National Veterinary Technician Appreciation Week is October 13-19. We know vet techs are highly susceptible to burnout and mental health challenges. Recognizing and celebrating these hardworking team members can have a significant impact on your employee retention and morale. Take time to honor them this month. Keep reading for more tips on alleviating staff burnout.
Veterinary demand remains at an all-time high, and practice owners and managers are struggling to keep pace and maintain growth. 2022 has proved challenging, with high turnover (25% in vet tech positions, the highest in health care) and high levels of staff burnout.
Epicur is committed to supporting the health of your practice and your patients. We covered the topic of staff burnout in this comprehensive article, but mental health is not a simple one-and-done challenge to address.
Turnover and burnout have not dropped to pre-pandemic levels because neither have the demands on your practice and staff.
Fast pace, limited pay, high student debt, surging patient needs, and work that demands empathy and difficult decisions—from veterinarians to technicians and staff, is a recipe for burnout. Adding to this, 2022 has brought:
- High turnover, requiring others to pick up the overflow workload
- Additional weight of hiring, training, and onboarding new staff
- Overflowing animal shelters with returns from the pandemic adoption surge
- Margin pressures and pharmacy shortages
- Changing ownership structures, new processes, and procedures that add to change fatigue
That’s a lot of stress on your staff. As veterinarians and practice managers, you set the tone, so please, take care of yourself first. Take a break, and cut yourself a little slack, before taking steps to address veterinary staff burnout. Ensuring you’re in a healthy place allows you to better care for your veterinary technicians, inventory managers, and other staff.
Need support? Many veterinary professionals are in crisis. Not One More Vet (NOMV) provides the necessary support to all members of veterinary teams and students who are struggling. Because you are good enough, and you are never alone.
Our previous post on veterinary staff burnout offered some concrete ways to support your staff. Here are eight more ways to help to boost morale and create growth and change while recognizing and respecting the current workload and challenges.
8 Tips to Improve Veterinary Staff Mental Health & Retention
- Peer support: Don’t underestimate the power of the buddy system. A peer, accountability partner, or assigned mentor in a similar position can offer a lot of support without putting more on you. It also can strengthen friendships—one of the top reasons employees stay with a practice.
- Know your limits: Don’t mistake stress for a more serious or systemic mental health concern. There is a limit to what you can do—make EAP and mental health resources visible, easy, and normalized. Not One More Vet is an amazing resource for veterinary professionals.
- Ask the question: From a snappy client to emotional euthanasias, your staff’s day can be overwhelming in a number of ways. Taking a moment to ask “How are you?” or “Is everything okay?” creates a safe space for them to ask for help.
- Offer a sense of control: Whether it’s creating an achievable and measurable goal or providing clarity of roles and responsibilities, remember that clear is kind.
- Address it together: Work through exercises such as:
- Like/loath: understand what each person’s least favorite activities are, reassign, outsource, or automate where you can. One person’s like is another person’s loath—the answers may surprise you!
- Start/Stop: remove a couple of things that will offer your staff some relief. Consider accepting no new patients for a month, saying no to a type of service, etc. The loss of short-term revenue may be far outweighed by the gains in retention and morale.
- Create a small contest: Add a sense of play through gamification. Something as simple as a sticker chart and small prizes can help staff band together to achieve a goal.
- Share your “why’s”: Ask staff to share why they chose this field, their favorite pet, or the case they felt was a win. Understanding their motivations can help you to support them in their work.
- Take a break together: Be careful not to plan too much on top of regular hours, but an early closing and offsite social can reignite positive energy.
As we approach the end of the year and begin planning for next year’s growth and change, these practical tips can help you to retain staff and improve productivity with empathy and compassion.
There are a number of organizations dedicated to helping veterinarians, their practices, and their staff thrive in a changing and stressful industry. NOMV is one of those special organizations. Epicur is proud to be a silver sponsor of the organization and support its crucial work.
Connect with NOMV for great resources and check out all of our industry partners who are making a difference to advance the veterinary profession.
