Building your bullpen

Abstract

According to the AVMA, 20% of veterinarians are expected to retire in the next decade. This means that nationwide there will be a need to replace this highly qualified workforce. However, 1 of the top complaints on list-serves for veterinary clinic owners is the inability to find and retain quality employees, specifically veterinary associates in rural America.

For years, veterinary clinics have been able to rely on the tried and true “job listing ad” to garner replacement associates for their private practice. However, for a variety of reasons, today’s generation of veterinarians is more likely to choose an alternative path into corporate, urban, or relief-type work.

To compete with these areas, we must rethink our recruitment process, beginning earlier, evaluating continuously, and offering aggressively. Fostering long-term relationships with job candidates that span years, not weeks, and wooing them with contract offers that extend beyond traditional salary and benefit packages.

To compete in today’s aggressive hiring economy, we must adapt and pursue other avenues that make our practices more appealing to the next generation of veterinarians.