. And then, in ancient China we have Confucius, a prominent Chinese philosopher who emphasized the significance of learning from the wisdom of the past and seeking guidance from experienced individuals to become a virtuous person and contribute positively to society.

3:53 Of course, many indigenous cultures worldwide have a long tradition of mentoring and oral traditions where elders pass on their knowledge, their customs and skills to the younger generations. Here in New Zealand, we have Kamatua Maori elders passing down knowledge, wisdom and understanding of ancestral practices and expectations. Throughout history, mentoring has continued to evolve, adapting to the societal changes and economic developments as appropriate. With the establishment of formal education systems and professional institutions, mentoring started to take on a more structured and organized form.

4:34 For example, think about the likes of apprenticeships and professional guilds. Today, here in the 21st century, fortunately, veterinary clinics now recognize the benefits for the mentor, the mentee and hopefully, the clinic itself, in providing a formal mentor program. They do this because, if they haven't already experienced it, they're looking forward to being able to foster employee development and growth, as well as being able to recruit and retain veterinary professionals who are a good fit for their team. Okay, so that's all well and good, julie, but so what?

5:14 Everyone's busy. Few people have time to mentor. I get that. I really do, I honestly do. But here are some good reasons that will hopefully help convince you that having a mentoring program at your clinic is a really good idea. Let's first look at retention, at keeping the vets and the nurses you've already have, you've already got on your staff, on your team. Hopefully you want to keep them because they're already a good fit. In fact, hopefully they're a great fit. If they're not, then that's a whole nother conversation for another day. I've got some research and, as always, I'll put the research links in the notes for the episode where you're listening to this right now.

5:56 Now, this is research from 2019. So before the great resignation became even a term. So it's probably a lot higher now, but back then, from 8,000 respondents, with a margin of error of plus or minus 1.5%, more than 40% of workers, more than four in 10, who don't have a mentor, say they've considered leaving their job in the last three months. That's compared with 25% of those who do have a mentor. Here at Vetstaff, our anecdotal evidence is out of all the vets and nurses who come to us wanting us to help them find their next position, none of them are part of a clinic provided mentor program In all of my time at Vetstaff, which dates back to 2019, so the same time as this research, I've only ever spoken with one vet who's had a mentor and she's paid for that privately because her clinic refused to do it.

6:59 Now I realize that it's only anecdotal, but it's pretty significant. As New Zealand's only recruitment agency working in the veterinary industry, we speak to lots of vets and nurses each week. Coupled with retention is also job satisfaction. When you offer a mentoring program, it demonstrates a commitment to your team's growth and development. This, in turn, significantly increases job satisfaction. Mentees feel valued and supported. So those are the people being mentored mentees, which leads then, when they feel valued and supported, it leads to higher levels of job engagement and loyalty, which are all really good things.

7:47 You want this. When your team feels that they're worthy of being invested in and are encouraged to grow, they're more likely to stay with your clinic. Following on from retention and job satisfaction, another reason to invest in a mentoring program is because you want to transfer skill and development. You want to experience vets and nurses, to support, grow and develop new and recent grads. Why, julie? Well, apart from the fact that everyone feels good, it means that the more experienced vets and nurses can take time off when they need to, without placing undue hardship and pressure on everyone else as well, mentoring can help improve patient care and safety.

8:33 Having a mentoring program in place can help ensure that everyone works to the same high standards of care that you've got in place at your clinic. This is because mentees receive guidance from experienced vets and nurses, which means that they can make better informed decisions and, hopefully, fewer mistakes are made. Mentoring also plays a part in improving communication and teamwork. You want collaboration and everyone working together as one very smoothly oiled machine. When you've got mentor-mentee relationships in place, it naturally means that people want to support each other.

9:14 It's just how it goes. It's one of those auto-magical byproducts of mentoring. And, of course, another powerful benefit is succession planning. So many clinic owners put their whole life into building and growing their clinics but completely forget that one day they might sell their practice, or it's so far out in the future that they don't think about it, and then, before they know it, it's sneaked up on them because time has a habit of running fast. Succession planning isn't an overnight thing. It's called planning for a reason. Having a mentoring program in place can be one of your first steps in succession planning, which has to be a good thing, doesn't it?

9:59 Last week I had a call from a vet who's recently opened his own clinic. He did that for a number of reasons. I was really excited for him because I was able to wear my business coaching hat for a short time on that phone call. We talked for almost an hour and I'm excited for him. I was able to introduce him to someone far more experienced and qualified than me to help him work towards his dreams of providing a good living and lifestyle for him and his family. Part of that was helping him get his business to the level where he's in the position to be a mentor for his first hired veterinarian.

10:40 As I said, that's exciting. Hopefully by now your appetite has been a little wetted such that if you haven't already got a formal mentoring program going at your clinic, that you're interested at least in getting one off the ground. Just so you know, it's not an overnight thing. You don't usually I guess there's always the exception to prove the rule but you don't usually declare at a team meeting your clinic is going to start a mental program for new, recently graduated vets and nurses. I mean you can, but there are a few steps to go through first. So let's look at those steps, let's see what you've got to tick off, because, like everything, having a plan of action is usually a good idea.

