When Megan Boda saw the only full-time doctor at her single-DVM practice walk out the door, she didn't know what to do. Without the support of Roo Relief Vets, she would have been forced to close her hospital!
Megan Boda is an experienced hospital manager with over 17 years of experience, who currently runs Highland Square Family Vet in Lakeland, Florida. Today, her primary concern as a practice manager is ensuring continuity of patient care without disruption.
“We had existing clients that were used to being able to get in, and you have to have somebody here to see them."
Part of running a practice is being consistently faced with gaps in staff coverage. Sometimes the need is short term, like finding Saturday coverage for pre-planned staff time off. Other times, the situation is more dire, like when her only full-time Veterinarian left her previous practice — this requires a reliable, long-term solution.
But Megan’s staffing issues were not limited to Veterinarians — Technician shortages also pose operational hurdles, especially when trying to provide her team with much-needed time off. Megan needed a flexible solution that could provide both Veterinarian and Technician coverage seamlessly.
Given these challenges, she turned to Roo, the leading veterinary relief service, to address her hospitals’ immediate and ongoing needs.
Thankfully, Megan’s been able to rely on Roo to find Relief Veterinarians and Technicians when faced with critical gaps in staff coverage. She found the process incredibly efficient:
“Every shift I posted was almost always picked up. It just seemed like there was always somebody available and willing.”
One of Megan’s favorite things about Roo is her ability to review potential Relief Vets and Techs before hiring them. She loves looking at honest reviews from the hospitals Vets worked at previously before making a decision for who will help at her hospital. She also enjoys being able to see Vets’ reviews of her own hospital and makes changes based on their feedback.
Above all, Megan appreciated the simplicity of the Roo platform, which saved her A LOT of time. Before Roo, she had to send numerous emails and make calls in an attempt to only possibly secure coverage. With Roo, she simply posts a shifts and waits. “I didn’t have to do any searching. I just put my needs up, and done. It was incredibly simple.”
“Every single [Relief Vet] that came in here had the best attitude, and they were so friendly! Relief Vets can be a little iffy, especially because everything’s new. But it seemed like every single one just slid in with no problem.”
The impact of Roo on Megan’s hospital was significant. At her previous hospital, Roo literally saved them from shutting down — “If we weren’t able to fill those shifts, we would literally be closed.”
For her current hospital, the availability of relief staff means weekend and vacation coverage is no longer a concern.
Roo also helps her to find high-quality professionals who seamlessly integrate into their team. In one standout case, a relief veterinarian’s presence lifted the entire staff’s morale.
“She came in with such a presence and immediately gained the trust of the other doctor that was here that day. It felt like she had worked here for years.”
The transparency and reliability of Roo’s vetting process ensures Megan can always have confidence in the relief professionals she hires. “It’s pretty much guaranteed that you’re going to get somebody good,” she noted, emphasizing the platform’s effectiveness.
Roo proved to be a game-changer for Megan and her hospitals. It streamlined relief staffing, minimized disruptions in patient care, and provided access to a network of reliable professionals. “Honestly, I don’t have enough good things to say about it,” she said.
For veterinary hospitals facing similar staffing challenges, Megan’s advice is simple: “Just use it. You’ll find somebody, I promise.”
Roo’s wide network, ease of use, and consistent results make it an invaluable resource for veterinary professionals looking to maintain smooth operations without the headache of traditional relief staffing methods.
