The state of the veterinary profession: A look at veterinary business health

Sure, the veterinary profession has plenty of challenges to deal with: massive student debt, dwindling client visits, emotional burdens associated with the job, and increasing competition from retailers and nonprofit groups, to name just a few.

But in 2015, many of you began to experience a true rebound in your practice fortunes-one that's here to stay. We saw glimpses of this rebound the last time dvm360 conducted its State of the Profession survey, in 2012, and the data this year appear to confirm that improvements in practice health are more than just a blip.

We launch our study coverage with a focus on business measures in this issue-watch for more data and analysis in the months to come.

Source: dvm360 State of the Profession Survey, 2015

Why not? (Asked of those who answered "no," above)

• “It's difficult to find associates willing to do mixed practice and be available after hours (on a rotation basis) for emergencies.”

• “They want to work less and make more then the owners.”

• “I'm rural; I require them to take call; I require them to work more than 40 hours a week.”

• “Debt too high, salary expectations too high.”

• “No one wants to work part time.”

• “Very few want to work full time.”

• “Can't find those willing to work by rules of the hospital and not state their own terms.”

• “I do alternative work and cannot find someone to work with me.”

• “Most associates prefer the larger practices where hours are less stringent and benefits are better.”

• “Lack of hands-on training, inability to do basic surgery at graduation, complete lack of core knowledge in products and services.”

Source: dvm360 State of the Profession Survey, 2015

Source: dvm360 State of the Profession Survey, 2015

Source: dvm360 State of the Profession Survey, 2015

Methodology

dvm360's triennial State of the Profession Survey was sent by e-mail to subscribers of dvm360 magazine, Veterinary Medicine and Veterinary Economics. The survey generated 762 responses, creating a margin of error of about 3 percentage points (although sample sizes-and statistical reliability-on individual questions may be considerably lower). Respondents who completed the survey were eligible to download the top 10 most popular client handouts from dvm360 for 2015.