Veterinary Receptionist Week: Dates, Ideas and Gifts

Veterinary Receptionist Week is the last full week of April, set aside to thank the people who answer the phones, check in every patient and greet every worried owner at the front desk. The next one runs Sunday, April 18 to Saturday, April 24, 2027. When receptionists were asked what they wanted for it, the answers were modest: coffee, a break, respect and a plain thank-you. The ideas and gifts below start from there, with the dates for the next few years and the story of who started the week.

When is Veterinary Receptionist Week?

The rule comes from the week's founder and is posted on the official Veterinary Receptionist Week website: the week is celebrated the last full week of April each year. The site also publishes the exact dates ahead of time, and they run Sunday to Saturday:

The site already lists 2029 too (April 22 to 28). The 2026 week ran April 19 to 25.

You may see other dates. One New Zealand clinic, for example, counted the 2026 week Monday to Sunday and posted April 20 to 26. If you're planning a celebration, go with the dates on the official site.

The timing isn't random. The founder chose to share the slot with Secretaries Week, now called Administrative Professionals Week. If you post about it, the founder's hashtag is #VeterinaryReceptionistWeek.

Who started Veterinary Receptionist Week?

Veterinary Receptionist Week was started by Ethel Pawlak, who runs the official website and its Instagram account, @VetReceptionZest. On Dr. Ernie Ward's Veterinary Viewfinder podcast in 2023, she was introduced as the person who started the week, and the episode covered her decades in veterinary practice.

When exactly it began is less clear. That 2023 episode put the start "some nineteen years" earlier, which points to the mid-2000s, while other accounts give different starting points. The official site doesn't name a founding year, so we won't either.

Pawlak has also written about how to celebrate. Her 2021 dvm360 article on normalizing gratitude is full of practical ideas, and several of them appear below.

She meant the week as a counterpart to Vet Tech Appreciation Week, held the third week of October. As the official site puts it, the reception team is "the other portion of veterinary support staff," and giving them their own week also helps the departments in a clinic appreciate each other.

Why the front desk gets its own week

Receptionists are often the first person a pet owner talks to and the last one they see before they leave. In between, they carry information between clients, veterinarians and the technical team. The founder's site makes a point every manager should hear: a loyal, long-serving receptionist is often part of the reason clients come back year after year, sometimes pet after pet.

It's emotional work as well. A veterinary receptionist writing for dvm360 in 2026 described the job as calming anxious clients and supporting grieving families, on top of keeping the schedule moving. Owners also tell receptionists things they don't feel comfortable telling the rest of the medical team, which puts the front desk in a real position to speak up for a pet's health. Dr. Ward's podcast summed it up: receptionists can make or break a veterinary visit.

On a normal day, the job usually includes:

• greeting clients and checking in patients
• answering phones, client questions and emails
• screening calls and scheduling appointments
• handling the mail and the paperwork that comes with every visit

For the full picture, including the skills it takes, see our guide to the role of a veterinary receptionist.

How clinics can celebrate their receptionists

Start with what receptionists say they want. When DrAndyRoark.com asked them, the answers were plain: a coffee gift card, a break or an extra day off, respect, the same continuing education (CE) chances other departments get, and in a couple of cases a raise. One said simply that every receptionist would love a thanks. The article's author, Kelsey Beth Carpenter, RVT, added her own point: pay them fairly for the skills and patience the job takes.

Here's how to turn that into a week:

• Write cards that name something specific. "Thanks for handling that difficult client" or "thanks for explaining that medication" lands better than "you're great." Pawlak suggests having doctors and managers sign personal cards.
• Give real time off. An extra paid day off, a long lunch or a late start. If the phones still need answering, schedule someone else to cover them.
• Feed the team, carefully. A potluck, a sundae bar or boxed lunches all work. Check allergies and diets first, as Pawlak points out.
• Spotlight one receptionist a day on the clinic's social pages, with a photo and a few lines about what they do for clients.
• Invest in their skills. Pay for a workshop or a CE course.
• Small things count. A gift card, their usual coffee order, or a snack drawer for the days nobody had time to pack lunch.

• Announce it ahead of time so nobody feels left out, and remember the rest of the support team, such as kennel assistants, groomers and janitorial staff.

One line from Pawlak's article is worth repeating: all the thanks in the world won't replace a fair salary, good health benefits and decent working conditions. A week of appreciation works on top of those, not instead of them.