11:23 It helps keep people accountable and it provides a roadmap so that everyone knows where they are and what's going on. You need, first up, to identify your program's objectives. If you don't know where you're going, you won't know when you arrive as well. What gets measured gets done. First up, define your goals and objectives. What specific outcomes does your clinic aim to achieve through your program? There's a whole raft of measurable objectives your clinic might want to work on, for example, enhanced clinical skills, improved communication, leadership development, improved health and wellness and improved employee engagement.

12:09 Next, you want to clarify the roles and the responsibilities Now you need to do this of both the mentors and the mentees. Mentors are the experienced professionals who guide and support mentees in their professional journey. Mentees are the individuals seeking guidance and mentorship and want to enhance their skills and knowledge. I realize when I say mentorship, sometimes it comes out like mentorship. Slow down, julie, mentorship. By the way, a mentor program doesn't have to be the domain of your professional staff. If your clinic is large enough, your administration team can also participate and then benefit as well.

12:55 Select your mentors Identify the potential people in your clinic who have the relevant experience, expertise and and and and a willingness to invest time and effort in guiding and supporting mentees. Take into account factors like seniority, clinical expertise and communication skills when choosing your mentors. Next, recruit your mentees. Reach out to those whom you think are either interested in being mentored and or might benefit from being mentored. You're looking for mentees who are willing to get involved, who will actively participate in the program and who are committed to their own personal and professional development.

13:44 The mentor-mentee relationship really is a relationship. It's a two-way street, so you want to make sure that the mentor isn't wasting their time or the mentee who's get up and go has gotten up and gone. Neither do you want a mentee who's putting in truckloads of effort, who feels unappreciated because their mentor is over this whole sharing of knowledge and skills thing. You want to match your mentors and your mentees. Pair them based on their goals. If your clinic is big enough, pair them based on their goals, their interests and areas of expertise. When you've made a good match, you'll end up with a fantastic mentor-mentee relationship that really is truly synergistic.

14:33 The match you make, especially for a new grad, can either set them up for life professionally or bring about their early quitting where they leave the profession altogether. So match wisely and you need to establish guidelines. You need to make sure that you develop clear guidelines and expectations for both sides of the equation, for both the mentors and the mentees. Outline the frequency of meetings, the communication method, especially confidentiality, and the duration of the mentoring relationship. Provide training, offer training to mentors on effective mentoring techniques and communication skills.

15:17 Training can enhance the mentors ability to guide and support mentees effectively. Set goals and milestones you want to encourage your mentors and your mentees to set specific goals and or milestones for the mentoring relationship. Make sure they are measurable and that will help you track progress to ensure that your program remains focused and doesn't go off on this really wide tangent that is a bit difficult to get back from. Make sure that you facilitate communication. Establish regular communication channels between both the mentors and the mentees, and this can be in-person meetings, it could be with virtual sessions or maybe email or over the phone.

16:08 Providing a comfortable and psychologically safe environment for everyone helps facilitate essential and honest open communication, regularly evaluate the mentoring program's effectiveness through feedback from mentors and mentees and then use this feedback to make improvements and or adjustments as necessary to give your program impact and a big bang for everybody's time. So you know, make sure that you're evaluating and you can improve, and then acknowledge the contributions of mentors and mentees to your clinic's program's success, recognize everyone's efforts and celebrate their achievements.

16:58 You want mentoring to be a positive thing at your clinic, and when you recognize individuals for their contributions, you help improve the culture at your clinic, because people like to feel needed, Even those most staunch people. They like to know that they're making a difference somehow, even if they don't let on. Remember also that to be successful, your mentoring program requires commitment from both the expertise and the mentees. As I said earlier, it can significantly contribute to each person's professional and personal development and overall satisfaction in your clinic.

17:39 In turn, this makes a positive difference to improving patient care, job satisfaction, employee engagement and then longer tenure at your clinic All of which these things will show up positively on your clinic's bottom line. In New Zealand, the NZVA, the New Zealand Vet Association, partners with the Veterinary Council of New Zealand, massey University and the Veterinary Professional Insurance Society, vpis, to provide a mentoring support program for new vets. According to the NZVA website, nzvet Mentoring Support is a structured mentoring program designed to support new grads as they enter the profession.

18:24 So, because this is the vet association, we're just talking vets here. They use the NZVA users mentoring software platform, mentor loop, and that matches recent graduates with experienced professionals. With the NZ mentoring program, new grads and their mentors can share their experience, bounce or their experiences, bounce ideas around and get advice and support in their career. They can build a support system for those critical stages of career development. They can improve their personal and professional confidence, set goals and personal and professional goals and work towards them with regular guidance and support.