More to Read
Why Quality Matters in Compounded Veterinary Ophthalmology Medications
What Should Veterinarians Know About Ophthalmic Eye Drops? Quality matters in every veterinary medication, but when it comes to ophthalmic medications, the stakes are even higher. Eyesight plays a critical role in an animal’s quality of life, and veterinary professionals know that even the slightest variation in ophthalmic preparations can impact healing, comfort, and outcomes. When veterinary ophthalmic medications fail to meet basic standards of quality and consistency, the consequences can extend far beyond the patient. They can influence treatment outcomes, client trust, and confidence in your medication provider. Dr. DJ Haeussler (BS, MS, DVM, DACVO) has seen firsthand how low-quality eye drops can negatively impact patient outcomes and the veterinarian-client relationship. From delayed healing to frustrated pet owners, the ripple effects of unreliable medications are real—and preventable. He helps us break down the common problems with compounded veterinary ophthalmology products today and what to look for in your products and medication partner. Only have 3 minutes? Watch the highlights from our interview with Dr. Haeussler. https://vimeo.com/1191194793/c1c371f5dd?fl=ip&fe=ec What problems are veterinarians seeing with eye drops? Veterinary ophthalmology often relies on compounded medications to meet specific clinical needs. However, not all compounded products are created equal. Many veterinary professionals have experienced challenges with compounded ophthalmic medications, including: Changing formulations without clear communication Inconsistent beyond-use dating Variability in potency or effectiveness Unpredictable stability once dispensed Patient discomfort during administration These issues can make it difficult to determine whether a treatment failure is due to disease progression or the medication itself. There have been many cases where variability in formulation or quality has led to stinging or irritation in the patient’s eyes, complicating treatment compliance even further. In ophthalmology, where precision matters, even small inconsistencies can lead to delayed healing, increased follow-ups, and client frustration—especially when treatment becomes uncomfortable or difficult to administer. Looking for ways to evaluate your medication provider? We’ve got tips for that. I want to know those 5 best qualities Why is consistency important in veterinary ophthalmology medications? Consistency is not just a preference—it is a clinical necessity. Unlike many systemic treatments, ophthalmic medications are applied directly to sensitive tissues, which means they must meet high standards in: Sterility – to prevent ocular infection Potency accuracy – to ensure effective dosing Stability – to maintain performance over time Variability in traditional compounding (503A pharmacies) can lead to differences between batches, while manufacturing under stricter regulations with process control can reduce those risks and support more predictable outcomes. For veterinary teams, that reliability translates into greater confidence in prescribing and clearer expectations for patient response. How do compounded veterinary medications vary in quality standards? Not all compounding environments operate under the same level of oversight or manufacturing rigor. Traditional compounding approaches can introduce variability in potency, sterility, and consistency from one preparation to the next. By contrast, 503B manufacturing facilities are designed to produce compounded medications at scale under current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP), with an emphasis on batch consistency and quality control. This distinction matters, especially for medications used frequently in practice or across multiple patients. In fact, when a medication is not available through a commercial manufacturer, guidance often points clinicians toward 503B products as a higher-quality alternative due to their greater consistency and reduced variability compared to traditional compounding. How does packaging impact ophthalmic drug quality? Quality doesn’t stop at formulation. Packaging can also play a major role in quality. Many ophthalmic medications, including tacrolimus eye drops, are highly sensitive to light exposure. Improper packaging can lead to: Drug degradation Reduced potency Shortened shelf life Less predictable dosing If the appropriate packaging is not used in the manufacturing process, the quality of the product is at risk before it even reaches the patient. Opaque bottles help protect light-sensitive products from light, aiding in drug stability and supporting consistent performance and reducing waste for veterinary practices. If you’re receiving eye drops in clear bottles, that’s a warning sign to consider the quality of the product you’re receiving. Packaging Matters! Read more about how packaging affects medication quality. I need to know the details about packaging quality. What should veterinarians look for in an ophthalmic medication provider? For veterinary professionals, choosing an ophthalmic product isn’t just about availability—it’s about trust. You and your practice need to trust that: The formulation will remain consistent over time The beyond-use dating reflects real stability data The medication will perform reliably across patients The manufacturer is transparent and accountable Your provider should be able to confirm the quality of their products and reinforce your trust in them. Key indicators of quality include proven safety standards, batch-to-batch consistency, verified potency and label accuracy, reliable inventory and dating, transparency and support. 503A pharmacies are not required to conduct final product testing. They also have shorter USP limited-beyond-use dates compared to stability-indicating beyond-use dates. Compounded medications are not generics. Products from different facilities containing the same active ingredient often differ in formulation, testing, regulatory requirements, and dating. Variations between 503A and 503B facilities and among individual compounding pharmacies can negatively impact quality, consistency, and the animal’s overall health. How Epicur sets a higher standard for ophthalmic medications. Epicur’s approach to veterinary ophthalmic medications is centered on reducing variability and increasing confidence. As a 503B outsourcing facility, Epicur follows current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP)—which requires final product testing including sterility, potency, pH, content uniformity, disintegration and more. This allows for: Greater batch consistency Validated stability and longer, proven expiration dates of up to 365 days Reduced variability compared to traditional compounding Additionally, Epicur prioritizes packaging decisions that support drug integrity, including opaque containers for light-sensitive ophthalmic medications, with testing performed both before and after packaging to verify stability and purity. This combination of manufacturing rigor and thoughtful product design helps veterinary professionals prescribe with confidence and gives pet owners peace of mind. Together, we can set a higher standard for ophthalmic care. By prioritizing consistency, sterility, stability, and transparency, practices can reduce uncertainty and focus on what matters most: delivering better care and
Meet Jordan Ricketts: Building Meaningful Partnerships with Veterinary Teams
Meet Jordan Ricketts, Southeast Specialty Representative for Epicur. Jordan brings a unique blend of scientific curiosity, deep veterinary-family roots, and a genuine love for relationship building. Get to know more about Jordan and the insight, care, and commitment she brings to the Epicur team.
The Referral Dilemma: Choosing the Best Partners in Veterinary Medicine
The following blog is written by Epicur Pharma’s Advisory Council member Debbie Boone, BS, CVPM. With over 23 years of in-clinic experience managing AAHA-accredited hospitals, Debbie understands the processes and systems a thriving practice must have in place – and what it takes to implement them. Debbie shares her perspective on referrals, and how veterinary professionals can ensure integrity and reliability through careful selection of the companies they utilize and endorse for crucial medications.