Preventing Burnout to Protect Your Bottom Line

If you’re a practice manager or clinic owner, you’ve likely felt the effects of the burnout that plagues the veterinary profession. As unpleasant as it is, burnout is something that veterinary professionals must navigate every day—unfortunately, this comes at a cost.

According to the VHMA’s 2024 Practice Manager Benchmark Report, staffing-related stress and burnout were cited as the top two operational concerns among hospital leaders.

The ripple effects—turnover, overtime, and lost productivity—aren’t just draining morale; they’re financially unsustainable.

Burnout doesn’t just impact operations—it directly affects patient care and practice performance:

• Fewer patients seen due to limited team capacity
• More early appointment closures, reducing access
• Shorter consultation times, affecting the quality of interaction
• Lower per-visit revenue, driven by decreased efficiency
• Declining client satisfaction due to longer wait times, reduced engagement, and inconsistent communication
• Rushed exams and missed details, compromising patient outcomes
• Reduced continuity of care, leading to fragmented treatment

But here’s what may surprise you – burnout is costing veterinary practices between $17,000 and $25,000 per year in lost revenue per clinic, and nearly $1 billion annually across the industry. As a leader at your hospital, reducing burnout isn’t just about compassion (though that matters); it’s a strategic move to protect your bottom line and the long-term health of your practice.

What’s more, today’s generation of veterinarians places an even greater emphasis on mental health, sustainable workloads, and supportive environments. Clinics that actively invest in preventing burnout not only see stronger financial results, they’re also better positioned to attract and retain the next wave of veterinary talent.

Let’s break it all down and see how your veterinary practice can minimize the impact of burnout on your bottom line.

1. Build a burnout-resistant environment: start with the sensory experience

Your clinic’s physical space matters more than you think. Harsh lighting, constant noise, and poor ergonomics create a stressful baseline and significantly affect staff well-being – before the day even begins.

Simple upgrades with big ROI:

• Prioritize natural light and minimize loud, jarring sounds. Eliminating ringing phones and the need for staff members to shout to each other in order to be heard can have a huge impact on the clinic environment.
• Create quiet, protected break spaces for mental resets. Ensuring that the veterinary team has time to reset, refuel, and re-engage can have a marked impact on hospital morale and workflow.
• As difficult as it may be in a busy veterinary hospital, attempt to mitigate offensive odors.

Reviewing your physical space annually to identify environmental triggers of fatigue or distraction can have a big impact. Something as small as reducing phone interruptions can make a measurable difference in staff energy.

When staff are rested, well fed, and can hear themselves think, they’re more likely to make good decisions and stay calm under pressure.

2. Cultivate a culture of pause and protection

Burnout thrives in environments where people feel unsupported, overextended, or constantly interrupted.

Use the SSTA model:

• Stop: Pause when you feel stress escalating.
• Slow Down: Lower the intensity.
• Think: What’s a better path forward?
• Act: Take thoughtful action, not reactive shortcuts.

Create boundaries that protect your team:

• Designate sacrosanct break times for all staff members.
• Encourage documentation and call back blocks between appointments.
• Acknowledge effort and show regular appreciation; small gestures go a long way.

What are other industry experts saying?

• VHMA emphasizes the need for “psychological safety” in clinics – creating an environment where staff can speak up about workload concerns or emotional exhaustion without fear of judgment or reprisal. This trust is essential for catching burnout before it becomes costly.
• Debbie Boone, CVPM, a recognized authority in veterinary practice management, encourages leaders to “actively model emotional regulation and positive reinforcement” to shift team dynamics.

“Burnout prevention starts with leaders who are tuned into how their team is feeling—and who aren’t afraid to prioritize wellbeing in the workflow,” 

– Debbie Boone CVPM, Leadership Recharge series.

3. Increase efficiency (not just speed)

Efficiency isn’t about cramming more in; it’s about doing things better with fewer mistakes and less chaos.

Where efficiency often breaks down:

• Disorganized scheduling that lacks boundaries and/or strategy
• Inadequate staff-to-patient ratios
• Multitasking overload
• Inconsistent or redundant processes

Instead, try:

• Pre-built discharge and medical record templates
• Dedicated callback/refill time in the daily schedule
• Proactive triage systems for walk-ins and emergencies
• Explore AI scribe services

Many practices unintentionally create burnout through inefficient systems. Practices with well-defined scheduling protocols, cross-trained staff, and regular workflow reviews report significantly lower turnover and higher client retention.

And, the great news is, our industry provides easy-to-follow tools to help you implement these changes. For example, VHMA’s Workload Distribution Planner and Time Management Matrix both help managers identify daily inefficiencies – such as bottlenecks in callbacks or inconsistent discharge processes – that silently erode both morale and revenue.

“When you have systems, the chaos goes away—and profitability goes up.”

– Dr. Peter Weinstein

4. Protect PTO like It’s a profit driver

Let’s be honest, time off in vet med can feel like a luxury. In a recent Clinician’s Brief article, 70% of veterinary professionals reported they had postponed or skipped PTO in the past year due to workload or guilt.

But let’s set the record straight: PTO is essential for team sustainability. If your doctors can’t disconnect, your clinic will never run at full strength.

Make time off non-negotiable:

• Block vacation in advance and communicate coverage expectations.
• Use relief staffing to maintain continuity and profit without overloading the rest of your team.

Practices that intentionally plan for vacation coverage – whether through internal floaters or external relief support – see lower burnout and turnover. Even two scheduled days off per quarter can help a doctor reset, recharge, and return with better focus and emotional bandwidth (according to VHMA’s Staff Retention Toolkit).

Many IndeVets partner hospitals tell us our flexible doctors give their teams the breathing room they desperately need, without compromising client service, patient care or revenue.

“Very helpful and appreciated. Our full-time DVMs were able to get a breather thanks to IndeVets coverage.”

– Partner hospital practice manager (Miami, FL)

5. Get real about what you can do

You don’t need a full-time wellness director or a meditation studio to make an impact. Start small, measure, and build momentum. Encourage feedback from your staff and be willing to implement said feedback to create a customized environment for your veterinary team.

Low lift starting points:

• Use the AVMA’s free ProQOL survey to assess team wellbeing.
• Run a monthly feedback loop to identify friction points.
• Host a 15-minute “Burnout Check-In” during team meetings.
• Tap into external resources, from mental health and burnout CE to relief support.

Even the best culture can’t survive the impact of a team that is slowing burning out. Set realistic goals, invest in your people, and take burnout seriously.

Final thought: better culture = better business

Reducing burnout isn’t just a moral imperative (and I’d even argue, an obligation); it’s a smart business decision. When your team is supported, fed and rested, they are more likely to stay with your practice, deliver better patient care, build stronger client bonds, and fuel long-term growth.

If you’re not sure where to start, lean on partners who understand what burnout feels like, and what it takes to fix it.

Good medicine is good business. And it starts by taking care of the humans behind the care.

About the Author:

Dr. Casey Robinson is a Director of Clinical Excellence at IndeVets and a practicing veterinarian. He has spoken on burnout, culture, and performance at veterinary trade shows and conferences. Dr. Robinson collaborated with IndeVets veterinary social worker Dave Shuey, LMSW, DMA to provide this insightful guidance.  

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