Finding your first job: Realizing your dreams

It is time to go to work. You have been in school for nearly eight yearsand within a few months you will receive your veterinary degree and becomea licensed veterinarian. Naturally you are eager to find a job. After all,you have devoted most of your time and effort toward reaching this goal.Just as you have spent a lot of time studying the various subjects in theveterinary curriculum, you will be well served by spending additional timein seeking your first job as a veterinarian. Each of you will have investedwell over $200,000 in your education so it is important that you find aposition in which you can begin to recover your investment. Equally important,it is critical that you find a position that will be rewarding and satisfyingto you. There are many factors that you should consider when seeking yourfirst veterinary position. These factors include quality of practice, growthopportunities, type of practice, geographic location, and community benefitsand services. These factors are reviewed in this article.

What quality of medicine do you want to practice?

A desire that is frequently expressed on the résumés ofnew graduates is that they want to work in a clinic or hospital where highquality medicine and surgery is practiced. This is a laudable objective.It may be the most important factor in selecting your first job.

"I recommend that you carefully pick your first jobs based on yourperception of the quality of medicine practiced there and the positive toneof the owners, associate veterinarians and other staff members," Dr.Ross Clark, noted author and veterinary entrepreneur, says. "Your levelof financial success, as well as the quality of medicine you practice, isvery likely to be a mirror image of the first practice."

Adding to Clark's advice, there is empirical evidence that one of themajor reasons that new graduates leave their first position is because ofdissatisfaction with the quality of medicine practiced. If you truly wantto practice quality veterinary medicine, then it behooves you to investigateeach of your job opportunities carefully. Unless you are unusually astute,it is unlikely you can do this in a short interview.

* Determining Quality Medicine. How can you determine the qualityof medicine practiced? Although quality may mean different things to differentpeople, there are a number of factors you can explore. You may be able tolearn a lot from a telephone call and it is essential that you spend timein the practice. Interact with the doctors and the staff. Listen carefullyand ask pertinent questions. It is also important to use your senses. Isthe facility clean and well organized? Is it free of odors? Does the practicehave adequate equipment to provide quality services? Does the practice havethe appropriate doctor/staff ratio? What is the quality of the radiographs?How thorough are the doctors in their diagnostic work ups. What qualitycontrol procedures are practiced? What is the attitude of the doctors towardone another, staff, clients and patients? Is there evidence of in-housecontinuing education? Does the practice use modern sterile technique forsurgeries? Are modern drugs and treatments in use? Is perioperative analgesiaused? Are modern business practices applied and evidenced? Ask to see theemployee handbook. Is there a practice policy and procedures manual? Canyou determine the mission of the practice? Is it stated anywhere in thepractice? How does the practice handle legal and regulatory matters? Doesthe practice's philosophy on cosmetic surgery and genetic defects matchwith yours?

From this list of questions, it should be clear that there are many factorsthat can affect the quality of medicine practiced. If you want to practicehigh quality medicine and surgery, you can improve your chances of job satisfactionand success by obtaining appropriate answers to the questions presentedabove.

What are the opportunities for personal, professional and financialgrowth?

* Personal Growth. The opportunity to grow in your first job maybe as important as the quality of medicine practiced. Obviously if one doesn'tgrow, stagnation and obsolescence result. This is often experienced as frustration,dissatisfaction and a lack of self-fulfillment. To avoid disappointment,it is important to ask yourself the following personal questions when seekingyour first job. Am I looking for something to do? Or, am I seeking to dosomething? You may believe that because of financial obligations that youmust look for something to do. In other words, you may need to get a jobto pay some bills and to get on with life. Although this may be a necessityfor a while, working as a veterinarian because it is something to do canbecome boring and non-rewarding. In general you will achieve much greaterjob satisfaction and gratification if you are engaged in doing somethingworthwhile and personally meaningful. Many individuals enter veterinarymedicine because they want to make a difference. They want to enhance thequality of life of the animals they work with and at the same time providepeace of mind to the owners. Many veterinarians not only make a differencein the lives of their clients and animals they also make major contributionsto colleagues, staff, their community, and organized veterinary medicine.If you want to make a difference, then it is important to explore the opportunitiesfor personal growth when seeking a new job.

* Professional Growth. Similarly, you must consider the opportunitiesfor professional growth. You will enter practice with considerable currentknowledge. Unfortunately much of this knowledge becomes outdated withina few years. It is extremely beneficial therefore to go to work in a cooperativeenvironment in which colleagues are willing to mentor you and to provideconstructive criticism on how to manage medical and surgical cases. It alsois helpful if the doctors and staff engage in self and cooperative learning.Does the practice review new medical management procedures? Do they routinelygo over new treatment regimens with doctors and staff? Does the practicecontain an up-to-date library and do they subscribe to current online veterinaryliterature services? Will you be encouraged and supported to participatein external continuing education activities? Is the practice willing tosend you to workshops to learn new techniques that can be brought back tothe practice? Do the doctors engage in networking with other practitionersand experts in the field? Although it is possible to grow professionallyby doing everything alone, it is a lot more fun and stimulating to be ina practice where everyone enjoys growing professionally.

* Financial Growth. Should your first job provide the opportunityfor financial growth? Each of you may have different reasons on why youentered the veterinary profession and frequently financial reward is notone of them. The reality is, however, that you must exhibit fiscal responsibilityif you and your families are to survive. Thus, your first job and any succeedingjob should provide you with a certain basic standard of living, a reasonablequality of life and the opportunity to grow financially. All too frequently,young graduates take positions and do not explore the long term potentialfor financial growth.

