Presidents Message

Dr. Michael Capel

If You Build It, Will They Come (and Will They Stay)?

I contemplate the recruitment and retention issues in our profession daily. As a partner in a mixed animal practice with a significant large animal component, this issue is critical to the survival and future growth of our clinic. As the current president of the AABP, solving this issue is essential to the future of our amazing, challenging and fulfilling profession. As the father of a young daughter who is interested in becoming a bovine practitioner, this issue is deeply personal as I wish for her all the joys, successes and opportunities that I had when I started practice.

Recruitment, and more importantly, retention, in bovine practice has been a struggle. Advice comes from all directions on what we need to do to fix it, and how we should change our practices to best attract and retain the next generation. Making changes to “build” an ideal environment where new associates flourish can feel like taking a leap of faith, similar to the way the main character in the movie Field of Dreams must have felt as he was building his fabled baseball diamond. Despite this, it is critical that we honestly look at our practices through the eyes of a new associate and then use that to create an environment where they can thrive. Over the years, my practice has hired many new associates. Throughout the process of training and integrating these young professionals, we have had many successes, as well as failures. While each one of our practices is unique, there are some common themes that we should consider when bringing new associates into our practice.
Dr. Michael Capel and his daughter Natalie at the NCBA Convention.

Communicate early and often. Start with being open about both parties’ expectations for work life balance during the recruitment and interview process. Consider how both of you define mentorship. Once they are working on their own, don’t assume that your new associate is doing fine just because they haven’t contacted you about something. Schedule time to send them a text message, connect by social media, or meet in person. During conversations, be truly present. Take the time to show them how important they are to you. Be available to help them with procedures they haven’t done before or haven’t become comfortable with yet. Help them communicate with difficult clients. Create an environment where they feel welcome and part of the team. Create an environment where they are valued.

Set new associates up for success with your clients.Producers take their cues from you. You are the practitioner who they know and trust. Spending time introducing new associates to your producers is an investment that will always pay off. Introductions are best in person, but can happen through a newsletter, social media or by sharing your excitement about your new hire during routine visits even if they are not there with you. Clients will recognize the confidence and excitement you have about your new associate and respond accordingly.

New associates are not just a younger version of us. When I graduated, I had my own vision of bovine practice. This vision was guided by my life experiences, the farms and veterinarians I worked for, the mentors I looked up to, and my view of the future and how I fit into it. I looked to the senior members of my practice for guidance and feedback, but was fortunate that they let me blaze my own path, develop my own client relationships, and pursue my own practice model. It would be unfair and naïve for me to think that today’s new graduates are any different than I was, brimming with enthusiasm to prove themselves, in constant need of reassurance that they are on the right path, and open-minded to the infinite possibilities in front of them. As practice owners, we need to create an environment that fosters growth, rewards creativity, promotes development, and accepts change. New associates are not just a younger version of us. It is our job to help them become a better version.

There are many reasons that new graduates leave bovine practice. While many of those reasons are out of our control, there are just as many that are within our control. To find them, look at your practice through the eyes of your new associate. Consider how their life experiences, values and needs might differ from yours. Retention in our profession is a problem that we all face, but I believe that we all have an opportunity to make an impact, one practice at a time. If you build it, they will come, and they will stay.

Dr. Michael Capel