Training is essential to help your new veterinary employees get up to speed in your practice. Training not only helps your employees to avoid making mistakes, but also gives them confidence when interacting with clients and caring for patients. Use these steps to help your new employees learn how to perform important tasks in their new role.
1. Structure Your Training
When training a new veterinary employee, it is important to use a structured training program. Throwing too much training at a new hire all at once is likely to lead to them forgetting important information. Plan the new employee’s training to span a period of several weeks so they have time to learn new skills without feeling overwhelmed.
2. Instruct
Every veterinary practice has its routines and protocols. Rather than throwing your new employees into their roles, take the time to instruct them in the tasks you want them to perform. Provide every employee with instructions they can consult whenever they need to check a protocol.
3. Watch
Many people are visual learners. Watching an experienced employee perform a task gives new hires a chance to pick up tips. Get your team to demonstrate as many procedures as possible during the first few days or weeks of a new hire’s employment. If it is not possible or practical for employees to watch your team carry out every procedure in person, consider using training videos to instruct your new hires.
4. Practice
Employees can’t learn how to do everything perfectly from instructions and demonstrations alone. Give all new employees a chance to practice what they have learned under the supervision of a more experienced team member. This period of practice is essential to let employees ask questions and allow the experts to correct their mistakes.
5. Monitor Progress
Do not assume that all employees will perform perfectly after an initial training period. No one can remember everything perfectly, particularly when they have to take in a lot of information at once. Be sure to review new employees’ performance regularly so you have the chance to correct any mistakes they are making. Be sure to conduct this monitoring in a way that helps your employees feel supported, rather than making them feel like you are waiting to punish them for any error. Always give new team members praise for the things they get right as well as correcting their mistakes.
6. Training Never Ends
Training a new veterinary employee is important, but education should not end when the new hire becomes an established part of the team. Continuing education can benefit all your veterinary employees. Support your veterinarians to meet their continuing education requirements. In addition, remember to check in regularly with your technicians and other employees to find out whether they want any further training. One way to do this is to have an annual or quarterly review meeting with every team member, during which they can discuss their training needs and their goals for the review period.
Conclusion
Training a new veterinary employee is not always easy, but by using a carefully structured training program, you can give all your team members the best possible chance of success. Use the tips given here and remember to check in with your new employees regularly to ensure the success of your training program.
EasyDVM Practice Software is a cloud-based veterinary practice management software system. We pride ourselves in offering a system that is user-friendly, easy to learn for new team members, full-featured and elegant in its simplicity. Best of all, all devices, multiple users, all your clients and patients, always affordable.