By Brenda Tassava Medina, CVPM, CVJ, MVLCE
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned from years of veterinary leadership and consulting is this: a schedule isn’t just a grid of names and times. It’s a reflection of your practice’s values. When we prioritize both patient outcomes and team wellbeing, we serve better, lead better, and live better.
Let’s talk about what it means to meet the moment in veterinary scheduling today – where patient needs, client expectations, and your team’s quality of life intersect.
1. Patient-Centered Scheduling: Because Pets Don’t Wait for Convenience
Your schedule should begin with one question: “What does this patient need, and when?” From preventive care to urgent visits and chronic condition rechecks, your system should flex to meet real medical needs.
- Hold space for same-day sick appointments to avoid turning patients away when they need you. The last thing a client wants to hear is that you don’t have time available to see their pet. Always be prepared for with 1-2 same-day sick appointments per doctor, per day.
- Make it easy to pre-book rechecks or long-term follow-ups before the client even leaves – forward book them! Alternatively, schedule these appointments as telehealth consults, bringing the ultimate convenience to your clients, while reserving your scheduler for patients that need to be seen in-person.
- Be proactive with wellness care: build in nudges and reminders, not just open slots. This is another area where forward booking really pays off!
When your schedule supports timely, personalized care, you’re practicing veterinary medicine and not just managing time.
2. Client-Friendly Access: Reduce Friction, Build Loyalty
I’ve met thousands of pet owners across the country, and one thing rings true: they’re juggling a lot. When we reduce friction in the scheduling process, we increase trust, and show clients we respect their time as much as they value ours.
- Offer 24/7 online booking with smart filters based on appointment type. If you’re not doing this, you are losing clients to practices that are.
- Use SMS/email reminders with links to reschedule or confirm. Give your clients an easy way to acknowledge or reschedule the time they have reserved with you.
- Clarify when drop-off appointments or technician visits are appropriate. Don’t make them guess. In many instances, pet owners don’t even know drop-offs are an option. Make them a routine part of your day by openly offering them in every appropriate situation.
This isn’t just good service; it’s good strategy. And when clients have control, your phones stop ringing off the hook, freeing your CSRs to focus on face-to-face conversations.
3. Protect the Team: Because Burnout Isn’t a Badge of Honor
Let’s get honest: if your schedule routinely pushes your team past the edge, it’s not sustainable. No matter how full your books are!
- Rotate appointment types to prevent mental fatigue for doctors and techs. Additionally, staggering lunch times for your teams keeps the hospital flowing while allowing everyone to take the break time they need.
- Create team-based schedules that empower assistants and CSRs to do what they do best. As a veterinarian, learn to delegate everything you can to the people around you – they will rise to the occasion and save you time daily.
- Give your teams the time they need to do the job at hand, so they don’t have to throw additional blocks onto the scheduler because they feel they are drowning. Build in protected time (for lunch, charting, and end-of-day closure) because dignity matters.
Your people are your practice. Protect them with the same care you give to your patients.
4. Bring AI Into the Room (Without Losing the Human Touch)
Digital AI isn’t just a buzzword. It’s a tool, and a powerful one when used with intention. I’ve seen it transform practices from overwhelmed to efficient, and from reactive to proactive.
- Use AI-driven intake forms to guide clients through the check-in and history-taking process. You will save the client and your staff valuable time.
- Let digital scribes capture exam notes so your doctor and staff can be fully present. The resulting EMRs are more fully detailed than you might imagine.
- Automate confirmations and follow-ups to flex smarter, not harder.
AI doesn’t replace your team! It empowers them to show up more fully, more humanely, and more consistently.
5. Zoom Out: Your Schedule Should Reflect the Entire Client Journey
Scheduling doesn’t start when the phone rings and doesn’t end at check-out. When you zoom out and align your systems with the entire cycle of service, magic happens.
- Before the visit: Online intake forms, smart scheduling suggestions, and reminders. Enabling chat and 2-way texting also empowers your clients and team to prep for appointments and follow-ups conveniently.
- During the visit: Smooth room flow, clear communication, real-time documentation. Using digital AI to capture that real-time documentation frees you and your team up to build stronger relationships with your clients and patients.
- After the visit: Telehealth rechecks, medication refills, and forward booking prompts keep the patient needs at the forefront of what needs to happen next.
A well-orchestrated schedule brings peace to the practice day. And that ripple of calm reaches your patients, clients, and team alike.
The Rythym That Serves Everyone
Scheduling is the rhythm of your practice. When that rhythm honors clinical priorities, respects client realities, and protects the people behind the medicine, everyone wins.
So, here’s my invitation to you: revisit your scheduling strategy with fresh eyes. Ask yourself where you can soften the friction, strengthen the flow, and support the humans behind the scenes.
Because when your schedule reflects intention, your whole practice starts to feel like a place where care isn’t rushed. Care is designed!
