Don't Ghost Your Culture — What Is Practice Culture and Why Does It Matter?
You can have top-of-the-line equipment, gold-standard protocols, and a schedule packed with patients… but if your team is walking on eggshells, burning out, or quietly disengaging, your practice will feel it. So will your clients. And, eventually, so will your bottom line.
Practice culture is the soul of your clinic. You don't always see it on a spreadsheet, but it shows up in everything, from the way your team handles a tough emergency to how they celebrate a win at the end of a long day.
As Dr. Michele Drake puts it, "Culture isn't optional. You either define it or leave it up to interpretation. And when that happens, chaos fills the gap."
This time of year, it's easy to joke about spooky vibes, but truthfully, there's nothing more haunting than a toxic or neglected culture. That creeping feeling that something's off? That's not in your head. And it won't fix itself.
In this post, we're not just talking theory. We're walking through what practice culture actually is, how to spot the early signs that it's slipping, and most importantly, how to revive it with intention.
Because when your culture is healthy, your team thrives, your clients stay, and your practice grows.
What is Practice Culture & Why Does It Matter?
Practice culture isn't just "vibes" or a poster in the breakroom with words like teamwork and integrity. It's the living, breathing energy that fills your clinic the moment the lights turn on and the first patient walks through the door.
According to Dr. Michele Drake, "Culture is the heartbeat of your practice. It shows up in every interaction, between your team, with your clients, and even in the way you care for patients."
- It's how your front desk responds to a frazzled pet parent.
- It's how your techs support each other during a tough euthanasia.
- It's how your doctors handle conflict when two cases roll in at once.
- It's whether your team feels safe saying, "I need help," or "I’m not sure how to do this?"
When culture is strong, your clinic runs like a well-oiled machine, even on a triple-booked Monday. However, when culture starts to slip, even the best medicine won't save you from turnover, tension, and team burnout.
Culture matters because it directly impacts:
- Client retention: People feel the difference when your team is aligned.
- Team performance: Happy teams communicate better and work more efficiently.
- Reputation: Your culture shows up in every review and every word-of-mouth referral.
- Patient outcomes: Less chaos means better focus, resulting in improved care.
In short? Culture isn't a soft skill. It's the foundation that holds your practice together or tears it apart.
Signs Your Culture Might Be Haunting You
If you're experiencing any of these, your culture may be whispering for help from the beyond:
- A revolving door of doctors or support staff
- Cliques forming among team members or silos between the front and the back of the practice
- Passive-aggressive notes left in the treatment area
- Low energy, even when the caseload is manageable
- Missed patient care steps due to poor communication
- Clients sensing the tension
Veterinary medicine is hard enough without a haunted work environment. A healthy culture doesn't make the job easy, but it does make it sustainable, supportive, and even joyful. And that can be the difference between burnout and longevity.
The Trick to Building Culture: Make It Intentional
Culture doesn't fix itself. It won't shift just because you want it to. You have to name it, build it, and protect it daily. And no, a pizza party won't fix it alone (but pizza never hurts).
Here are three core strategies that breathe real life back into your clinic culture:
1. Define Your Core Values (And Actually Use Them)
Your values shouldn't be confined to a binder collecting dust. They should guide you to:
- Handle conflict
- Recognize effort
- Make hiring and firing decisions
- Measure team success
Genius Example:
- If "Compassion" is a core value, how does your team respond to a client after euthanasia?
- If "Growth" matters, how do you create CE pathways and mentorship opportunities for every role?
Put your values into real scenarios. Discuss them in team meetings. Use them as a filter for every decision. That's how culture becomes real.
2. Prioritize Psychological Safety
Your team should never hesitate to ask for help, report a missed charge, or admit a mistake. If fear is the norm, your culture will wither fast.
As a leader, model vulnerability and welcome feedback. And when someone speaks up, respond with support, not shame. When psychological safety is in place, your team will show up more engaged, more accountable, and more united.
3. Celebrate the Good (Loudly and Often)
Culture is reinforced by what you reward. Recognize team members who live out your values. Highlight small wins. Turn praise into a regular occurrence, not something that shows up on special occasions.
Whether it's a tech who crushed a tough blood draw, a receptionist who calmed a worried pet parent, or a vet who jumped in to help a teammate, say it out loud.
Genius tip: Set up a "Caught You Caring" board in the breakroom. When someone does something extraordinary, write it down and post it. It builds connections and reinforces shared values, while also shifting the tone of the practice.
Don't Let Culture Be the Skeleton in Your Closet
Culture might not be a line item in your PIMS, but you know when it's thriving and when it's not. The biggest mistake practice owners make? Ignoring culture because it's not a tangible metric.
You can't chart it. You can't bill for it. But your team can feel it. And your clients? They feel it, too.
A healthy culture isn't fluff. It's the framework for how your practice operates, grows, and sustains through the toughest seasons.
Let's Pull Culture Out of the Shadows
We get it, addressing culture can feel daunting. You might be thinking, Where do I even begin? But you don't have to figure it out alone.
If you've been feeling that subtle "something's off" or your team is more stressed than synced, take the first step to recalibrate your culture with confidence. That's why we created something to make the first step easier.
Join Our Free Practice Culture Workshop
This isn't your average webinar. This is a hands-on, veterinary-savvy, judgment-free space where we'll help you:
- Assess your current culture using real clinic scenarios
- Identify friction points in your client and patient flow
- Define (or refine) your core values in a way your whole team can buy into
- Walk away with an actionable culture plan, not just theory
Whether you're starting from scratch, rebuilding after turnover, or looking to energize your team—this is where clarity begins.
Your Culture Deserves More Than Silence
So, don't ghost your culture. Don't let it wither in the shadows. With a bit of intention and the proper guidance, your culture can be the soul of your practice, the part that keeps clients coming back and your team excited to stay.
Let's turn your culture from spooky to spectacular.
Book your complimentary Marketing Health Exam now to scare the ghouls and goblins right out of your practice's culture