Finding relief in relief medicine

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Within the past few years, there has been tremendous growth within the veterinary industry of professionals making the shift from a traditional career in veterinary medicine to relief work. With the flexibility of making your own schedule, traveling anywhere to work and seeing new places, and becoming your own boss, it can be an easy choice to make the switch to relief medicine.

During his lecture at the Fetch dvm360 conference in Nashville, Tennessee, Andrew Findlaytor, DVM, senior director of veterinary strategy and services for Roo Vets, based in San Francisco, California, explained in depth what the fuss is all about in relief medicine, and how professionals interested in this line of work can smoothly integrate into it.¹

Why is it popular?

A survey conducted and distributed by the Veterinary Information Network data collection portal from May 11-30, 2023, explored relief and mobile veterinarians’ experiences related to their current job and examined why the veterinarians decided to pursue these types of careers. The survey collected 444 responses from 125 veterinarians in mobile practice and 240 from relief veterinarians. The most-reported reasons for switching to mobile or relief work included issues with administration at their hospital, the culture, the schedule, or personal feelings about the work. Once they switched to a relief or mobile role, the respondents reported they were satisfied with their work-life balance and availability for their children and other family members.²

Findlaytor shared his personal experiences as a relief veterinarian. For example, he has used the freedom the work allows to travel with friends. He explained to attendees how he would use the flexibility of relief scheduling to work as much as he could handle and then use the money to take a trip to Japan, even extending his vacation for a week. In a traditional veterinary setting, he might not have had personal time off or the extra money from working more hours.

Findlaytor also explained to attendees that relief work is a great way to network, learn from other veterinary professionals, and balance your experience. Traveling to different hospitals opens you up to all new veterinary professionals who do procedures in different ways, or clinics that have the latest equipment, or some you have never used. This can create a learning opportunity for a relief veterinarian to continuously improve and advance their skills.

“I can choose to balance my experience. I like medium stress, I like to work emergencies, and I could never be a full-on nightworker. I could never work overnights all the time. Doing relief gives me the option to say, ‘I am going to work general practice the majority of the time and work at least 1 day in urgent care a week to keep my skills fresh,’” Findlaytor said.

“A really important point [is that relief work] allows me to continue to enjoy what I do. I feel like we veterinarians always prefer to choose work. Every day when I wake up, I’m like, ‘Well, I should go to work.’ Being a relief veterinarian gives me the ability to add as much gas or as little to that so that I don’t feel like I’m being forced to be burned out,” he added.

Being a good relief worker

A relief veterinarian experience will be different in every hospital, and some of a hospital’s policies may not make sense to you. For example, Findlaytor explained he once worked at a clinic that offered an early drop-off service. He was greeted by multiple patients before he was there 10 minutes, which confused and stressed him in a clinic where he had never been before and knew no one.

He later found out that the clinic did this because it was in a big commuter town. It was more convenient for pet owners to drop off their animals before work and pick them up afterward, instead of having to wait for the weekend to fit their appointment into normal business hours. Situations such as this one demonstrated to Findlaytor that it is important to understand the culture of each clinic.

Being a relief veterinarian can also be stressful because you are walking into a clinic full of people you have never met, who may be close colleagues and not be welcoming to someone new. Findlaytor told attendees that the best way to begin the day is to get there early and introduce yourself to everyone. Giving yourself time in the morning to get to know the others can help you build rapport and figure out your next steps for the day, maybe ask for a tour, and begin work.

“Each day is a clean slate and a fresh start. Think of it this way: I am in an exam room, and there’s a 1-year-old Labrador retriever just standing in there. If I don’t say anything, the dog is probably going to get tense. If I make weird moves, the dog’s going to get nervous. We all instinctively know what to do: We take a knee, pet the dog, and say, ‘Hey, it’s nice to meet you.’ Now, [the dog is] tail wagging, happy, everything’s great,” he explained.

“People are the same; there’s no difference there. Normally, it takes months to build trust and a flow inside a practice [as] people get to know each other. As relief veterinarians, we must do it in the first 10 minutes of getting to know each other. So, starting on the right foot with a big smile and saying, ‘Hey, nice to meet you. I’m Dr Fin. How’s your day? How’s your week been?’ is a really good start,” said Findlaytor.

Findlaytor also said asking for a buddy in the clinic for the day could be extremely helpful. Having to wander around looking for supplies, asking everyone and anyone how to work certain things, or even how to present estimates to clients can hurt workflow for yourself and the team. Having a dedicated person to help you gives you one person to talk to and answer your questions to maintain the flow of the clinic and give you inside scoops on clients, which team members can help best with certain procedures, and more. Integrating yourself into the clinic casually and subtly will ensure your success there.

Conclusion

Although there are clear benefits to becoming a relief veterinarian, this career path may not be the best fit for everyone. Understanding the advantages and comparing them with the disadvantages can help determine if this is the career for you. Findlaytor closed his lecture by reminding the audience that the veterinary community is in this profession together to save the lives of animals, no matter what the career path looks like.

References

1. Findlaytor A. Making sense of relief: what’s the fuss about, and how do I play a part? Presented at: Fetch dvm360 conference; May 17, 2024; Nashville, TN.
2. Kogan LR, Rishniw M. Relief and mobile veterinary careers may offer a path towards improved quality of life. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2023;262(2):209-215.doi:10.2460/javma.23.07.0422