Veterinary relief organization earns NOMV certification for mental wellness

Not One More Vet (NOMV) has awarded its’ CLEAR Blueprint certification to Roo, a veterinary relief organization. Roo is the first veterinary relief organization to earn the distinction, which certifies that it has created and maintains a mentally healthy, supportive workplace.¹

Charlotte Weir, vice president, hospital success and industry relations for Roo, said the organization was honored to take part in the CLEAR Blueprint program and receive certification.¹ “Roo is really trying to set a new standard for how mental health and well-being can be embedded organizationally, not just like within singular practices,” Charlotte Weir, vice president, hospital success and industry relations for Roo, Weir added in a dvm360 interview.

Burnout, compassion fatigue and other mental health issues such as financial pressures and limited time for self-care are veterinary industry concerns driven by long hours, emotional strain, and chronic understaffing.^1,2 For example, a 2024 survey of veterinary technicians found 88% of respondents reported compassion fatigue as a “significant issue.”² Furthermore, a 2022 survey of found 44% of veterinary professionals had considered leaving the field for reasons other than retirement, which was an increase from 36% in 2020. The most reported reasons cited for considering leaving the profession were mental health (36%) and work-life balance (27%).³

“Veterinary medicine is emotionally demanding, and too often the people who give so much of themselves are left without the support they deserve. We’re proud to be building a community where veterinarians, technicians, students, and hospital leaders feel protected and empowered to pursue fulfilling careers,” Weir said in a news release.¹

The CLEAR Blueprint workplace wellness certification provides veterinary teams with resources and guidance for building and sustaining mentally healthy workplaces. “NOMV's mission is literally to ensure the well-being of veterinary industry members. We really focus in 3 arenas: education, awareness and support [with] resources,” Gigi Tsontos, executive director at the nonprofit Not One More Vet and a licensed clinical social worker, said in a dvm360 interview. “Our education components are anything from awareness campaigns, outreach materials that are available to help someone learn about how they can develop skills, [and] webinars. I like to say that our education department team and volunteers, they help synthesize tough information so that you can use it in the moment.”

The certification program provides “clear practices for how staff care for themselves, support one another, and interact with the people they meet while caring for animals,” according to NOMV. “Roo’s achievement of the CLEAR Blueprint certification reflects the kind of proactive leadership needed in the industry, particularly from organizations that are leading how veterinary professionals access work and support,” Tsontos said in the news release.¹ “By embedding CLEAR standards into its own operations and championing mental health, Roo is helping move the profession toward a healthier future and represents a powerful step in building a more compassionate industry.”

Roo provides relief veterinary team members to practices and hospitals in need, while offering flexible career options to those workers. The organization has been long committed to mental health support, including serving as a sponsor for NOMV’s peer-support Lifeboat program. The company is deepening its commitment to veterinary professionals by integrating CLEAR Blueprint standards with its internal workplace culture—formalizing polices and practices that strengthen mental wellness and support—and the broader veterinary community.¹

In a dvm360 interview, Weir said one example of a policy that supports mental well-being is Roo’s practice of providing unlimited paid time off. “It really is about the empowerment for people to take the time they need. Life is throwing curve balls. You want to make sure that your team has a chance to spend time with family, to recover, to go travel, to see the world. There's so much to do, and you only have one life to live. So we want to ensure that our employees here feel empowered to do that,” Weir said.

According to Roo, the organization plans to continue expanding internal policies, resources, and partnerships that promote mental health efforts in veterinary medicine. Furthermore, Roo is making the CLEAR Blueprint program more accessible to its hospital partners that are working toward.¹

“I’m afirm believer that anything you're certified in, you should certainly revisit. You're always changing your ecosystem. You're adding [and] you're subtracting team members. And so, you want to make sure that you keep this at the forefront. You can't plant a garden and then not water it. So we're committed to doing that with our team,” Weir said in a dvm360 interview.

References

1. Roo becomes the first veterinary relief organization to earn Not One More Vet’s CLEAR Blueprint certification. News release. Roo. January 14, 2026.
2. NAVTA’s 2024 Demographic Survey reveals strong feelings on title protection, income, role clarity, and wellness. News release. National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America. April 3, 2025. Accessed January 14, 2026. https://navta.net/news/navtas-2024-demographic-survey-reveals-strong-feelings-on-title-protection-income-role-clarity-and-wellness/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
3. 2022 AVMA Report on the Economic State of the Veterinary Profession. American Veterinary Medical Association. 2022. Accessed January 14, 2026. https://ebusiness.avma.org/files/ProductDownloads/eco-state-of-profession-report-lr-secured-2022.pdf