New grads find it tough on the outside

Advice from those who have been there

Published: April 16, 2009
By Timothy Kirn
Scan the message boards frequented by veterinarians, such as those on the Veterinary Information Network (VIN), and it is easy to get the impression that many new practitioners get a rude shock when they take their first job. 

There are stories by new associates whose bosses suddenly disappear, leaving them with all the emergency hours and responsibilities, and stories from those who are chagrined that they cannot get clients because their bosses refuse to relinquish cases to them. There are stories about practices with bad treatment protocols and incompetent technicians.

And all of those stories are answered by those with similar experiences.

The idea that veterinarians find their first job as a practice associate unsatisfactory appears to be extremely common. The British Veterinary Association started its Young Vet Network in 2007 to support new graduates for just that reason. First jobs, it seems, are a minefield of varied personalities and imperfect habits and ingrained routines, versus the idealism of the novice initiate.

But is it true that recent graduates tend to be unhappy in their first jobs, or is it simply that those who post messages need to grouse and seek advice? Perhaps new veterinarians who are content are the silent majority. 

There appears to be little evidence either way, and some of it is contradictory.

Donald Klingborg, DVM, who runs a veterinary practice management course at the University of California, Davis, surveyed recent graduates from his school about their practice experiences and found that 90 percent were very satisfied in their first job.

But he also thinks that a veterinarian's first job can be an emotional jolt. Most people who enter the profession have worked in veterinary settings before, and they expect to know what it will be like. But suddenly, they are in charge, saddled with responsibility. They realize they cannot control everything in a practice where others also work.

And that can fray the nerves, Klingborg said.

“It has to do with the fact that it is scarier than hell,” he said. “It’s a transition.”

On the other hand, two earlier surveys have found higher levels of dissatisfaction. 

In a research paper, Jennifer Gardner, a doctoral candidate at Cornell University, noted that a 1991 survey of 216 associate veterinarians investigated how long veterinarians stayed in their initial job. The survey, published in Veterinary Economics, found that 67 percent of veterinarians polled were no longer with the animal hospital they initially joined upon graduation, and 74 percent left before their two-year employment anniversary.

Inspired by the suggestion that discontent is more common than contentment, Gardner surveyed Cornell’s 1992 DVM class, a year post graduation. Thirty-seven former students answered. Gardner found that 88 percent were still in their first job at one year, but they were not necessarily content and fulfilled. In fact, 47 percent of those still in their first job said they were unhappy.

Gardner attempted to identify specific factors associated with such unhappiness. She concluded from the survey answers and comments that dissatisfaction was associated with low income, long hours and indebtedness.

While she acknowledged that the answers indicated that part of the trouble stemmed from unrealistic expectations on the part of new graduates, she said that indebtedness appeared to rank highest in importance. Low income put the graduates under pressure because they had loan payments to make and made it more difficult for them to enjoy themselves, their careers and their lives outside of work. 

Gardner now offers advice to recent graduates who are looking for a job that might increase the likelihood that they will find a good fit. Among those suggestions, she said new graduates should:

1. Interview at several practices before accepting an offer, to get a better sense of the options.

2. Ask the practice about its staff turnover rate and for the names and phone numbers of at least two former employees. Get specifics on expectations for covering emergency hours.

3. Do not accept a low salary. Gardner thinks graduates should devise a budget so they can show potential employers how much debt they have and how much income they will need.

4. Visit a potential place of employment more than once to see what the working environment is and how busy the practice gets.

Veterinarians who have been through the experience of entering practice tend to say that what's important is that the employer acts as a mentor. The information, style and approach a new veterinarian picks up in the first job often dictates how that person practices for the rest of his or her career.

“They say the first veterinarian you worked for, you are going to practice like that person,” said Dr. Carl Singer, a small-animal veterinarian from Hayward, Calif. Singer recently was part of a panel invited to speak to Klingborg’s practice management class on the topic of entering practice.

He said that while he understands that newly coined veterinarians have student loans to pay, he disagrees with Gardner’s thesis that money is paramount in a first job.

New veterinarians just out of school are not going to be worth the money they are paid whatever the circumstances, Singer said. Therefore, new practitioners should avoid situations where they are being paid so much that they feel pressure to produce income right away. Instead, they should take positions that allow them up to eight months to get their feet wet.

Singer also advises that what really matters in a first job is finding a good mentor, someone who is patient, will help the new graduate learn and will not be too hard on mistakes.

“It is really not about money,” he said. “It has a lot to do with a comfortable fit.”

Klingborg said he is not comfortable with the term ‘mentor’ because it is too vague. He also does not think that new graduates should have their hands held all the time or they will not learn, and learning is what they need.

His advise: Look for a busy practice. The more cases new graduates see, the more learning opportunities. 

“What you need to see is a range of cases,” Klingborg said. “Every case has lessons — the more cases, the more lessons.”

Still, some think that new graduates need to make the best of even the most difficult situations, according to opinions recently posted on the message boards of VIN. 

A short while ago, a recently graduated veterinarian posted her story of the disappointments of her first job. The clinic was too busy and she was rushed, post-operative pain control was not routine and there were questionable interactions between the practice owner and a receptionist.

While on the job, the new veterinarian was sometimes brought to tears.

Almost everyone who responded commiserated with the young DVM, and most told her to quit.

But one respondent, also a recent graduate, offered different advice. That new veterinarian told her disgruntled colleague to improve her current situation. She said her first job also was a challenge that almost pushed her to the door, but she had stuck it out and made the practice better.

She demanded that her employer improve the record-keeping system, acquire a gas anesthesia machine and track supplies and medicines better, among other things.

Referring to the clinic owner, this veterinarian wrote: “Believe it or not, you have as much to teach him as he has to teach you. He can learn from your fresh perspectives and new grad knowledge, and you can learn from his years in the trenches.”

VIN News Service commentaries are opinion pieces presenting insights, personal experiences and/or perspectives on topical issues by members of the veterinary community. To submit a commentary for consideration, email news@vin.com.

Information and opinions expressed in letters to the editor are those of the author and are independent of the VIN News Service. Letters may be edited for style. We do not verify their content for accuracy.


 
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