I have mentioned multiple times through this blog and my podcast how I used to be a veterinary technician. I wanted to share my story, which is similar to so many others, on why I left the world of veterinary medicine behind despite loving it so much.
My Story
Like so many kids, one of the first answers I ever had to the question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” was a veterinarian. Unlike many others, that dream only intensified as I grew older and explored the world of non-human medicine and psychology. I studied hard in high school in order to get into my dream undergraduate college, which would make my chances of getting into veterinary school much higher. I took the necessary classes, got the grades, and worked around my hectic school schedule as a veterinary technician to learn as much as I could.
Delivering puppies at the ER – a great experience!
I first began to feel burnout while in college. I went to school full-time Monday through Friday, then worked 10-hour overnight shifts at a local veterinary ER Friday through Sunday. Taking a nap after school on Friday, I would work my 10 pm to 8 am shift through Monday morning, where I would change clothes at work and head to class. In addition, I was working on an independent thesis project my senior year in order to graduate, taking about another 40 hours a week of my life. Through all of this, I averaged only a few hours of sleep a night.
It wasn’t just the schedule, though. I made only $10 an hour as a technician at my first hospital job. I rarely felt supported by management and was constantly berated by clients while trying to save their dying family members. I felt severe compassion fatigue from overexposure to animals in pain and having to euthanize animals that could have been saved due to financial restraints or uncaring owners. It wasn’t until later, after moving through different hospitals and talking to other veterinary professionals, that I realized my experience was not unique.
My dream of attending veterinary school slowly dimmed. I simply could not afford the daunting $300k tuition (plus more for residency) with such a low salary after school. I voiced my concerns to the dozen or so veterinarians I worked with, and each of them told me the same: not to go to veterinary school; they often regretted going. And, eventually, I left the world of veterinary medicine altogether completely defeated in an attempt to save the mental health decline I experienced in the field.
Why Doctors and Nurses are Leaving
Across the country, nearly every veterinary hospital is facing critical staff shortages. Both doctors and technicians are leaving the veterinary profession due to low wages, burnout, and compassion fatigue. In fact, according to a survey completed by the American Veterinary Medical Association in 2016, there is an average turnover rate of 21% in veterinary practices, with some reaching up to 50%, over twice the rate of comparable industries. Emergency hospitals have higher-than-average turnover rates, and it has only worsened in recent years. They also found that nearly 57% of veterinary technicians leave their place of employment within the first 5 years. In fact, only about 10% of veterinary technicians stay in the field until they retire. But, why?
A puppy I treated and vaccinated in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Low Wages
In many cities, you make a higher hourly wage as a fast-food employee than as a trained veterinary technician. Both jobs deserve to earn a living wage. According to Indeed, the average pay for a veterinary technician is only $16.20 an hour in the United States. The most I ever made was $20 an hour, without benefits. The average wage of a veterinarian in 2022 is just over $99k with the higher wages typically reserved for veterinarians who own a private practice. This is dramatically higher than the average $80k when I was due to attend veterinary school, however, compare that to the $210k starting salary of a family medicine doctor in human medicine. The cost of medical school is comparable to veterinary college, but the resulting student loans affect the livelihood of veterinarians significantly more than human medicine doctors due to the low wages.
Burnout
Burnout in the veterinary profession comes from many sources, including stressful jobs, lack of respect from employers, and inability to advance in the field. For anyone who assumes working in a veterinary hospital is puppies and kittens all day, you couldn’t be more wrong. In fact, I dreaded seeing a young puppy or kitten needing veterinary care when I worked in the ER because it most likely meant they were severely sick or hurt. Veterinarians and technicians see everything: extreme illness, broken bones, and even cases of neglect and abuse. That really gets to you after a while. On top of that, most veterinarians and technicians work insane hours, usually 12+ at a time for 3-4 days in a row.
When it comes to owners and managers of veterinary hospitals, well, I’ve never had a good experience with my employers. In fact, 20% of those who answered the NAVTA survey mentioned above stated the lack of respect from their employers was what caused them to leave in the first place.
Management is not the only abusive force in the veterinary field. Doctors and technicians both face verbal abuse from clients for not meeting their expectations or charging for the animals’ medical care. Personally, I have been called nearly every name in the book and threatened both verbally and physically. Once in my career, a man brought a gun to the hospital because his dog did not make it through a complex surgery, and he blamed us for his death. Luckily, I was not working that day and no one was hurt. A 2014 survey by the AVMA found that 1 in 5 veterinarians have been cyberbullied or harassed by a pet owner, or knew a coworker who had been. This does not include the daily harassment vet technicians or receptionists face.
