Are you ready to earn more in veterinary practice?

You want to earn more-but where do you start? Use this quick quiz to help you determine the next steps. (More good news: This month Veterinary Economics is talking to your bosses to prepare them to work with you to boost team pay.)

1) Would you take on more responsibility at your practice if it meant you could earn more?

A: Yes. I would take on a significant amount of responsibility to earn more.

B: Yes. I would take on some additional responsibility.

C: Yes. I would take on a little additional responsibility.

D: No. I'm not prepared for additional responsibilities at this time.

2) Would you pursue additional training to earn more?

A: Yes. I would be willing to pursue a degree or certification.

B: Yes. I would be willing to pursue some additional training.

C: Yes, but only if the practice compensated me.

D: No. I do not have time for additional training right now.

3) Do you feel you have any control over your pay?

A: Yes. My personal decisions affect my pay.

B: Some control. I chose my employer and expected my compensation to increase with experience.

C: Little control. Every practice in my area pays the same.

D: No control. It's all on my boss.

4) What career choices, if any, have you made that currently influence how much you make?

A: I researched and pursued additional training, certification or degrees to earn more.

B: I chose to live in an area where I could maximize my pay.

C: I focused my job search on employers who offer competitive wages and benefits.

D: I chose where I wanted to live knowing I will make less because of my location or employer.

5) Would you be willing to move to a different city or state to earn more?

A: Yes

B: Maybe

C: I don't know

D: No way

6) Are you at a stable place in your personal life to prepare to make career changes?

A: I am willing to focus 10 or more hours of personal time a week on learning to prepare for new responsibilities at work.

B: I am willing to focus about five hours of personal time.

C: I am willing to focus one or two hours of personal time.

D: My personal life requires most or all of my time away from work right now.

7) Rate your level of agreement with this statement: “I am willing to engage in constructive conversations with my boss to evaluate my performance and find areas of improvement.”

A: Totally agree

B: Somewhat agree

C: Slightly disagree

D: Totally disagree

8) Which of the following is most important to your career satisfaction and life balance?

A: Take on more responsibility at work and earn significantly more.

B: Receive regular raises for my current job performance.

C: Be appreciated for the work I do with bonuses and other forms of recognition.

D: Enjoy more job flexibility and work life balance.

Now what?

Review your responses. Remember, there are no right or wrong answers, and these questions are not judgments or requirements. The goal is to help you determine your readiness for change and uncover the elements of your pay that you can control. By partnering with your practice owners and managers, you can work together to find the path to better pay.

Now that you've taken stock, it's time to make a plan. In future issues, we'll be providing case studies of team members who are transforming their careers, step-by-step guidance to improve your pay and the latest data on each team member's pay in practice to help you reach the next level in your career. So stay tuned!