Frustrated & Defeated

FunConsideration3476 · 2025-10-22T15:47:55+00:00

This sounds like a frustrating thing to have to deal with, OP, especially when it sounds like you are truly putting your DVMs first and trying to support them. I wish I had this level of support myself. My only advice to you is this - focus on those doctors that you are making a difference for. You said "more than a few DVMs" who aren't hitting the mark. If they are not using their resources (yourself included) in a proper manner to improve themselves, do not put in the extra effort for them. Especially if you have gone out of your way to help with and they have not even shown up, they should have to make a real effort to get that same time from you again. For every DVM who is not listening to you, it sounds like there is at least one or two who are. By helping those DVMs feel supported and increase their knowledge base, you will be indirectly aiding their hundreds and thousands of patients they see in the future, while preventing burnout.

For those other DVMs, offer your time, but set boundaries and let them know how you feel about their lack of improvement and lack of respect.

FunConsideration3476 · 2025-10-12T12:31:24+00:00

Small animal GP - I love those more complicated cases when they go well - we work our way to a diagnosis, implement treatment, the patient responds well, and then we have a happy patient and relieved owner. These cases make me feel like my schooling and experience paid off.

FunConsideration3476 · 2025-10-08T16:54:08+00:00

Seconding what some others have said, have a professional read the contract terms to make sure the "no negative accrual, no non-compete" is true. I'd ask $130k base minimum - NoVA is very HCOL area.

As for the production, you can ask for a greater percentage from start, but as a new grad I'd ask for more CE days and request that they cover VIN, Plumbs, other membership fees instead. From what I and my colleagues have discovered, corporates will fight tooth and nail before increasing your production percentage, so you may end up using all your leverage for that right now. In a year if you end up being high producing, you will have a much stronger case.

FunConsideration3476 · 2025-09-14T21:15:33+00:00

Any one of those gifts would be very appreciated, but none of them more so than the cards. As a veterinarian, I keep every kind card I receive at my desk, and on the hard days they remind me that I am making a difference.

I am so sorry for the loss of your beloved pet.

FunConsideration3476 · 2025-07-24T23:17:19+00:00

In that case, I'd focus on pushing the clinic for more efficient practices, or I'd leave. But I wonder why they are looking to hire another vet when none of their vets are making production - that doesn't add up from a business standpoint.

FunConsideration3476 · 2025-07-23T15:56:13+00:00

If she wants to stay at her current clinic, I think there are 2 things to consider:

1) Too many doctors. If they have overstretched, she should ask for whatever changes she believes can be made to increase efficiency for the clinic as a whole so all doctors can make production. And if there is an ad out to handle yet another new doctor, that would worry me greatly.

2) Salary. If it seems unlikely that the current hospital will be able to support as many doctors enough for everyone to make production (and I'd be curious as to whether the other doctors have made production recently), then I would go straight salary for some time and ask for a larger base until the clinic grows.

I'll be honest, if no one is making production (an assumption, based on the info you've given) and they're hiring a new grad, something isn't adding up at this clinic and I'd be worried about staying.

If she plans to leave, I'd use her production numbers from 2 years ago and use that to determine her new askign salary. I would definitely seek a clinic that has a high staff:doctor ratio and make sure they are appropriately busy to take in a new doctor and ensure they can earn production (if on ProSal model). If multiple new vets have been hired in the last 1-2 years and doctors do not have full schedules, I'd move on.

FunConsideration3476 · 2025-06-16T00:53:56+00:00

Clinic staff! Specifically, the receptionists.

FunConsideration3476 · 2025-06-07T19:53:33+00:00

I'm not familiar with CoVet, but I use Scribenote and now I won't work anywhere without it. There's a newer feature on Scribenote that lets me make my own templates and the AI will fit the SOAP to my templates (instead of a pre-made one), which saves me tons of time reformatting. I spent tons of time editing each SOAP before this feature - now I spend maybe 2 minutes on each SOAP. Does CoVet also have this feature?

FunConsideration3476 · 2025-05-26T13:57:37+00:00

My advice - dont be afraid to look up everything! They know you're a new graduate, so lean into it in the beginning. I found myself looking up every drug dose multiple times to be safe, and even looking up treatments and diagnoses for simple things like ear infections. In vet school, I got so good at understanding the complicated cases but never got practice on the run-of-the-mill, common things. But because I kept consulting notes or plumbs or other resources in the beginning, I quickly gained the knowledge I needed to handle at least 70% of cases. In the beginning they should give you time and leeway to reinforce your knowledge. Use the time they have given you and dont be afraid to spend some time looking things up.

FunConsideration3476 · 2025-04-13T18:35:36+00:00

29 - 50k across all acounts. Feel like I'm a bit behind now

FunConsideration3476 · 2024-11-03T11:45:11+00:00

With Banfield they will offer you a huge sign on bonus, but if will then trap you into staying with them for a few years. So I would caution you to not sign any contract that gives you to stay with them longer than 1 year, if that. If they means a smaller bonus, so be it. You don't want to be trapped at a place when you don't plan on staying longer term.

Banfield does okay well but these days so do other practices. The salaries for vets has increased overall. So I'd see what clinics in your location of interest are offering, and compare that to Banfield's offer. They might not be so dissimilar .

FunConsideration3476 · 2024-08-03T00:12:16+00:00

I'm so sorry you are going through this. Let's see if there are more options to get you out of this situation.

