“Not Just a Receptionist”

Why Vet Receptionists Deserve Better Training

When you first get hired as a veterinary receptionist, chances are, you haven’t gone through a formal program that prepared you for the job. And even if you have taken a course—like the Veterinary Office and Animal Care (VOAC) program I did at Douglas College—the reality is, reception and admin work are only a small piece of the puzzle. In my six-month program, we spent maybe two weeks focused on the front desk side of things.

But here’s the thing: being a veterinary receptionist isn’t like being a receptionist anywhere else.

Before I worked in vet med, I was a receptionist for businesses like The Royal Bank of Canada and KPMG. I worked in customer service and hospitality in restaurants and retail stores—you name it. I know customer service. And I brought all of that experience with me into every vet reception role I’ve had. But even with all that background, nothing quite prepared me for how different veterinary reception is.

Yes, you need customer service skills. But you also need medical knowledge.

You need to know:

• What diseases we vaccinate against.

• What different parasites look like and how we treat them.

• How to pronounce and understand medical terminology.

• How to recognize an emergency.

• How to triage a phone call while also checking someone in, filling out a prescription, and comforting a client who’s just said goodbye to their pet.

It’s a lot. It’s not just “booking appointments and answering phones.” It’s being the first and last point of contact for every client. It’s wearing a hundred hats. And most of the time? You’re learning all of it on the job.

The problem is, when we hire receptionists based purely on personality and toss them into the deep end with little to no training, we set them up to fail. And if the person training them is already overwhelmed, under-supported, or under-trained themselves, now you’ve got two receptionists struggling—and the client experience, the team, and the clinic suffer for it.

Onboarding shouldn’t be guesswork. It shouldn’t rely on who happens to be available to show someone the ropes between phone calls and checking in surgeries.

Veterinary receptionists deserve structured, thoughtful, dedicated training. Because this role is critical. It’s medical. It’s emotional. It’s high-pressure and high-stakes. And when we invest in proper training, we create stronger teams, happier clients, and better outcomes for the pets we care for.

It’s time we stop saying “just a receptionist.”

We’re client educators, care coordinators, and the front line of every clinic.

We deserve to be trained like it

So We Know Why—But How Do We Train Better?

We’ve talked about why veterinary receptionists deserve better training. But now let’s get into the real question:

How do we actually do it better?

Because here’s the truth—most clinics don’t have a structured way to train new receptionists. The training usually falls on an already-overworked team member who’s juggling their own responsibilities while trying to onboard someone new. That means both people are operating at half capacity. The new receptionist isn’t getting proper support, and the experienced one is burning out. It’s not efficient—and it’s not sustainable.

That’s where Pawsitive Reception comes in.

1. Dedicated On-Site Support

I don’t just hand over a workbook and wish you luck—I show up. I step into the training role so your team doesn’t have to. Your staff gets to focus on their jobs, and I take care of the new hire. They learn the flow, the language, the triage, the tech, the communication—and they learn it from someone who knows both vet med and professional reception.

At the end of it? You’ve got a receptionist who’s trained, confident, and clinic-ready—without pulling your existing team away from their work.

2. Flexible, Self-Paced Online Modules

If bringing someone in physically isn’t ideal, no problem. The Pawsitive Reception online training modules are designed to slot into the real-life flow of your clinic.

When the new receptionist isn’t needed at the front desk—or while the team is managing high call volume—the trainee can jump on the computer and work through short, focused lessons.

They’re bite-sized. They’re practical. They’re not weeks-long commitments that leave you paying someone to sit behind a screen instead of learning hands-on.

3. Continuing Education for Current Receptionists

This isn’t just for new hires.

I offer CE videos and resources designed to help current receptionists level up their skills too. Maybe they’ve never been taught how to deal with a difficult client without escalating the situation. Maybe they don’t realize how valuable that price shopper on the phone could be—because no one’s ever explained it in real terms.

I’m giving them strategies. Tools. Confidence. And a perspective that says, “Hey, you’re not just answering phones—you’re building client relationships and clinic revenue.”

Veterinary reception is hard.

It’s emotionally exhausting. It’s fast-paced. It requires medical knowledge, empathy, communication skills, and nerves of steel.

And yet… so many receptionists are thrown into it with zero training and told to “figure it out.”

Let’s stop doing that.

Let’s give vet receptionists the training they need—and deserve—to actually succeed in this role.

Whether it’s on-site support, flexible modules, or CE content for your current team—Pawsitive Reception is here to make sure the people holding down your front desk are equipped, confident, and proud of the work they do.

Because this job isn’t easy.

But with the right training?

It can be a lot more rewarding.