Let’s be honest – finding exceptional veterinary talent feels a bit like trying to catch lightning in a bottle these days, doesn’t it? With practices everywhere competing for the same pool of qualified professionals, even small missteps in your hiring process could mean watching that perfect candidate slip away to another clinic. But before you start wondering if you’ll ever fill that crucial position on your team, take a deep breath – we’ve identified the most common hiring pitfalls that might be holding you back.

After working with thousands of veterinary practices and analyzing successful hiring strategies across the industry, we’ve pinpointed exactly where many recruitment efforts go wrong – and more importantly, how to fix them. Whether you’re struggling with a current vacancy or planning ahead for future growth, we’re about to show you how to transform your hiring process from frustrating to fantastic. Ready to stop accidentally sabotaging your recruitment efforts and start attracting the top-tier talent your practice deserves? Let’s dive in…

Talking about salary negotiations often feels intimidating, especially for those of us who ventured into veterinary medicine driven by compassion rather than numbers. Yet fair compensation plays a key part in creating a supportive atmosphere for everyone—clinicians, clients, and the practice as a whole. When both sides benefit, a healthier dynamic emerges, where professional growth and patient care go hand in hand.

In this article, we’ll guide you through a straightforward, well-prepared approach that makes discussing pay far less daunting than you might think. By following the steps outlined here, you’ll learn to present your value in a way that resonates with your employer, ensuring that both your career goals and the practice’s success remain at the forefront. It’s a conversation that can open doors for everyone involved, and especially when you have these steps to follow…

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is poised to reshape veterinary care, bringing both exciting possibilities and important questions to the field. While you may not have encountered AI directly in your daily practice yet, its influence on animal healthcare is growing rapidly. From analyzing medical records to enhancing diagnostics, AI is becoming an increasingly valuable tool in veterinary medicine.

This technology offers the potential for more accurate diagnoses, personalized treatments, and improved patient monitoring. However, it also raises concerns about data privacy and the balance between technological advancement and the irreplaceable human touch in veterinary care.

AI is transforming various aspects of veterinary medicine, impacting different roles within the field, and shaping the future of animal health. The changing landscape of veterinary care could significantly affect you and your patients, making it crucial to understand these developments and their implications…

As we venture into 2025, the veterinary profession continues to evolve, bringing both exciting opportunities and potential challenges to veterinarians, nurses, and technicians worldwide. Career paths that once seemed straightforward now twist and turn with technological advances, shifting practice ownership models, and changing workplace dynamics. These changes can appear suddenly, often when we least expect them, making it crucial to be prepared while maintaining our passion for animal care.

Some changes will arrive as welcome surprises – perhaps a promotion that recognizes your growing expertise, or the chance to become a practice partner or owner. Others may feel more unsettling, like news of your practice being acquired or realizing it might be time to consider retirement. Understanding and preparing for these scenarios can help you transform unexpected situations into opportunities for career development, or the chance to arm yourself when the unwelcome or unexpected appears from over the horizon. Here are seven pivotal moments you might encounter this year, along with practical guidance on how to prepare and respond effectively…

Landing the ideal role is about more than just finding a practice with the hours, salary and location you want. We all know that feeling when a job looks perfect on paper, but something doesn’t feel quite right in the interview – or that wonderful moment when you realize a practice could offer even more opportunity than you expected.

The trick is asking questions that actually show you what it’s like to work there. Not just about the money and schedule but real insights into how they think, what drives them, and whether you’ll thrive in their environment.

With help from our community of veterinarians, nurses, and techs who’ve successfully found their ideal practices, we’ve put together four key questions that help get to the heart of what matters: initiative, motivation, growth, and teamwork. These aren’t meant to be fired off like a checklist – they’re conversation starters that let you and your potential new practice get to know each other properly.

Here are the questions our community finds most revealing…

Hiring the right team member is about more than just checking off clinical skills and years of experience. We all know that feeling when a candidate looks great on paper, but something just doesn’t click – or that wonderful surprise when a new veterinarian, nurse, or tech turns out to be an even better fit than you expected.

The trick is asking questions that actually show you who’s sitting across from you. Not rehearsed answers about their biggest weaknesses or where they see themselves in five years, but real insights into how they think, what drives them, and whether they’ll thrive in your practice.

With help from our community of practice owners and managers, we’ve put together four key questions that help get to the heart of what matters: initiative, motivation, growth, and teamwork. These aren’t meant to be fired off like a quiz – they’re conversation starters that let you and your potential new team member get to know each other properly.

Here are the questions our community finds most revealing…

As we enter 2025, the veterinary industry stands at a crossroads, with conventional wisdom being challenged on multiple fronts. While many industry commentators paint pictures of AI-driven practices, seamless cross-border mobility, and ever-expanding corporate consolidation, we believe the reality will be starkly different. Our analysis points to several controversial, perhaps uncomfortable, truths about where the profession is actually headed this year.

In this article, we challenge nine deeply held assumptions about the veterinary sector’s direction. From the emperor’s new clothes of AI to the unsustainable economics of traditional recruitment, these predictions will likely ruffle feathers across the industry. Some readers will disagree vehemently with our views – and that’s exactly the point. These predictions aren’t designed to comfort, but to provoke serious discussion about the real challenges and opportunities facing veterinary professionals, practice owners, and industry leaders in 2025…

For many veterinary professionals – Vets, Nurses, Techs, and more – the dream of merging your love for animals with your passion for travel has always burned brightly. The idea of exploring your country, region, or the world while practicing your veterinary skills is not just a great experience; it can be a career boost too. Yet, often, these dreams remain unexplored, tangled in hesitations and uncertainties.

Discover some of the many options that combine your love for animals with your passion for travel. It’s time to unlock those dreams, overcome common hurdles, and discover the pathway forward on a journey where your veterinary skills become your ticket to adventure. Veterinary professionals from our Community share their stories plus discover tips to get you started on your own journey to quench your wanderlust while keeping your veterinary skills razor-sharp…

Whether you were a practice owner shaping your dream team, a manager fine-tuning your hospital culture, or an Emergency Veterinarian exploring your next move, 2024 was a busy one. Our Community Team – all veterinary professionals themselves – have been busy, too, crafting articles that tackle the real challenges and opportunities you’ve shared with us.

In case you missed one or two of the best, these Top 10 pieces sparked conversations from emergency clinics in Sydney to specialty hospitals in London, from bustling practices in Toronto to family-owned clinics in California. You’ve shared your success stories, challenged our thinking, and helped create better workplaces across our veterinary community in the USA, Canada, UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia.

So, as the holiday season draws near, we’ve gathered our most-read articles of 2024 – perfect for browsing with that leftover Christmas pudding or during a quiet moment between emergency cases…