States probe pay for DVMs

NATIONAL REPORT — Veterinarians in some parts of the country are making nearly 30 percent less than the most-recent national median reported by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), according to new reports from a handful of state veterinary medical associations.

Identifying how veterinarian and staff compensation levels compare to national surveys is increasingly becoming a goal of state veterinary associations.

"It's data that our veterinarians have wanted for a long time," says Michigan Veterinary Medical Association (MVMA) Executive Director Karlene Belyea. The data, Belyea adds, help practice owners and job seekers better understand salary and benefit trends.

For example, Michigan found in its recent survey that full-time veterinary associates in the state reportedly made about 18 percent less than the AVMA-reported national median of $85,000. Michigan's part-time associates reported making almost 30 percent less than the median, according to the MVMA survey.

MVMA conducted the survey in spring 2011 to allow its members to compare their compensation levels to others in the state. Practice owners completed the surveys, but specific data on practice-owner compensation was not collected.

The Oregon Veterinary Medical Association (OVMA) conducted a similar study in 2008, 2010 and a follow-up is planned for 2012, adds Raina Day, the association's public relations director.

The Colorado Veterinary Medical Association (CoVMA) led the way with state surveys, conducting a compensation-and-benefits study in 2007 and a benefits-only study in 2009.

"It's a real effort to undertake because there are so many variables," CoVMA Executive Director Ralph Johnson says of the surveys.

Developing a template for state veterinary associations to use when conducting such studies would be a great benefit, Johnson says, since a state breakdown is not available through AVMA.

AVMA spokesman Michael San Filippo says the national association does not get enough responses from each state on its compensation report to provide an accurate sampling of state data. Only regional and national figures are reported in AVMA's report, he adds.

Johnson hopes these state VMA surveys will prompt other associations to undertake similar studies so that veterinarians can identify salary trends relevant to each state. As more associations rise to the task, the task will become easier, he says.

Here's a look at some of the results from the various state surveys. Go to dvm360.com/salaries for more national data.

Michigan

According to MVMA's most recent survey of 142 Michigan veterinarians, full-time companion-animal veterinary associates working 40 hours per week reported a median income of $70,000 per year with a range of $34,420 to $140,000. Compensation levels dropped to $68,190 for mixed-animal veterinarians and $66,253 for equine veterinarians. Not enough data was collected to report median compensation for food-animal practitioners, according to MVMA.

Part-time veterinary associates reported an annual median income of $42,154 for about 18 hours of work per week. Income levels rose to $46,900 annually for 20 hours of work per week for companion-animal associates, and dropped to $30,300 annually for 16 hours of work per week for mixed-animal practitioners.

For full- and part-time associates, anticipated raises were 3 percent and 5 percent, respectively, and income levels were at the highest for practitioners with 16 to 25 years of experience.

Michigan practice managers were paid a median of $17 per hour, while technicians earned $14.36 per hour and assistants earned $10 per hour, according to the study. Wages were fairly consistent across all types of veterinary practices, MVMA reports. Front-office staffs were paid a median of $11.50 per hour with food-animal staff making $10 per hour, companion-animal staff at $11.25 per hour, mixed-animal staff earning $12 an hour and equine staff making $14.30 per hour.

As far as benefits, 60 percent of respondents report their practices offer separate vacation and sick time, while 28 percent use a paid time-off bank and 11 percent do not offer any paid time off.

Of those practices offering paid time off, 36 percent of the respondents said their practices pay up to three weeks of paid time off. Twenty-three percent either awarded paid time off based on length of service or gave two weeks off. Another 9 percent annually negotiated paid time off. Most practices that offered paid time off gave DVMs two weeks paid vacation and one week of sick time.

Additionally, nearly 80 percent of the Michigan-based respondents say their practices reimburse associates for professional fees and continuing education. Almost 70 percent of the respondents report their practices paid or reimbursed associates for travel and lodging. Almost half of the practices surveyed paid professional fees of certified staff, and nearly 80 percent paid or reimbursed certified staff for continuing education. About 63 percent of practices pay for lodging and travel expenses.

Nearly 70 percent of veterinary practices surveyed offer medical insurance to employees and more than 90 percent require 30 to 40 hours of work to be eligible. Of those that provide insurance, 44 percent pay 100 percent of the employee's medical insurance premiums. Twenty-seven percent of respondent practices are paying 50 to 74 percent of those premiums. Only 35 percent of survey respondents say their practices offer 100 percent payment of premiums for dependents.

