If you want to check the pulse of the veterinary industry, I suggest you attend the American Veterinary Medical Association’s next Economic Summit, the latest of which took place in October.
The annual conference is where practitioners, analysts, college deans and other industry insiders deliver presentations on how the profession has fared and where it’s headed. The two-day gathering starts with a look at the U.S. economy, explores the demand for veterinary education, dives into today’s veterinary practices, and finishes with reports on the markets for veterinarians and veterinary services.
What I heard from AVMA statistical analyst Charlotte Hansen and The VET Recruiter founder Stacy Pursell should be sweet news for anyone who is or will be a DVM. Among Hansen’s takeaway messages were these: First, “We have more jobs than applicants.” Second, the average starting salary for veterinarians rose to $84,245 in 2018.
Pursell believes the time is right for anybody contemplating a job change to update their résumé. “We are in a candidate’s job market today,” she said. “If you are a veterinarian, you’re in the right place at the right time, because the growing economy has increased the demand for pet services and has created high demand for your services.”
As someone who matches employers with job seekers, Pursell reported that candidates have entertained as many as six job offers within 10 days. And get this: “We’re seeing new graduates and veterinarians with two years or less of experience getting guaranteed job offers of $100,000 to $130,000 in guaranteed first-year compensation.”
No doubt the market for veterinarians is robust. And that’s one reason the North American Veterinary Community, which publishes this journal, has launched Retriever, a mobile app that allows veterinarians and veterinary nurses to browse for jobs, and helps hospital managers and owners to fill openings.
Employers are invited to post jobs at http://retriever.navc.com. The listings are free through Dec. 31.
Starting in early December, job seekers can download Retriever in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. Happy job hunting!