Potential revenue

One of the first questions to explore in this area is whether the positionyou are applying for is a new one or whether you are replacing someone wholeft the position (Why did the person leave?) If you are entering a newlycreated position, you need to perform a financial feasibility analysis.That is, is there enough potential revenue to support your position? Ifthe prospective employer does not have specific information to answer yourquestion, you can obtain some estimates on your own. A crude estimate canbe obtained by determining the gross community income (GCI) within a certainradius of the practice. The GCI is calculated by multiplying the numberof households by the median family income within the practice radius selected.This information can be obtained from the latest US Census data and fromstate or county economic data. You then divide the GCI by the number ofpracticing veterinarians present within the same geographic area. Generallythere should be $70 to $80 million GCI per veterinarian in order for theveterinarian to have a reasonable income. If the GCI exceeds this rangethen there may be good potential for financial growth. If the GCI is considerablybelow this range for the number of veterinarians present, then one wouldhave to think long and hard before accepting a new position in the community.There are other formulas that can be applied to approximate the potentialrevenue in a practice. These frequently depend on market survey data. Althoughthe cost of doing these surveys can be expensive, you may be able to findout local human and animal demographic information by contacting the chamberof commerce, the regional small business development center or the economicdevelopment commission. Frequently representatives of pet food companieswill have similar information that can aid you in assessing revenue potentialof an area.

* Personal Compensation. Another obvious topic that you shoulddiscuss with your prospective employer is the amount and form of compensationthat you will receive. It is of fundamental importance that you determineif the job you are considering can support you and your family. You mustknow precisely how much you will need to support yourself and your family.This means that you must have a budget prepared in which you outline yourpotential income against all of your known and estimated expenses. If youdon't have a budget you may end up being surprised and very disappointedwhen you discover that you are not earning enough to cover your expenses.This can be devastating if you enter your first job with considerable debt.It is imperative that you be prepared to negotiate your salary and benefitsin order to protect yourself. This may mean sharing personal financial informationwith your prospective employer. Once they see your situation, they may bewilling to work with you in improving your financial situation.

* Salary Increases. Once you agree to a basic compensation package,you need to explore whether there will be opportunities for salary increases.If so, how frequently and how are these determined? Does the practice haveany type of incentive or bonus program to reward good performance? Are thereopportunities to participate in practice retirement plans? If the practicehas no system in place, you could work for a long period at the same salary.Would this be fair to you and your family? If you are meeting performanceexpectations, then you deserve to have periodic salary adjustments. If youconsistently exceed what is expected of you, then you should receive sometype of additional compensation.

What type of practice do you want?

* Practice Species Emphasis. There are numerous opportunitiesavailable to you. By the time you reach your senior year, you usually knowthe species of animal with which you would like to work. Even so, it isgood to consider the future. Those who choose to enter companion animalpractice are likely to have good opportunities for many years to come. Notonly is the U.S. population growing, there is a clear trend that clientsare willing to spend more on services and this includes veterinary medicine.For those who choose to enter large animal practice, it will be importantto investigate whether the livestock population is likely to remain stablein the community in which you want to practice. It is not always easy todetermine animal numbers; however, one can obtain information on trends.By checking the county agricultural statistics for the community in whichyou want to practice, you can obtain data on recent trends. You can alsovisit with leaders of various commodity groups to seek their view on thefuture of livestock production in the community. For those wanting to pursuework with exotics, it is again important to determine if the exotic animalpopulation is sufficient to support your practice. Similarly, those whowant to pursue a specialty such as behavioral medicine will be better servedby locating in metropolitan areas. Those pursuing careers in equine medicineand surgery also need to explore areas where there are adequate numbersof horses to support a practice.

* Practice Legal Structure. Today, you should consider the typeof practice structure that you want to work in. With the advent of numerouscorporate entities, you are no longer restricted to the traditional privatepractice. You are encouraged to explore the opportunities in each type ofstructure. Examine the advantages and disadvantages of each. Those who areinterested in practicing for a corporate entity are likely to have the opportunityto choose from many different geographical locations. If you want to joina traditional private practice, then you need to give consideration to thesize of the practice, the number of doctors, and the number of support staffavailable. Working in a two-person practice or even a solo practice canbe very rewarding and self-fulfilling. It also can be very demanding andmay not leave enough time for family and personal growth. Multiple doctorpractices provide the opportunity for mentoring and for professional intellectualstimulation. These are personal decisions you will have to make. It maybe helpful for you to spend time in each type of practice before makingyour decision.

Location, location, location

It is important to consider and involve your family when answering questionsabout where you want to work and what you want available in the community.There are a number of factors to consider. Do you want to work in a metropolitan,suburban, or rural area? Do you want to work in a stand-alone hospital orin a shopping center clinic? Are housing and living expenses reasonableand within your budget? A visit to the chamber of commerce, extension office,or a realtor's office may provide you with good information on housing andliving expenses. What are the opportunities for spousal employment? Yourprospective employer may be able to assist with this information. It mayalso be helpful to see of the town or community has a web page. Finally,how important is it to be reasonably close to your parents or other importantfamily members?

What is the employer looking for in a new associate?

As you become involved in the job search process, take some time andimagine yourself as the prospective employer. What is it that you wouldwant in a new veterinary associate? What skills would you expect them tohave? What traits and characteristics would you want them to have? How muchwould you want them to work? What would you provide for your new employee?What type of working environment would you provide? By taking time to examinethe situation from the other employer's perspective, you can clarify inyour own mind the things that are important to you.

Dr. Draper is professor of anatomy, ethics and veterinary entrepreneurshipat the College of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State University. He servedas associate dean of the college from 1990-1993. Draper has also servedin a number of leadership roles with various veterinary associations throughouthis career.