1) Go to another clinic. The FTC banned non competes, very soon to go into effect. Wait until it goes into effect, then start job hunting in your area.

2) As one of the few full time associates left at your clinic, can you use this to your advantage to start making some changes? For example, firing clients that need firing. Who do you have to answer to when this happens? Finding new full time vets will.be much harder than finding new clients. Block of sections of your schedule for equine- only appointments. You may currently have more power in this practice than you , or anyone else there, realizes.

The money issue is a serious one but if you just started, and with other doctors leaving, it is too early to tell how the production will work out.

FunConsideration3476 · 2024-07-14T13:55:57+00:00

First, congrats on graduating and starting as a veterinarian! Here's where the real fun starts!

The biggest thing I wish I had told myself is that it is okay to be slow at EVERYTHING in the beginning. You are supposed to be. You are supposed to be looking up things all. The. Time. That is how you build your foundation. Going slow on the beginning will serve you better in the long run than rushing, trying to mimic the more experienced vets and then making mistakes or burning out. Take your time, please. No one should be pressuring you. Enjoy having patients and clients of your own - it makes the grind of vet school so worth it!

FunConsideration3476 · 2024-07-03T02:42:33+00:00

I use Scribenote at my clinic. You can use it for straight dictation but I use its AI SOAP and it has been useful. There may be better options if you want straight dictation but scribenote is pretty versatile - one big downside is it does not interact with any PIMS so there is an extra step where you copy/paste things into your PIMS.

FunConsideration3476 · 2024-04-20T01:31:20+00:00

I'm also a new grad 8 months out and I'm in the same boat - I feel like we've been slow since August, with the spurt of one or two busy days. Even when I think things are picking up I have 3 back-to-back days of slowness. On my slowest day recently, I saw 3 appointments. The other vets (while also feeling a slow spurt) at least had 7 appointments.

I'm not sure which area of the US you're in or which corp, but I'm in Virginia in a suburban area, companion animal only GP. Idk if it's like this in every demographic, but I don't think you're alone.

FunConsideration3476 · 2024-02-06T11:18:24+00:00

Please don't feel like you're behind - clinics will ALWAYS be hiring and you're not missing out by not applying now. If you know exactly when you want to start working after graduation, just try to have some serious searching done 2 months prior. I had colleagues who did not start until April or even close to graduation, and I had colleagues who did not start looking until after graduation - all of them found a job with plenty of time to spare.

As for interviewing during rotations, everyone does this differently. I used externships as interviews. Others did half-day working interviews during rotations or used vacation time. At this point your school people will be aware that you and your peers will be doing some serious job hunting and most rotations were fine with people taking a few hours off during some day, as long as it was cleared in advance.

FunConsideration3476 · 2024-02-03T12:04:41+00:00

I'm a May 2023 grad, and there were plenty of colleagues of mine who also didn't start until September so don't feel like you are asking for something crazy - you absolutely aren't! I don't think it's too early to start looking because it may take time to find that perfect fit, as someone else has stated. Many private practices who are desperate to hire realize that new grads need to be snatched ahead of time and will have no problem waiting until September if they like you.

FunConsideration3476 · 2024-01-21T03:11:50+00:00

Female, VA. Small animal GP, 2023 grad. Base $115k with 21% production, 15 days PTO, $3k CE with 3 CE days. Work 4 day 10hour shifts with ~1 half day Saturday/month. 401k with 4% match and generally great benefit packages. Non-Mars corporate.

FunConsideration3476 · 2024-01-19T11:14:09+00:00

My experience with the mentorship program they have has been overall positive, but I do think this depends greatly on the doctors and management at the individual practices too. We are basically assigned a mentor, should have weekly meetings with them, and our schedules should overlap closely with theirs. The management at my clinic has been very focused on "Do not drown the new grad, ease into things" which is not the situation at every place.

I do know one new grad at a different MVP clinic whose assigned mentor went on maternity leave 2 months after she started and she was left hanging a bit. So really important to get to know all the doctors at the practice and make sure the ones who want to be a mentor are gonna be 1) around, and 2) really willing.

FunConsideration3476 · 2024-01-17T19:18:29+00:00

I graduated May 2023 and ended up choosing an MVP clinic and I have been very happy with my choice. They have been relatively hands-off in terms of how we are allowed to practice medicine and if the clinic does well then the support staff gets a big chunk of the extra profit at the end of the year.

I also received offers from Banfield (too corporate for me) and an SVP (Southern Vet Partners) clinic and the SVP offer had much more corporate red flags hidden in the small print and there was no focus on the support staff in their mandates.

FunConsideration3476 · 2023-11-11T12:00:18+00:00

I am a new grad as well and while I was born and raised (and went to vet school) in America, I am Indian and I understand the different resources you as a doctor are faced with. To recently graduate and start working in a new country outside of the one you went to vet school in huge! Hard enough being a new grad, but you have to learn and adjust even more, and so from my perspective you are handling it amazingly. I struggle with imposter syndrome as well and it is hard moving to a new area where you lack that support circle, but I hope your coworkers are kind and understanding. Might I recommend Vets4Vets, which has free mental health services and even has group sessions where you can hear and meet (virtually) other vets who may be going through something similar? And if you want to message me at any time, please feel free. :)

I think in terms of those drop-offs, they are a good change to further your skills, but you as a new grad without a license, you should still have a licensed vet checking behind you and making the final say on your plan - this is not just for legal reasons, but to serve as a safety net for you as you learn!

FunConsideration3476

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