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News|Videos|July 21, 2019

Veterinary associate shortage: Healthy or harmful to the industry?

Practices are fighting to hire veterinary associates today. Could that lead to unsustainable salaries as we compete for hires?

Anybody who's been around veterinary medicine for a while has seen cycles of hirer's markets and applicant's markets. Fetch dvm360 speaker Kimberly-Ann Therrien, DVM, says it's an applicant's market out there when it comes to veterinarian jobs.

More on the associate shortage

Many hospitals are struggling to find associate veterinarians right now. Learn more about what and why, find three hiring strategies and see how one hospital group is finding talented DVMs.

“Pretty much, nobody is out there looking for a job,” says Dr. Therrien. “Those who are, are getting five, six, seven offers.”

Which is great for applicants in the short term, but what happens if companies get panicked and pay salaries that aren't sustainable in the long run?

“We in the industry have started competing against each other, and that's the place where we all have to think, ‘Is that the right approach?'” Dr. Therrien says.

Hear more about Dr. Therrien's take in the video below.


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