How pet owners can thank the front desk

You don't need to spend anything:

• Write a short card about one moment, like the receptionist who squeezed in your sick cat or stayed calm on the phone when you weren't.
• If your clinic puts up a "wall of appreciation" or posts receptionist spotlights, add a message or a comment.
• Leave a review that names them. AAHA suggests this for thanking vet techs, and it works just as well for the front desk.
• Make their day easier: arrive on time, follow any pre-visit instructions, and be kind on the phone, especially when the clinic is running behind.

Thinking of a gift for the whole team? Our guide to the best gifts to thank your veterinarian has ideas the front desk can share too.

Veterinary Receptionist Week gift ideas

Most of these picks are I Love Veterinary best sellers, ranked by our own orders over the last 18 months. The two card sets sell in smaller numbers; we included them because they fit the week. Everything here is something a receptionist can wear, use at the desk or share with the team.

Something to wear

Vet Receptionist Pawprint zip hoodie. Our best-selling receptionist product. The back is a paw print built from the jobs a receptionist does in a day: secretary, mediator, advocate, life saver, shoulder to cry on, "answering phones," "appointments" and the occasional "eye boogie picker," with "Vet Receptionist" underneath. The zip front makes it easy to throw over scrubs when the front door keeps opening on a cold morning. There's no name printed on it, so you can order for the whole desk; you'll just need everyone's sizes.

Vet Receptionist Pawprint crewneck sweatshirt. The same paw-print design on the front of a crewneck. Better for after work than for layering over scrubs, since there's no zip.

For the desk and the break room

Being a Vet Receptionist Is Easy! candle. A soy candle with the label: "It's like riding a bike. Except the bike is on fire. You are on fire. Everything is on fire!" Anyone who has worked a Monday morning at the front desk will laugh. It comes in several scents and a no-scent option. For the office manager or front-desk lead, the Being a Vet Office Manager Is Easy! candle carries the same joke and is one of our best sellers overall. Both are inside jokes, so they land best coming from a coworker.

Vet Receptionist Pawprint hardcover notebook. The paw-print design on a hardcover notebook in six colors. Handy for call-back lists, messages and the notes that never fit in the practice software. Less useful for someone who keeps everything on their phone.

Fur, Slobber & Scratches drawstring bag. "Covered in fur, slobber & scratches, just another day at the office." One of our best sellers, and it suits anyone at the clinic, front desk included. Light and easy to grab for lunch or a change of clothes, but not built for heavy loads.

Cards for the whole desk

Happy Vet Receptionist Week cards. A set of 10 flat 5x7 cards with cartoon cats and "Happy Vet Receptionist Week" on the front. One set covers the whole desk, and the back is the place for the specific thank-you receptionists say they want.

Paid Day Off cards. A set of 10 cards that say "Paid Day Off," with envelopes. A good way to hand over the extra day off receptionists keep asking for. The card only works if the day off is real, so book it in the schedule first.

You'll find the rest of the range in our vet receptionist collection. Ordering for the whole front desk? Our bulk order page covers team orders.

Happy Veterinary Receptionist Week

Put April 18 to 24, 2027 in the clinic calendar now, pick one or two ideas, and book the cover for the phones before the week arrives. If you're a vet receptionist, tell us on our social pages how your team celebrated you.

Veterinary Receptionist Week FAQs

Originally written by Sharmaine. Updated by the I Love Veterinary editorial team.

Sources

• Veterinary Receptionist Week (official website): Home, dates for future celebrations
• Veterinary Receptionist Week (official website): About, Why We Celebrate
• Ethel Ava Pawlak, dvm360: Celebrating National Veterinary Receptionist Week by normalizing gratitude (2021)
• Kelly Kulhavy, dvm360: Veterinary Receptionist Week and you (2026)
• Dr. Ernie Ward, Veterinary Viewfinder podcast: Veterinary Receptionist Appreciation Week 2023 with Founder Ethel Pawlak
• Kelsey Beth Carpenter, DrAndyRoark.com: What Do Veterinary Receptionists REALLY Want for Veterinary Receptionist Week?
• PetDesk: Celebrate Your Team During Veterinary Receptionist Week
• AAHA: National Veterinary Technician Week, Showing Appreciation to Veterinary Teams
• Encore Vet Group: Celebrating Veterinary Receptionist Week 2026
• Nelson Vets (New Zealand clinic), Facebook: Veterinary Receptionist Week, April 2026
• I Love Veterinary store order data, last 18 months (gift picks)