Finally, there are very few ways to advance in the world of veterinary medicine. Once you’re a certified veterinary technician or licensed doctor, that’s pretty much it. Sure, there are always various classes and continuing education programs, but it rarely leads to advancement.
Compassion Fatigue*
*Content Warning: discussion of self-harm and suicide
The world of veterinary medicine attracts people who have a high level of compassion, empathy, and drive to care for both animals and the people who love them. While there are so many joys of working closely with pets, frequent exposure to traumatic situations such as illness, injury, animal cruelty, and death causes a high level of compassion fatigue in the field. This phenomenon is similar to burnout but is caused by secondary traumatic stress and vicarious trauma, something both veterinarians and technicians experience daily in their careers. Symptoms of compassion fatigue can vary, but it often leads to mental health crises, substance abuse, and even nightmares and flashbacks.
A 2018 report from the CDC revealed that 1 in 6 veterinarians have contemplated suicide. The suicide rate has only increased after the Covid-19 pandemic crisis and disproportionately affects women who dominate the field. The combined stresses of compassion fatigue, monetary debt, and burnout lead so many veterinary staff to end their lives that there is now a movement to help: Not One More Vet.
If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, call the National Suicide Hotline at 988 to receive emergency help or chat online here
The Current Vet Shortage Crisis
Snuggling with a sleepy cat at the Elephant Nature Park
The combination of burnout, low wages, and compassion fatigue causes veterinary staff to quit in droves. During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, millions of people either adopted new pets and needed veterinary visits, an increased 70%, or noticed medical problems with their pets due to being home with them more often. Workload dramatically increased for already overburdened hospitals and new protocols were put in place to help veterinary professionals stay safe at work that limited the number of patients they could see. The added stress of a global pandemic caused an even higher turnover rate in veterinary hospitals. Now, the current demand for pet care is exceeding the availability. A projected 41,000 additional new veterinarians are needed to meet demands by 2030, or the entire system will face dire shortages, and animals will suffer.
If any one of the problems keeping me from attending vet school were fixed, particularly the cost of tuition or salary, I would go in a heartbeat. There are so many others that feel the same and others that would not have left the world of veterinary medicine, to begin with.
I don’t have a nice way to end this article; to wrap it up in a pretty bow and say with confidence that everything will be ok. Frankly, I’m scared both for my friends and previous coworkers struggling with their mental health in the field as well as my own pets who may not have a doctor if they become seriously ill in the future. This is a national crisis that needs to be addressed.
Please share this article to get the word out so we can change the future of veterinary medicine in the United States.
Sources
Betchel, Kate DVM. (7 Oct 2021). Ask Dr. Kate: Why is the a disproportionate suicide rate among veterinary professionals? The Sentinel. Ask Dr. Kait: Why is the a disproportionate suicide rate among veterinary professionals? | Health, Medicine and Fitness | hanfordsentinel.com
Chan, Melissa. (12 Sept 2019). Veterinarians Face Unique Issues That Make Suicide One of the Profession’s Big Worries. Time Magazine. Here’s Why Suicide Among Veterinarians Is A Growing Problem | Time
Larkin, Malinda. (28 Sept 2016). Technician shortage may be a problem of turnover instead. American Veterinary Medical Association. Technician shortage may be a problem of turnover instead | American Veterinary Medical Association (avma.org)
Miles, Julie DVM. (7 May 2021). Why Do Vet Techs Leave and How Can You Inspire Them to Stay? Practice Life. Why Do Vet Techs Leave and How Can You Inspire Them to Stay? – Practice Life
Salois, Matthew PhD & Golab, Gail PhD DVM. (25 Aug 2021). Are we in a veterinary workforce crisis? American Veterinary Medical Association. Are we in a veterinary workforce crisis? | American Veterinary Medical Association (avma.org)
Snyder, Alec. (20 June 2021). Covid-19 pandemic magnifies workforce crisis in veterinary field. CNN. Covid-19 pandemic magnifies workforce crisis in veterinary field – CNN
Tackling the Veterinary Professional Shortage. (March 2022). Mars Veterinary Health. Tackling the Veterinary Professional Shortage – Mars Veterinary Health
Work and Compassion Fatigue. American Veterinary Medical Association. Work and compassion fatigue | American Veterinary Medical Association (avma.org)
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