Out of the 142 survey respondents, only 33 say their practices offer dental insurance. Even fewer numbers of respondents say they have access to disability, vision and life insurance. Another 60 percent of respondents report their practices offered a retirement benefit. Access to the practice's retirement benefit was based on length of service, according to 81 percent of the respondents. Employer contributions to retirement plans ranged from 1 percent to 15 percent, with a median of 3 percent. Only 29 percent of practices offered profit sharing, and 2 percent of the respondents said it was offered only to DVMs.

Oregon

In a 2010 survey administered by the OVMA, Oregon practice managers made a median wage of $18.42 per hour. Certified veterinary technicians made a median of $15.50 per hour, while non-certified technicians made $12 per hour. Veterinary assistants pulled in a median of $10 per hour, while front-office staff were paid $12 per hour.

Oregon's benefits data was not as detailed, but Day says 74 percent of owners reported offering group medical insurance to employees. Seventy percent of those respondents said their practices paid between 75 percent and 100 percent of the premiums.

A total of 31 practices that responded to the survey offered dental coverage, and the practices paid a median of 50 percent of the premium. Fewer practices offered vision insurance, disability insurance and life insurance. About 70 percent of the Oregon survey respondents say their practices offer retirement benefits and 83 percent say they are reimbursed for continuing education.

Colorado

The 2007 CoVMA survey combined salary results of veterinary owners and associates. In addition, the compensation survey focused on averages rather than medians.

The average salary of owner and associate veterinarians in Colorado was $74,624 in 2006. DVMs with six to 15 years of experience made the most each year, averaging $87,835. Veterinarians with one to five years of experience made an average of $70,822, while those with 16 or more years of experience made an average of $65,217.

Veterinary office managers in Colorado made $35,000 to $40,000 on average; front-office staff members were paid $20,000 to $25,000; veterinary assistants made $15,000 to $25,000, and veterinary technicians made $25,000 to $29,000.

In 2009, almost 80 percent of veterinary practices were reportedly offering medical insurance, but premium payments dropped from 2007 levels. In the 2009 survey, 41.4 percent of respondents said their practices paid 50 percent to 60 percent of employee medical premiums, but about 25 percent of the practices reportedly paid 100 percent of premiums.

The number of practices offering dental coverage dropped from 78.6 percent in 2007 to 40 percent by 2009. Vision coverage increased, with 41 percent offering the benefit in 2009, according to the survey. Disability insurance was offered by about half of the practices surveyed, life insurance by about 44 percent, profit sharing by almost 38 percent and retirement benefits by more than 60 percent.

A national look at compensation

Veterinary associates across all types of practices reported earning a median of $85,000, according to data collected in 2009 by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).

Companion-animal associates made $73,000 to $85,000, and mixed-animal and equine associates made $73,000.

Nationwide totals for private-practice veterinarians, including owners, were a median of $97,000.

Part-time associates worked an average of 22 hours per week, according to AVMA's data, and were paid a median of $51.39 per hour totaling $58,790 per year. Mixed-animal part-timers made $38.33 per hour and companion-animal-exclusive part-timers reported median wages of $49 per hour.

About 60 percent of private practice associates receive medical insurance, according to AVMA's data, about 26 percent receive dental insurance; 23 percent, disability insurance; 67 percent, liability insurance; and 17 percent, life insurance. Payment of association dues and continuing education expenses are offered to 80.6 percent and 85.8 percent of associates, respectively. Almost 74 percent receive paid vacation, but only 41 percent receive paid sick leave, according to AVMA. Fewer than 40 percent of associates are offered retirement benefits, 11 percent, pensions; and 12 percent, profit-sharing plans.

Although AVMA does not collect its own state information, it does provide regional figures. According to the 2009 study, companion-animal-exclusive veterinarians in the Northeast make the most, with an average income of $130,550 compared to $127,667 in the South, $109,786 in the Midwest and $129,604 in the Western United States. Food-animal-exclusive veterinarians in the West reported the highest incomes, with a mean of $176,255 compared to $127,756 in the Midwest, $119,802 in the South and $98,611 in the Northeast.