How many working hours go every month into someone collecting leave requests by email, counting the remaining days by hand and keeping track of who is away when? Leave and sick day management is one of those routine tasks that rarely runs smoothly, until it becomes part of the clinic management system itself. That’s exactly what VetsWise offers: every staff member requests their own time off, and management approves it with one click, with no spreadsheets and no forgotten requests.
My schedule: every staff member’s personal page
Every user has their own My schedule page, with a personal calendar of their approved time off and their current paid leave balance in days. From there, the Request leave button submits a new request in minutes. No need to write an email or track down the administrator: the request goes straight through the system.
Three types of absence for a clinic’s real needs
Not every absence is the same, so VetsWise distinguishes three types, each with its own rules:
- Paid leave: deducted from the staff member’s annual balance and checked against the days available.
- Unpaid leave: doesn’t use the paid balance and can be requested even when no days are left.
- Sick leave: records an absence due to illness and doesn’t reduce the paid balance either.
When the paid leave balance reaches zero, the system automatically offers unpaid leave, so the staff member is never stuck and always has a suitable option.
Sick leave with an attached note and comments
When sick leave is chosen, the form requires an attached document, a scanned doctor’s note, which is stored securely and is available only to administrators through a protected download link. Any request, whatever its type, can also include a free-text note where the staff member explains the reason or the dates. All the information is in one place instead of scattered across conversations and messages.
Approval and real-time notifications
The moment a new request comes in, administrators get a notification, both inside the system and by email. In the admin list of requests, they see the staff member, the type of absence, the dates and the note, and decide whether to approve or decline. The status of every request is clearly visible: pending, approved or declined. The staff member in turn is notified of the decision, without having to ask and wait.
Protection against double-booking
Approved leave isn’t just a record; it actually affects the schedule. The absence shows as an all-day event in the calendar, color-coded by type (sick leave is red, for example), so it’s immediately clear who is away. While a staff member is on approved leave, the system won’t let anyone book appointments with them, either through the clinic’s internal calendar or through external online booking.
These leave events are also protected against accidental edits: they can’t be dragged, resized or turned into a regular appointment. The staff schedule stays reliable, and no vet ends up booked for a procedure on a day they’re actually on leave.
Filtering and export for reporting
For accounting and management, the list of requests can be filtered by type of absence and by status, and the result downloads as a file with the cells color-coded by status. Summing up leave at the end of the month goes from a manual chore to a few clicks.
Frequently asked questions
Does unpaid leave reduce the paid leave balance?
No. Unpaid leave and sick leave don’t use the staff member’s paid balance. Only paid leave reduces the available days shown in My schedule.
Is a document required for sick leave?
Yes. When the Sick leave type is chosen, the system requires an attached document (a doctor’s note), which is stored securely and can be downloaded only by administrators.
Can someone book an appointment with a staff member who is on leave?
No. While the leave is approved, VetsWise blocks appointments for that staff member, both in the internal calendar and through external online booking, to avoid double-booking.
Who approves leave requests?
Requests are reviewed and approved by the clinic’s administrators, who are notified of every new request and decide whether to approve or decline it.
Try VetsWise and make leave and sick day management part of your clinic’s everyday work: sign up for free, or see how the staff schedule works.
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