19:09 They can learn about career development opportunities and expand their own professional career network, and they can contribute towards their CPD and peer contact activity requirements for their APC, the annual practicing certificate. The NZVA is always looking for more mentors. If that sounds like a way you'd like to contribute back to the industry, you might like to check it out. It's not only mentees who grow and develop. So too do the mentors involved. For example, if you're a mentor, you can expect to develop your professional skills through the NZVA's comprehensive online mentor training, you can improve your personal skills in mentoring, listening, leadership, feedback and management and this all has to be a good thing, right?

20:01 No one can ever have too much training in any of those areas. You'll have the opportunity to share your knowledge and give back to the profession. You'll also be able to contribute towards your own CPD and peer contact activity requirements for your APC. You'll get personal satisfaction, I hope, from making a difference in someone's life, both professionally and personally, and you'll be able to help the next generation of veterinarians reach their potential While those utilizing and taking advantage of the NZVA's NZVIT program. All mentors and mentees have access to a free online course which has been developed by the NZVA VC, nz, so the Vet Council and Crampton Consulting Group.

20:51 The course highlights the important features of a successful mentoring relationship. You'll get to understand the roles and the responsibilities of both the mentee and the mentor. I'll put links in the notes page for you to check all that out for yourself. If you're one of the Vet Staff Podcast's international listeners, then check out your own Veterinary Association's website to find out what's available in your part of the world. Just for the record, you don't have to be a Vet to be one of the NZVA's mentors. As they say on their website, people from a diverse range of backgrounds may have the experience and the knowledge to support a veterinarian.

21:39 The NZVA also has a 14-page mentoring manual you may find helpful. I'll put the link to that in the notes page for this episode for you as well. So after listening to all of this, I hope you realise that introducing mentoring at your clinic is a good thing. Only good comes out of mentoring for everyone. If you don't have a mentor and you'd like one, if you're in New Zealand, contact the NZVA or visit its website. As I said, the links are available where you're listening to this episode of the Vet Staff Podcast. If you're not in New Zealand, I'm sure your Vet Association or regulatory body can point you in the right direction for your country.

22:29 Here at Vet Staff, when we help a vet or a nurse find a job that they love going to on Monday mornings, one of the things that we provide as part and parcel of our recruitment service is complementary mentoring to help transition into the new role. And if you already have a formal mental program going on at your clinic, you can stretch the benefits of that program by including it as part of your recruitment marketing. How Well, if Vet Staff is managing your recruitment marketing campaign because we do that for quite a few we've already taken care of that for you, so you don't need to worry. But if you're DIYing your own recruitment and your own employer brand marketing, then you need to start shouting about your mentoring program from the rooftops.

23:16 And one way you can do that really easy is at vetclinicjobscom. Vet Clinic Jobs is Vet Staff's cousin. It's where good Vet Clinic employers can shine online and be found by job seekers who are looking to make their next career move, who are looking for the good employers. It's free to register your clinic at Vet Clinic Jobs from anywhere in the world. It's free if you have jobs as well, so you can post them for free. For those clinics that do have a mentoring program in place, you can tick the mentoring box at your clinic's business profile at vetclinicjobscom, and that means that job seekers can especially find your clinic ahead of those that haven't ticked the box.

24:04 So go check it out at vetclinicjobscom. I hope you've found all of this helpful. If you've got any questions around mentoring, both Tanya and I are very happy to answer your questions. Tanya is on the team at Vetstaff. She's a former ortho head vet nurse and is a qualified coach. The easiest place to find either of us is at LinkedIn, and I'll put our profile links with this episode notes for you as well. Thank you for tuning into the Vetstaff podcast, where we've talked about the importance of providing a mentoring program at your clinic and how to incorporate it into your clinic's recruitment marketing program.

24:50 The Vetstaff podcast is dedicated to those vet clinics that prioritise their people and the professionals who aspire to work for them. I invite you to join us on this journey of empowerment and discover a world where veterinary clinics thrive by putting their people first. If you're working for a clinic you believe deserves to shine online, then I invite you to visit vetclinicjobscom and give your clinic a five-star review to make future or current recruitment easier. All you have to do is make sure your clinic has a business listing, and that's free to do so. Talk to your practice manager, or whoever you need to, about setting that up.

25:34 Why don't you? A clinic has a profile at vetclinicjobscom. You can give it a five-star rating and you can encourage your colleagues to review it as well. If you're recruiting right now, then please visit vetclinicjobscom and list your job vacancy for free. As I said earlier, this is a global website, so wherever you're listing from, you can review your clinic and or list your clinic's vacancies for free at vetclinicjobscom. Thank you for spending the last half an hour or so with me. I really do appreciate your time today. This is Julie South signing off and inviting you to go out there and be the most fantabulous version of you you can be.

26:19 God bless. The Vet Staff podcast is proudly powered by vetclinicjobscom, the new and innovative global job board reimagining veterinary recruitment, connecting veterinary professionals with clinics that shine online. Vetclinicjobscom is your go-to resource for finding the perfect career opportunities and helping vet clinics power up their employer branding game. Visit vetclinicjobscom today to find vet clinics that shine online, so veterinary professionals can find them. Visit vetclinicjobscom.