Staff retention is an organisation’s ability to keep hold of its people over time. Practices with a high retention rate tend to share common traits: a positive practice culture, genuine investment in team wellbeing, and a sense that people can grow within their roles. That combination makes for a more engaged, experienced, and motivated workforce.
Getting retention right matters beyond morale. High turnover brings with it real costs: productivity gaps, the time and expense of recruiting replacements, and the loss of institutional knowledge that takes years to build.
Staff retention challenges in the veterinary sector
At the SPVS Congress earlier this year, delegates were informed that approximately 3,000 vets are registered with the RCVS as non-practising. That represents a significant pool of trained professionals who have stepped back from the sector entirely.
The challenge the sector now faces is figuring out how to improve staff retention for people already working in the veterinary industry, as well as improving recruitment by making the sector a more appealing area of work.
Veterinary professionals express uncertainty of their future
Findings from the recent BVA’s Voice of the Veterinary Profession survey reveal that over a third of respondents are unsure of their future in the veterinary profession, with 17% saying they would not be in the profession at all in five years’ time, and 19% reporting they were unsure.
A previous Voice survey from Spring 2023 revealed that a third of all respondents had taken parental leave during their career in the veterinary sector, though there are various other reasons for the career breaks. Unfortunately, 27% of respondents felt they weren’t supported well, or at all, upon return from parental leave.
The BVA’s findings also reveal that 48% of men felt very well supported, but only 24% of women put themselves in this bracket. Furthermore, 14% of women reported that they were not supported at all.
How online CPD training can help improve staff retention
These findings point to a clear opportunity for practices willing to invest in their teams. When people feel supported in their development and valued in their roles, they are more likely to stay.
It is essential to ensure that practice teams have the tools to excel in their daily tasks, as well as being able to grow within the profession. This is where our online training platform can help.
iLearn by Agilio Software is an online training platform built specifically for veterinary practices. It offers CPD-accredited courses covering a wide range of topics relevant to every role in the practice, from vets and registered veterinary nurses through to receptionists, veterinary care assistants, and practice managers. All content is written by professionals with direct experience of veterinary practice.
If your practice has previously used Colourful CPD, that content is now available through iLearn following Agilio’s acquisition of the company. Everything sits under a single subscription, making it simpler and more cost-effective to manage CPD across your whole team.
Giving your team access to structured, flexible learning sends a clear message that their growth matters. That alone can have a measurable effect on how supported and engaged people feel day to day.
To get started or find out more, take a look at the following:
Free veterinary CPD – access over 9 hours of courses at no cost
Book a demo of the platform: https://agiliosoftware.com/veterinary/book-demo/
View the full course library for all roles: https://agiliosoftware.com/veterinary/ilearn/courses/