Survey offers insight into veterinarian and pet owner concerns
Veterinarians say the best part of their job is being able to care for animals each day, a new survey shows.
The study, released by NAVC (publisher of Veterinary Advantage), examines how veterinarians and veterinary technicians and nurses feel about their work. It also offers new information on the patient-provider relationship and pet owners’ priorities.
Veterinarians most often say being able to care for animals on a daily basis is their favorite part of the job (77%), according to the study. This is followed by doing meaningful and purposeful work (65%). Student and practice debt is the leading stressor for veterinarians, followed by pressure to adhere to appointment time restrictions and balancing work and family life.
For veterinary technicians and nurses, the top stressors cited were staff turnover, compassion fatigue and burnout.
The study also found that more than 25% of veterinarians and veterinary technicians and nurses plan to leave the field in the next five years. It didn’t address the motivation behind those plans. This trend is similar to other professions, including human health care.
Meanwhile, even though 98% of veterinary professionals surveyed said preventive care is an important aspect of a pet’s health and well-being, pet owners said they don’t take their pet to the doctor when they believe their pet is healthy.
“We want pet owners to understand the importance of preventative care and early disease detection for their pets,” said Dana Varble, NAVC’s chief veterinary officer. “Early detection alone can save pet owners hundreds of dollars in the long term when it comes to animal health care.”
The organization will now take steps to address challenges that came up in the study. Those plans, and the full report, are available here.