Today's Veterinary Business

AUG-SEP 2017

Today’s Veterinary Business provides information and resources designed to help veterinarians and office management improve the financial performance of their practices, allowing them to increase the level of patient care and client service.

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28 Today's Veterinary Business Business Factors that influence them to accept a first job in a rural practice are the hospital's atmosphere, loca- tion, caseload, and the applicant's urban or rural background. Other considerations are the quality of mentorship, the condition of the fa- cilities and equipment, and the po- tential for practice ownership. More than half of new graduates return to the same community type as the one where they grew up. But many choose not to stay in rural practice; they change jobs after one year, which can be espe- cially disappointing given the time spent to recruit them. The rigors of emergency duty, a lack of time off and feeling isolated in a small, quiet community affording few so- cial options are significant reasons that young veterinarians leave rural practice. Add to that the lack of job opportunities for spouses with professional degrees and there's discontent brewing. Stirring the pot is the burden of student debt and cost-of-living challenges that new veterinarians may not have considered: life and property insurance, retirement savings, and child rearing. The possibility of making more money somewhere else — somewhere with more options — starts looking like a reasonable solution. Feeling the Pain Gail Gibson, VMD, president of the North American Veterinary Com- munity, knows firsthand about the challenge of recruiting and retain- ing veterinarians. "As an owner of a small animal veterinary hospital in central Maine for 29 years, I can say with certainty that hiring veterinarians to move into a rural area has been the big - gest challenge of our operation," Dr. Gibson said. "Even as we've tried to entice applicants with above- average salary, four-day work weeks, paid health insurance, vaca- tion and holiday pay, a retirement Help wanted plan, as well as housing, we have been mostly unsuccessful. "We've tried to analyze why this trend continues — first by looking inward — but we have come up with no good way to increase the likeli- hood that veterinarians will apply." Dr. Gibson and her team at Animal Medical Clinic in Skowhegan, Maine, are doing all the right things. They run a well-equipped practice — ultrasound, endoscopy, digital X-ray — and set high standards. Most staff members have been to- gether for years. They emphasize the region's beauty and safety as well as the recreational opportunities, low cost of living and community. "We've tried eliminating emer- gency call, paying for continuing Have a sound strategy when trying to recruit a veterinarian to a rural practice. Business By Judy Gray Mayberry or Midtown? Many veterinary college graduates find themselves at this intersection as they choose their career path.

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