The following is a warning for all new graduates and final year veterinary students who are pursuing, or plan to pursue, a career as a small animal veterinarian.  

The majority of you, unfortunately, are going to find yourself working for large corporations.  This number is only going to increase as the percentage of hospitals owned by corporations increases.  Furthermore, you may find yourself applying for positions with what you suspect are "mom and pop' hospitals and clinics, only to find they've been bought out by a corporation and just never changed the name.  

Why, you ask, is this a negative thing?  Simply put, all the corporations care about is their bottom line, and they will turn you into a used car sales person to achieve their goal.  I warn you because I have been there, done that, and suffered accordingly.  I have worked for the "big two".  I have seen first hand what they will do to you.  And the majority of you have worked too hard, invested too much time, and invested too much money, to fall out of love with our profession thanks to a bunch of bean counters!

I get the lure of the corporate option.  Again, I have been there.  With student loans one would be silly to ignore sign on bonuses.  Just remember, when a cable company offers you a visa gift card to sign up for their service, why are they paying you up front?  Is it to lock you into a contract that you can't get out of, without forgoing a large amount of cash?!

A few things for you to consider before you sign up for a corporate job:

Mentorship: are you really going to be mentored.  If so, is the mentor going to be in the hospital with you every minute you are there.  Or, are you going to have to call a condescending "area medical director" who hasn't dealt with a real client for a decade?!  When you passed your driving test, did you embark on a solo cross country road trip or did you stick to driving locally with family and friends until you were comfortable?!

Production: the bane of the profession.  I've been there.  I've made great money.  I've also been too scared to take time off work for fear of not being able to pay my bills.  I've no doubt annoyed colleagues who think I'm stealing their client and therefore their paycheck.  It breeds disruption in a clinic.  Before you sign up for a pro-sal contract, ask yourself, do I want to put out quality work or a large quantity of work?  To those who reply that they can still focus on quality work with a pro-sal contract, its a commendable notion, but your area managers will be hounding you constantly about why you are not producing enough.  Been there, heard that.  

Freedom:  the freedom to practice medicine as you see fit, as you were taught, and as you believe is best for the patient and the client.  Not the way that is most financially beneficial to the practice.  

If you're still reading this, are thinking what I am saying makes sense, and fancy living and working in one of the best areas in Florida then read on and see if our posting interests you.  

Our hospital is a private small animal clinic that continues to grow through word of mouth alone.  We adopted a common sense approach to the pandemic.  We never closed our doors and never denied clients access to come inside with their pets.  This allowed us to continue to grow our client base to the point where we need a small animal veterinarian.  It really is that simple.

Are you soon to graduate and are looking to find a place to grow your abilities and knowledge, and set you up for a great future in the profession?  Send us an email.  

Are you a recent grad who, like I was, is sick of the corporate environment and wants to get out and get back to medicine as it should be?  Send you resume over.

Are you a parent looking to work part time while the little one(s) are in school?  I'm a dad, I get it; come work 9-2 M-F.  Send an email.

All we require is that you are down to earth, can talk to clients, and don't bring drama.  Most importantly, we need someone with work ethic.  That’s a rare commodity these days.  If that sounds like you, send us an email.

About Pet Resort Animal Clinic

Associate Veterinarian

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