Prepare your summer, vacations and replacements.

23 February 2026

Summer in veterinary medicine is a bit like being on call on June 24: it happens every year, everyone knows it… and yet, it’s always surprising. Between planned leave, school vacations, unforeseen events (illness, injury, ER overload), and demand that doesn’t “take time off”, the difference between a smooth summer and a chaotic one lies in one thing above all: operational anticipation.

 

The aim of this article is to give you a simple, concrete and realistic method for securing your replacements and protecting the quality of your care – without burning out your team.

 

 

Why does summer get out of hand so quickly?

 

Even when the vacations are announced early, summer gets complicated for very predictable reasons:

 

  1. Reduced clinical capacity (vets/TVR/ASA on leave, reduced hours).
  2. Increased customer pressure (travel, boarding, accidents, heat, parasites, diarrhea/titis, etc.).
  3. Domino effect: a “short staff” day → delays → fatigue → errors → absenteeism → even fewer staff.
  4. Reactive recruitment: we look “for yesterday”, so we choose quickly… sometimes too quickly.

 

The solution is not “finding perfect humans”. The solution is a plan.

 

 

The simple plan: 4 pillars for a summer under control

 

1) Map vacations and actual capacity

Before recruiting, you need to know what you’ re really missing.

 

  1. List confirmed leaves of absence (veterinary, TVR, ASA, management).
  2. Convert into clinical capacity: number of appointments/day, surgical blocks, ER availability, hospitalization coverage.
  3. Identify “at-risk” weeks (often: late June, construction, late July, early August).

 

Tip: a “theoretical” schedule may seem correct, but if you don’t have the right combination (e.g. surgery without TVR, ER without support), your real capacity drops.

 

 

2) Decide what’s non-negotiable (and what can be lightened)

A stable summer is not necessarily a summer “at 110% production”. It’s a summer where you’re in control.

 

  1. Non-negotiable: anesthesia safety, analgesia, post-op follow-up, hospitalization, ER triage, basic RX/US, lab critical.
  2. Allegeable (temporarily): certain elective procedures, non-urgent recheck slots, non-priority surgeries, non-critical inventory.

 

A clinic that assumes a clear “summer mode” protects its team AND its department.

 

 

3) Recruit early, but above all recruit accurately

Recruiting “a vet” is too vague. Recruiting “a solution” is much more effective.

 

Examples of positions/replacements to clarify BEFORE posting:

 

  1. Type of practice: GP, ER, mixed.
  2. Expected volume: consultations/h, surgeries/d, level of autonomy.
  3. Support: TVR/veterinarian ratio, ASA, imaging, lab, anesthesia protocol.
  4. Schedule: fixed vs flex days, weekends, on-call.
  5. Duration: 2 weeks, 6 weeks, full summer, possibility of extension.

 

The clearer it is, the more you attract the right person – and the more you reduce last-minute cancellations.

 

 

4) Secure onboarding (even for a short replacement)

The classic trap: “It’s just a replacement, he’ll adapt.”

In reality, successful replacements love structured clinics.

 

Minimal (but solid) onboarding checklist:

 

  1. Software access, codes, protocols (analgesia, anesthesia, transfusion, euthanasia, antibiotic therapy).
  2. Logistics: pharmacy, lab, radiology, referrals, on-call, emergencies.
  3. “House rules: customer communications, SOAP notes, consents, quotations.
  4. Dedicated contact: 1 person responsible for questions (not “everyone”).

 

Even 60 minutes of well-done briefing can save hours of chaos.

 

 

For clinics: action schedule (without complexity)

 

Starting now

 

  1. Confirm vacations and map weeks at risk.
  2. Define your real needs: number of shifts, type of profile, level of autonomy.

 

4-8 weeks before

 

  1. Activate recruitment: replacements + plan B.
  2. Standardize onboarding (document + person responsible).

 

2 weeks before

 

  1. Finalize schedules, access, protocols, critical inventory.
  2. Inform team of “summer mode” (what to protect, what to lighten).

 

During the summer

 

  1. Weekly micro-adjustments: case load, waiting times, team morale.
  2. Preserve recovery: breaks, limits, consistent triage.

 

 

For vets: how to choose a replacement that goes well

 

A successful replacement is rarely “lucky”. It’s often because you asked the right questions beforehand.

 

Before accepting

 

  1. What is the level of TVR/ASA support?
  2. What are the productivity expectations?
  3. What is considered “urgent” vs. “can wait”?
  4. Anesthesia/analgesia protocols: standardized or case-by-case?
  5. Who decides on customer/financial/medical disputes?

 

Green signals

 

  1. Onboarding planned, written protocol, stable team, clear expectations.

 

Red signals

 

  1. “You’ll see on the spot”, “we’re busy but we’ll be fine”, lack of protocols, ambiguity about roles and limits.

 

Recruiting without panic means above all… deciding early

 

Scarcity is no excuse for chaos. It calls for a different strategy: planning, clarifying, simplifying and securing.

Your summer will rarely be perfect, but it can be predictable, manageable and humane – for your team and for your customers.

 

If you’re integrating just one idea: recruit a solution, not a CV.