As practice owners, managers, and senior leaders, you know firsthand that running a successful veterinary hospital requires both clinical excellence and business savvy. While some practices struggle with widening schedule gaps and staff turnover, your peers have identified six tactical approaches that deliver measurable results right now. These aren’t theoretical concepts – they’re proven strategies that practice leaders just like you are using to drive genuine business growth.

Your leadership position gives you a unique perspective on both the challenges and opportunities facing independent practices today. Whether you’re dealing with scheduling issues, staff retention concerns, or technology frustrations, you can transform these warning signs into competitive advantages. The practices seeing the strongest performance have stopped guessing and started implementing systems that directly address today’s most pressing veterinary business challenges…

Across industries, the concept of “a full-time, permanent workforce” is being redefined – and veterinary medicine is no exception. The rise of gig-style working models, flexible scheduling, and portfolio careers is reshaping how professionals work, how businesses plan, and how patients are served.

And for those of you managing practices or leading veterinary groups, you already know that shift is becoming impossible to ignore. Relief and locum work are no longer edge cases or fallback options – they’re increasingly central to how veterinary talent chooses to engage with the profession. It’s a tectonic shift to understand, accept and prepare for…

Whether you’re looking for your first clinic role or planning ahead for your next career step, your online presence might be doing more of the talking than your CV ever could. Smart employers aren’t just reading resumes anymore…they’re checking social profiles, scanning comments, and quietly forming impressions long before an interview is offered.

Used well, social media lets you stand out for the right reasons. It’s your chance to be seen not just as a job applicant, but as a veterinary professional with values, insights, and a reputation that precedes you. The best part? With a little thought and consistency, you don’t need to be famous or constantly online to make it work in your favor…

When was the last time you truly switched off from work? For many of us in veterinary medicine, the answer might, unfortunately, be…you can’t remember. Between emergency calls, complex cases, and the emotional weight of caring for our patients, the line between professional dedication and personal time often blurs until it disappears completely.

Yet there is hope. Veterinarians, nurses, and techs across our profession have found ways to reclaim their time and energy while maintaining excellent patient care. From thoughtful scheduling to setting clear boundaries, these are real strategies that work in real clinics, with real teams, treating real patients. Whether you’re early in your career or a few years in and wondering how long you can keep this pace, there’s something here for you…

What if clinical practice doesn’t quite fit you anymore? Or never really did?

Most people imagine a veterinary career means working in a clinic, hospital, or emergency centre—stethoscope on, consults rolling, adrenaline high. But for some, that vision no longer aligns with your current reality—or with who you’ve become.

A veterinary degree is more adaptable than you were told—and probably more than you ever imagined. It’s a professional passport that can lead to unexpected places, well beyond the familiar alternative paths you or your lecturers most likely envisioned. With the right mindset (and a bit of curiosity), there are meaningful roles where you can still make an impact—just not in the usual ways.

Whether you’re craving more freedom, creative expression, or simply a better balance, these seven career shifts show what’s possible when you step off the well-worn track…

Running a veterinary practice is hard enough without having to worry about international politics—but here we are. With a new 10% minimum across-the-board U.S. tariff on all imports (even on the penguins of Heard and McDonald Islands), and targeted tariffs reaching 50% or more for specific countries and goods, the veterinary sector is not immune to the risks. These policy changes don’t just affect big corporate end of town and their supply chains—they will impact right down to the individual practice or mobile service tier – your monthly drug order, the cost of your next equipment upgrade, and your pricing and service levels and how you communicate these to clients.

This isn’t about theory or macroeconomics—it’s about practical, day-to-day impacts on your business. Whether you’re in New York, Sydney, or London, the growing complexity of global trade is no longer just background noise. It’s showing up in inventory availability, pricing volatility, and profit margins. And while it might be early to call this a crisis, neither is it “business as usual.” It requires attention, planning, and smart decision-making to avoid being blindsided…

The leap from veterinary school to your first professional role marks an exciting milestone in your career journey. As a soon-to-graduate or recent graduate in the veterinary field, you’re standing at the threshold of a profession filled with diverse opportunities – from specialty hospitals to rural practices, emergency medicine to research facilities. Your years of rigorous training have prepared you for this moment, but navigating the job market requires a different set of skills altogether.

Job searching while finishing your studies or during those first post-graduation months can feel like a balancing act. That’s why we’ve created this practical roadmap to guide you through each step of securing that crucial first position. With thoughtful preparation and strategic action, you’ll be well-positioned to find a role that not only matches your clinical interests but also supports your professional growth and personal wellbeing…

Your job advertisement is your practice’s handshake—the first impression that either draws in top veterinary talent or sends them scrolling past. When your carefully crafted job posting isn’t generating the applications you expected, it’s worth understanding exactly why. The truth? Veterinary professionals told us exactly what makes them skip your ad, and their insights are both revealing and actionable.

Our recent poll across our Community captured the unfiltered feedback of over 1,100 veterinarians, nurses, and technicians across six global regions. These professionals didn’t hold back when sharing what makes them instantly dismiss a job opportunity. For practice owners looking to build strong teams in today’s competitive market, this feedback isn’t just interesting—it’s essential intelligence that can transform your recruitment results…

Starting your veterinary career is an exciting milestone, yet it comes with unique challenges that textbooks rarely cover. While clinical skills and knowledge gained at vet school are crucial, thriving in the real world of veterinary practice involves navigating interpersonal dynamics, emotional pressures, and practical decision-making.

As a new graduate stepping into practice, understanding these initial hurdles and learning how to handle them can transform early career uncertainty into lasting professional confidence. Here are six common challenges you’ll likely encounter and actionable insights on mastering them with clarity and poise…