Tips on delegating practice responsibilities
You can do a lot.
You can clean a dog's wound in under a minute.
You can expertly administer vaccines to a frustrated cat without a scratch.
But managing your books…now that gives you a headache.
Handling a difficult employee…you’d rather take on the feisty cat.
So you need to delegate.
A practice manager can be the perfect support and take a majority of these things off your plate.
If you don’t have a project manager, don’t try to take on everything yourself.
When you do that, you split your focus and put the level of care you provide patients at risk.
Delegating isn’t always easy; I’ve seen vets I’ve worked with struggle with letting go of control and knowing how and when it’s time to delegate.
That’s understandable. After all, you went to veterinarian school, not business school.
Here are my tips to help you delegate responsibilities in your practice.
Identify What to Delegate: Identify tasks that don't require your expertise. Think about things that are always on the bottom of your to-do list or things that are taking time away from seeing patients.
Play to Your Employees’ Strengths: Delegate tasks aligning with your staff's skills. If you have a CSR who is organized and detail-oriented, put them in charge of keeping inventory.
Define the Desired Outcome: Clearly communicate the objectives and expectations of the tasks you delegate. If you need supplies reorganized, tell the staff member exactly how you want it done, so you can avoid the frustration of them doing it wrong.
Establish Communication: Let your staff know that you’re always available for questions. Encouraging them to ask you questions and confirm aspects of the task speeds up the process and ensures it’s done right without you having to be hands-on.
Be Patient: Tasks might take longer to complete initially as your staff learns how to do things they may have never done before. I know it can be hard, but try not to get frustrated and decide to just do it yourself so that it will be faster.
Give Credit Where It’s Due: Acknowledge and appreciate the efforts of your staff.
If you're not delegating responsibilities, then you’re not giving 100% to what you’re really meant to be doing—being a vet.
If it’s not your strong suit to delegate out responsibilities, then an experienced practice manager can take some of the weight off your shoulders.
They’ll take on day-to-day responsibilities themselves, like managing inventory or bookkeeping, and can take on the role of delegating where necessary.
Use my Practice Manager Job Description to hire the right manager for you and your practice.
