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Free template

Probation reviews that end in a decision, not a drift.

Probation only works if reviews actually happen and end in a recorded decision. This probation review form template gives a new vet, RVN or receptionist a fair, structured review in twenty minutes, and gives the practice a record it can rely on. See the structure below, then request the full version free.

Twenty minute structure Confirm, extend or end, recorded Free full version by email
A cat being examined by a new team member during their probation period
Reviews that happen
Decisions in writing
01What makes it different

The most expensive sentence in probation is: let us see how it goes. Decide on the date you set.

Probation drifts for kind reasons. The team is busy, the new starter is nice, the review slips a month, then three, and suddenly probation has passed by default with concerns never written down. If it later goes wrong, the practice has a longer serving employee and no record.

The form makes the review a fixed, short, structured event: what was expected, what was observed, what the new starter says, and a decision with a date on it. Fair to them, protective for you.

02Why probation drifts

Three probation failures a simple form prevents.

None of these need more management time. They need structure.

01

No expectations were set

A review can only measure against what was set at the start. The form opens with the objectives agreed in week one, which quietly forces that conversation to happen when it should.

02

Concerns lived only in corridors

If a concern was never written in a review, it effectively did not happen. The form gives observations a home while they are still small and fixable, which is also simply fairer to the new starter.

03

The end date passed silently

Passing probation by accident is a decision too, just an unmade one. The form's final section allows exactly three outcomes: confirm, extend with a plan and a new date, or end with notice. Nothing else.

What the form covers.

One form, used at each review point during probation.

  • Role and review basics: name, role, start date, review number and probation end date, so the timeline is visible on every page.
  • Objectives set at the start, carried forward review to review.
  • Competency and conduct observations, with veterinary prompts: clinical standards for registered roles, client communication, teamwork on the rota, timekeeping.
  • Attendance summary, factual not judgemental.
  • The new starter's view: what is going well, what support is missing, training needs.
  • Support agreed: mentoring, shadowing, training, adjusted supervision.
  • Decision: confirm in post, extend with plan and new date, or end employment with notice, each with its follow up steps listed.
  • Signatures and date, both parties, every time.

Free by email, usually the same day. If probation is already wobbling with someone, ask us before the end date, not after it.

03The systems

White-labelled systems, mapped to your kind of practice.

Every system carries your practice's name and branding, not ours. These are the ones that matter most here.

  • Employment contracts: Probation is only as strong as the clause behind it. We make sure length, extension rights and probation notice are actually in the contract.
  • Policies: A short probation policy, hosted and acknowledged, means every manager runs the same process.
  • Rota system: Reviews slip because diaries are chaos. A rota that shows who is in when makes the twenty minute review easy to actually book.
04Questions

Asked by practices like yours.

How long should probation be in a veterinary practice?

Three to six months is the common range, with six giving clinical roles enough rota cycles to be seen properly. What matters more than length is that the contract allows extension and that reviews happen on schedule.

How many reviews should we hold?

For a six month probation, a light check at one month, a mid point review and a final review works well. Short and regular beats one long meeting at the end, because problems get named while there is still time to fix them.

Can we extend probation?

Only sensibly if the contract provides for it, the extension is decided before the original end date, and the person gets the reasons and a plan in writing with a new date. The form's decision section walks through exactly that.

What if the final review says it is not working?

Then probation has done its job, hard as that is. Ending employment in probation still needs the contractual notice and a fair, documented reason. Take advice before the conversation, not after it.