Summer Is Coming in Hot. Are You Prepared?

Summer is coming. You already know that.

You can feel it in the schedule starting to fill up. You can see it in the number of calls coming in. And if you have been in practice for more than one summer, you already know what that stretch feels like from the inside.

For a lot of practices, the summer game plan goes something like this: everybody hold on, work as hard as possible, and hope nobody quits before September.

That is a plan.

It is just not a very good one.

There is a better way to approach this — and it starts now.

Your team is going to work hard this summer. Make sure they know you know that.

High volume is great for the business. It’s also genuinely tough on people. The practices that come out of summer strong are not the ones that just survived it… they are the ones that prepared their people for it.

So instead of bracing for impact, start planning for energy.

Pull up your calendar and drop in a few small, intentional moments your team can actually look forward to. Not big, expensive gestures. Just thoughtful ones.

A mocktail bar that shows up on a random Wednesday in July.
Superhero dress-up day.
Casual Thursdays.
A Starbucks run after a packed week.
Gatorades on a hot afternoon.
Breakfast brought in “just because.”

None of these cost much.

But every single one sends the same message:
I saw this busy season coming. I thought about you. And I wanted to make it better.

That message matters more than most leaders realize.

Now let’s talk about support.

If you think you might need extra hands this summer, start that process right now.

Hiring in July when you are already underwater is not a strategy — it is damage control.

Look ahead and give yourself options.

And seriously consider interns.

College students, recent high school grads, even former patients looking for summer work — there are people out there right now who would love the opportunity.

An intern can greet patients, run errands, help with light tasks, and take pressure off your team in all the small ways that add up.

You can structure it as an hourly role, or even offer a completion bonus at the end of the summer for finishing strong.

For you, it is a short-term commitment.

For your team, it is real breathing room.

And for some of them, it may turn into your next great hire.

Here’s the bottom line:

Summer is going to happen whether you plan for it or not.

The only question is… does it happen to you, or for you?

Start planning now.

Your future self — and your team — will thank you.

 

Proactive, Productive, and Profitable,
Dino