How to prep for a summer surge in vet visits — without overloading your team
As summer temperatures climb, so does the increased demand in veterinary clinics. From families planning travel with their pets to increased occurrences of heat-related injuries and parasite issues, the warmer months bring a noticeable spike in appointment volume.
While that can be great for business, it also comes with challenges: longer days, backlogged documentation, increased client calls, and the very real risk of staff burnout.
With the right preparation, though, your clinic can handle the summer rush without overburdening your team. Here are five ways to calm the chaos and to help your clinic stay efficient and compassionate during its busiest season.
1. Review last year’s trends
Before you dive into the chaos of summer, take time to analyze the patterns from last year. Pull reports on visit volume by week, types of services performed, and which days or weeks were the most demanding. If you use a practice management system or analytics platform, this data is likely at your fingertips.
Knowing this information allows you to anticipate busy windows and adjust staffing and resources accordingly.
If your current system doesn’t track this information in a user-friendly way, now may be the time to explore tools that provide more actionable insights. Having access to clear, seasonal trends can help you make data-driven decisions, not just for summer, but year-round.
2. Plan for the right mix of appointments
Not all veterinary visits are equal in time or complexity. Planning your appointment schedule with this in mind can help your team maintain a manageable pace despite high demand.
Start by blocking off dedicated time for the types of visits that increase during summer months. These typically include travel health certificates, wellness exams timed with school breaks, dental cleanings before vacations, and parasite prevention consultations. By protecting blocks for these services in advance, you ensure they don’t overrun the rest of your schedule.
In addition, try staggering routine wellness visits throughout the week. This creates room in your schedule for last-minute or urgent care cases, reducing the need for double-booking or rushed exams. Another tactic can be utilizing “flex slots” or specific time blocks that remain open until a set deadline, and can then convert into additional wellness slots if not used for urgent care.
A well-balanced appointment strategy leads to smoother days, better patient care, and less stress for your team.
3. Tighten up exam room workflows
When your clinic is busy, even small inefficiencies in the exam room can lead to cascading delays. That’s why it’s critical to tighten up your workflows before the summer surge hits.
Start by clarifying team roles for every exam: who sets up the room, who gathers the patient history, who assists during the exam, and who handles follow-up instructions. When each team member knows their role, you reduce redundancy and improve the overall flow of appointments.
Standardizing handoffs between team members is also key. For example, a technician passing information to a vet should follow a consistent script or checklist to ensure nothing is missed.
Similarly, discharge instructions should be clear, consistent, and streamlined — whether they’re delivered in person or digitally.
One of the biggest time sinks in vet clinics is documentation, and with the right tools, this can be easily prevented. Using an AI scribe like HappyDoc can help vets stay present with patients while automating the note-taking behind the scenes.
4. Streamline client communication in advance
During a summer surge, it’s not just your exam rooms that get overwhelmed — your front desk and phone lines do, too. Many of the questions your team fields from clients are repetitive and preventable with the right systems in place.
Start by implementing pre-visit forms and automated reminders. Allowing clients to complete histories, consent forms, and medication lists online before their appointment reduces bottlenecks during check-in and helps the clinical team prepare in advance.
After the appointment, consider sending automated summaries via email or text. This reinforces what was discussed during the visit and cuts down on follow-up calls asking, “What did the doctor say again?”
If your documentation tool can also generate post-visit summaries, you can keep clients informed without adding tasks to your team’s to-do list. When integrated well, these tools enhance client satisfaction while giving your staff back valuable time.
5. Set boundaries to prevent burnout
At the height of summer, it’s easy to fall into a mindset of “just get through the day.” But when short-term survival becomes the default, burnout isn’t far behind. Instead, protect your team by building in boundaries and recovery time before the rush begins.
Create and enforce protected break times during each shift. Even just 15 minutes to eat and decompress can dramatically improve morale and reduce fatigue. Consider rotating staff schedules to allow midweek days off during especially busy weeks.
Just as important is defining and sticking to booking limits. Make it clear how many patients each vet can reasonably see in a day, and avoid excessive double-booking unless truly necessary.
Implementing a daily huddle, even for just 5 minutes at midday, can give your team a chance to recalibrate, raise red flags, and shift priorities before issues escalate. Operational efficiency doesn’t mean doing more with fewer people. It means doing the right things in the right way, so your team can stay energized and your patients receive the care they deserve.
Prep Now, breathe later
The summer rush is a challenge, but with the right strategies in place, it doesn’t have to be chaotic. By preparing ahead of time and implementing the right tools and strategies, your clinic can navigate peak season with confidence.
Take a moment to reflect: are your current workflows designed to handle peak season, or are they simply getting you through it? If your team is stretched thin, it may be time to rethink how your clinic operates before the summer gets into full swing.
Supportive tools like HappyDoc can support your team and work quietly in the background by automating documentation, streamlining communication, and surfacing valuable operational insights. With fewer administrative burdens, your team can focus on what they do best: delivering exceptional care to every patient.
