Reactive Rosters Are Costing You More Than You Think- How Veterinary Clinics Can Take Back Control of Staffing

Let’s start with the facts.

We’ve all done it.

Posted a FB message that went something like:

“URGENT – Looking for Locum tomorrow” 🚨

“HELP! Need nurse cover today”

“Anyone free this weekend? Need sole charge vet”

FRONTLINE VET STAFFING has quietly become reactive for many clinics across the country. But here’s what every manager needs to know:

That’s not okay.

Need = Stress = Paying inflated casual rates is not a strategy — it’s completely avoidable.

At corporates, your team might have access to internal recruitment specialists, regional float pools, or structured locum networks when staffing becomes difficult.

But at your independent clinic — where you’re doing rosters solo — none of that exists.

Guess what?

You don’t NEED corporate structure to build something just as powerful.

You just need to be intentional about the system you create.

BUT WHY THE SCRAMBLE? 𖡎

Sure, some shifts are true emergencies.

But most aren’t.

• Vacation

• Conference season

• School holidays

• Maternity leave

• Block leaves surrounding public holidays

The list goes on.

This type of leave is predictable. Yet clinics without a plan often only schedule several weeks in advance.

Predictable leave turned urgent = “crisis”.

The consequences?

• Team members working overtime

• Burnt out permanent staff

• Decreased consult capacity

• Clients cancel appointments

• Higher cost locum rates

• And a culture that breeds: “We don’t ask for help. We push through.”

Except when you constantly “push through” … things push back.

Staff morale declines. Team members quit. And hiring permanent staff is ALWAYS more expensive than planning for it.

The Corporate Structure vs Your Business

Corporate groups often have:

• In-house recruiters or recruitment processes

• Float pools who cover local clinics

• Centralised HR software that tracks leave requests

• Formalised preferred locum vendor agreements

So when they need help, they’re rarely posting on Facebook links.

Independents run lean.

Practice managers wear many hats including Compliance, HR, rostering, finance, client management. And they do this without centralised assistance.

But when someone submits leave, the question becomes:

“How are we going to cover this?”

And the panic sets in.

Here’s the thing:

Independents don’t NEED a corporate structure. But they DO need to plan ahead.

Workforce Planning Isn’t a Firefighting Drill 🚒

Successful clinics plan their workforce in the same way they’d plan their finances.

They budget it. They prepare for it. They structure EVERYTHING else around it.

So how can you think differently about your staffing plan?

Here are 5 shifts every independent clinic manager can implement TODAY.

1. Know YOUR Peak Season BEFORE IT STARTS 🗓️

Ok, so first up.

Grab a calendar.

At the start of every calendar year (Let’s restart in March shall we….), sit down with your team and block out:

• School holiday periods

• Long weekends

• Easter and Christmas

• Conference seasons (many conference seasons are set yearly, so know this in advance)

• Known mat leaves or extended holidays

Start calling these patterns.

“What does our cover look like during this block?”

Holiday seasons are BUSY for a reason. They should be expected (especially if two of your senior nurses have ALWAYS taken July school holidays off… it’s not an emergency, it’s historical data!).

Build your roster expecting these gaps.

Emergency = reactive. Historical = predictable.

2. Ask your team to apply for leave 3+ months in advance 🧳✈️⛱️

This is huge.

Many team members procrastinate applying for leave because they feel selfish, have had poor experience with pushback or simply don’t know how to ask.

Change the culture.

Empower your team to take holidays. Better yet, give them something to holiday for! When your team is happy, everyone benefits.

Consider saying to your team:

“We would prefer everyone to apply for leave 3 months in advance so we can roster around these blocks.”

Knowledge is power.

The more advance notice you have about upcoming leave, the more options you have to cover.

The later you know, the less options you’ll have.

Remember:

Reactivity = limited solutions. Proactivity = abundant solutions.

3. View locum support as a morale-booster, not a crisis management expense 🩺

Signing a locum contract should NEVER be viewed as “something went wrong”.

Rather, it’s how you choose to support your permanent team.

Failure to backfill leave properly results in your permanent staff “picking up the slack.” Over-seated consult times. No lunches. Tension builds.

Taking care of your permanent team by providing structured, planned casual support means:

• Team morale stays high

• Patient safety is upheld

• Client experience doesn’t slip

• Revenue doesn’t take a hit

That’s not weakness. That’s leadership.

4. Start your search early. Even if you “don’t need it.” 🔎

This is probably one of the biggest mistakes I see.

Waiting until you’re 100% certain you’ll need a locum means you:

• Wait to advertise

• Give yourself a day to “see if anyone can request swaps”

• Don’t build a relationship with your casual until you NEED them

So when you do need them? You’ll most likely:

• Be restricted by who can actually cover a shift (based on last minute availability)

• Have limited shift times to choose from

• Settle for a poor cultural fit and often an hourly rate outside the Clinic’s budget

Late sourcing limits your options. Every. Single. Time.

The earlier you start your locum search, the better your chances of finding the right fit.

Shifts aren’t a fire drill. You have time to source flexibly.

5. Create your own “talent pool” 👨‍👨‍👦‍👦

Corporate clinics have internal talent pools.

But guess what? So can you.

Granted, you might not have access to hundreds of vet staff within a zip code radius of your practice. But that doesn’t mean you can’t create (or sign up for access to) a reliable database of qualified professionals who WANT flexible work AND want to work for you again.

Here’s what happens when you work with the same casual vets, nurses and receptionists on an ongoing basis:

• Onboarding times are cut in half

• Culture mixing becomes easier

• Your team trusts who you’re hiring

• Administration time reduces

When you have built a relationship, the scramble to find “someone” disappears. Because you know you have FIVE great candidates ready and waiting to help.

The True Cost of An Unfilled Shift 💰

Let’s say you don’t backfill a shift.

That’s half a day’s wages you didn’t pay.

BUT did you factor in:

• Loss of revenue due to unfilled appointment slots?

• Overtime penalties your permanent team worked to cover the shift?

• Lost productivity when staff are overworked?

• Increased chance of errors?

• Potential permanent staff turnover due to burnout?

The minute you view access to short term cover as revenue protection, you’ve won.

This industry is already under wage price increases, new compliance standards and rising client expectations.

If there’s one thing we can control, it’s protecting our teams and culture.

Planning FOR your Peak Season, not reacting to it.

It Starts with a Plan

Independent clinics are creative. They’re resourceful. And they’re overwhelmingly committed to the communities they serve.

But independent staffing models don’t have to look like panic-staffed FB posts.

The future of veterinary workforce planning doesn’t start with a missed shift.

It starts with a plan.

• Preparing for vacation leave 3–6 months out.

• Encouraging your team to BOOK time off.

• Reviewing school holiday and long weekend blocks WELL in advance.

• Partnering with a casual workforce YOU trust BEFORE you need them.

Because when your staffing becomes predictable, your clinic operates calmer.

Your clients notice it. Your team notices it. And you notice it.

The Facebook post should be your communication tool.

Not your Staffing strategy.

Author:  Lauren Chalwell- Unlock Veterinary Consulting

Ready to Take Your Clinic Staffing to the Next Level? 🐾

At Unlock Veterinary Consulting, we help independent clinics design smarter workforce strategies — and through our ecosystem, Shift & Paws- our custom-built staffing platform- provides Clinics direct access to vetted vets, nurses and reception professionals seeking flexible work, without the agency markup. A simple monthly membership platform — no hassle, no scrambling, no agency fees.

💙Want to learn more? https://www.shiftandpaws.com.au/