How to Improve Vet Clinic Workflows with Process Mapping

If Your Workflow Looks Like This…

If your vet clinic workflow feels like a conspiracy theory in progress - arrows pointing everywhere, staff overwhelmed, clients frustrated - you’re not alone. The usual fixes (fancy software, new protocols, another meeting) just add another archaeological layer to the board without solving the underlying problem.

The truth is, we waste even more time and money haphazardly throwing band-aid solutions at the chaos. But if the vet clinic workflow itself is broken, no amount of red string will ever solve the mystery.

That’s where process mapping comes in. It helps you:

• Visualize bottlenecks and redundancies

• Understand what actually happens (not just what you think the issue is)

• Improve patient outcomes and staff satisfaction

• Prioritize where to focus your efforts

Process mapping isn’t a cure-all, but it is your diagnostic tool for operations: a way to regain control when the situation feels hopeless and to institute changes that actually make sense. 

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Step-by-Step: How to Improve Your Vet Clinic Workflow with Process Mapping

1. Clarify Your Goal

Before grabbing sticky notes or whiteboarding a flowchart, ask:

What do we want to improve?

• Reduce client wait times?

• Improve communication?

• Decrease staff overtime?

Example: "We want to reduce check-in chaos at the front desk."

Start with one specific pain point. Do not attempt to map your entire clinic’s workflow in one go - no matter how many energy drinks you’ve had that day.

2. Choose a Workflow to Map

Pick something specific and singular.

Good Starter Examples:

• Appointment booking

• Prescription refill requests

• Patient discharge

Choose a part of the vet clinic workflow that your staff already complains about. This is not only a red flag, but a built-in motivator.

💡 Tip: Choose a part of the vet clinic workflow that your staff already complains about. This is not only a red flag, but a built-in motivator.

3. List Key Activities & Who Does Them

For each step:

• Be specific:

  • "Tech records weight and temperature in medical record" is better than "Take vitals"

• Who participates?

  • Technician 1

  • Veterinary Assistant

• Include tools/systems used:

  • Medical record system/Computer

  • Scale

  • Thermometer

• Note overlapping duties:

  • Technician restraining dog alone while taking temperature

  • Assistant discharging patient while new intake is waiting

This uncovers hidden workloads and friction.

4. Put the Steps in Order Visually

If you want to do it “officially,” use process mapping symbols to create a simple diagram. Before you start drawing arrows like a conspiracy theorist on a crime board, take a look at the standard process mapping symbols. Using consistent shapes keeps everyone on the same page.

If this is too overwhelming, don’t overcomplicate it. Post-it notes on a wall go a long way. Ideally, translate to digital later so you can revisit it in the future.

🎨 Easy & free tool for making these diagrams: Draw.io

5. Map Sub-Processes (Advanced Mode)

Start simply with the big picture, but once ready, break down complex steps into their own maps (“sub-processes”). These are shown with a rectangle and vertical side lines, indicating that the viewer should refer to a separate process map.

For example, “Run labwork” could be broken down into:

• Identify what tubes and volume are needed

• Enter lab request into medical record system

• Collect blood

• Run machine

• Get results

• Distribute to doctor, who analyzes

• Input into medical records (if not automatic)

Consider each of these steps and all the things that can go wrong (and do so daily). This is the analysis level where you’ll really start finding the juicy details that are wreaking havoc on your workflow.

6. Review with Staff

Sit down with the people who actually do the work. Managers, do not skip this. Saying this in the nicest way possible: you may be disconnected from what really happens on the floor. This step also builds accuracy and trust.

Managers, do not skip this. Saying this in the nicest way possible: you may be disconnected from what really happens on the floor.

Ask:

• "Is this really how it happens?"

• "What gets skipped, delayed, or done differently on a busy day?"

7. Identify Bottlenecks

Look for:

• Backups: Waiting rooms, task piles, unread emails

• Task Repetition: Double-entry in systems

• Handoffs: Tasks bouncing between people or roles

Example: Tech hands off ear cytology to lab assistant → lab assistant stains & reads → doctor waits → client waits.

Both lab assistant and doctor are bottlenecks if overloaded.

8. Prioritize Bottlenecks

You can't fix everything. Focus on:

• Frequency: How often it causes issues

• Impact: Client complaints? Missed charges? Medical implications?

• Ripple Effects: Does it affect other parts of the vet clinic workflow?

📊 Recommendation: Use a simple 5-point ranking system, with team input.

9. Choose 1–3 Priority Issues

Tackle the highest-ranked friction points first. These will make you feel better the fastest.

Example: If discharging causes daily chaos due to poor communication, creating discharge templates is a higher priority than fixing occasional inventory gaps.

10. Brainstorm Solutions

Get the whole team involved. Techs and CSRs often bring the most creative and practical fixes.

Possible fixes:

• Workflow change

• Task reassignment

• Automated systems & AI tools

11. Select & Implement

Pick a solution that is:

• Feasible with current resources

• Likely to have a measurable impact

Assign ownership for specific tasks and set a timeline.

12. Set SMART or Stretch Goals

Setting SMART goals around your vet clinic workflow improvements keeps teams accountable. SMART = Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound

Example: Reduce average discharge time from 20 to 10 minutes within 60 days.

13. Repeat

Workflow improvements need to be managed long-term. As your clinic evolves, so should your processes.

Recommendation: Keep your process maps updated and recheck the mapping when problems occur again.

📝 Blog: Getting Started with Continuous Improvement in Veterinary Practices

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Example: Prescription Refill Workflow

Goal: Reduce phone chaos and refill delays

Steps:

1. Client calls clinic

2. Receptionist logs request

3. Doctor reviews chart

4. Approves/denies refill

5. Tech fills or calls back client

6. Client picks up meds

Frequent Bottlenecks:

• Doctors interrupted during appointments to approve

• Receptionist backlog from multiple communication channels (phone, voicemail, text, fax, the pile of notes I absolutely never put on the receptionists’ desk)

• Angry clients waiting for callbacks

Chosen Fix:

• Batch approvals once daily

• Add online refill request form

• Ensure initial refill amount matches recheck timeline

SMART Goal: Reduce refill turnaround from 2 days to 24 hours in 3 months

Final Thought: Don’t Skip the Mapping

If you jump straight to solutions without understanding the problem, you’ll waste time, money, and your staff’s patience.

Process mapping is your diagnostic tool for identifying and fixing problems in your vet clinic workflow.

Fix the workflow first. Then explore tools like AI, automation, and delegation.

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👉 Coming soon: Using AI Tools to Solve Veterinary Workflow Bottlenecks