Culture Building Happier, Healthier Teams and Practices in Veterinary Medicine

My husband Simon and I started our journey working in 2 private practices before opening our mixed animal practice in Deerfield, New Hampshire, United States in 2007. From our experience, we learned a lot about what makes a successful practice and what makes a toxic practice, how to keep a happy team and how to push employees out the door, how to stay happy in a very difficult profession, and how to burn out. What is the secret? Culture! Culture is the backbone of your practice. Culture is the values that you choose to live by and the actions that help you to live by those values every day. In the workplace setting, this means that you and your team are living in the same culture day in and day out. Maybe your culture needs some work. Most cultures do, so you are not alone. Maybe your culture just needs a few small changes. If so, you understand that culture is a constant work in progress. Maybe your culture is a raging forest fire. Maybe you want to fire your entire workforce and start over-that is, if they show up for work at all. Maybe your clients berate your staff daily and everyone leaves in tears. Or maybe you do not want to practice in the veterinary field anymore. If this is your truth, know you are also not alone.