Organization asking veterinary professionals why they’re leaving profession

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Veterinary Visionaries has launched its second solving event that begun February 14, 2023, and will run through March 7, 2023, addressing the increasing loss of employees in the veterinary field.¹ According to worldwide studies² and statistics³, worker disengagement has never been higher, and this shortage of professionals doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon.

An organizational release¹ noted that this innovative video collection and gallery platform will address this problem plaguing the industry. Veterinary team members are urged to submit approaches to answering this question: How do we get people who fell out of love with the profession to fall back in love...and stay?

Veterinary leaders across the globe will have access to the output of this storytelling initiative, which will feature a compilation of insights and compelling ideas from professionals confronting continual challenges. The aim is to raise awareness and inspire a reversal of employee satisfaction and current attrition trends.

"One of the biggest problems we face is the loss of well-skilled people,” expressed Garth Jordan, CEO of the American Animal Hospital Association, in the release.¹ “There are simply not enough veterinarians and technicians to fill vacancies. The statistics don’t tell the story as to why people are leaving their jobs. We intend to humanize the data with impassioned stories that drive empathy and compel change.”

"As we build our network of veterinary-owned practices, our primary goal is to make sure every person who works in those practices is happy and able to grow in their roles. Our hope is that through this event, we will learn what our people need to rekindle their passion and put plans into action to make sure they thrive and grow with us,” said Jennifer Bruns, DVM, MPVM, VP of business development and quality, PetSmart Veterinary Services.¹

Veterinary Visionaries includes over 65 organizations that support the profession, including the American Animal Hospital Association, American Veterinary Medical Association, American College of Veterinary Surgeons, VCA Animal Hospitals, and PetSmart.

Veterinary Visionaries and this event are supported by CareCredit.

References

1. Veterinary workers share stories from the trenches to reverse flight from the profession. News release. Veterinary Visionaries. February 14, 2023. Accessed February 17, 2023. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230213005009/en
2. Merck Animal Health’s third veterinarian wellbeing study reveals increased health challenges and psychological distress among veterinarians. Merck Animal Health. January 18, 2022. Accessed February 17, 2023. https://www.merck-animal-health.com/blog/2022/01/18/merck-animal-healths-third-veterinarian-wellbeing-study-reveals-increased-health-challenges-and-psychological-distress-among-veterinarians
3. Hagen JR, Weller R, Mair TS, Batt-Williams S, Kinnison T. Survey investigating factors affecting recruitment and retention in the UK veterinary nursing profession. Vet Rec. 2022;191(12):e2078. doi: 10.1002/vetr.2078.