Good link Sugarcatmom. I don't know much about cat clinics but, in clinics in general I know what I like.
Cleanliness is a basic necessity ~ period. If it doesn't look clean to my naked eye then there is a large chance of
being everywhere.
Facilities: make sure that the lay-out is suitable to your pet. If you have an animal with mobility issues, stairs into and inside of the clinic may pose a problem. If there is a shortage of staff to lift or if your animal has a fear of being lifted, exam tables have to be stretcher-style (lift up and down).
The reception staff must be welcoming to me and pet-friendly. At my clinic, the staff always come around or lean over the counter to say hello and on our way out make a point to give one of my waggers a treat and a bit of luvin's. In my clinic, it's unusual to wait but it is a busy one and when there will be a wait they always let me know if the doctor can't see me at our scheduled time, why, how long I might expect to wait and ask whether I would like to see another doctor. They also respond in hyper-time on any occasion I've brought one of my dog's in distress.
The Tech's must be knowledgeable and sensitive to my animal's "peculiarities" and their physical needs. In other words, I need to know they're listening to me when I tell them about my animal and see them use the skills they've been taught, with the information I've given them, to help my animal through whatever it is we're doing that day. Like nurses, tech's are the world's unsung heroes in my books.
Current diagnostic equipment
can be important (I'll put a stress on "can" as one of the best vets I've ever met came out to our farm ~ another life of mine
~ with not much more than a stethoscope). But, if you are dealing with a clinic, it's sometimes helpful, timesaving and cost-saving if they have their own x-ray, ultrasound etc.. This can become particularly important when you have an animal with a chronic illness.
The vet: I like my vet because she likes my dogs and is really good with them, she is knowledgeable about vet medicine, keeps her self current by attending conferences and reading the journals, she is open to ideas and discussion with me and is willing to respect a "difference of opinion", her staff respect her and like her and she is willing to say "I don't know ~ time for a specialist". And she is great with follow-up and care, recognizing that I have little more free time than she does, "checking-up" whether it's by phone, by email, fax or in person.
It's a package deal and it's not unlike falling in love ~ you just know when you have the real thing.