A recent veterinary job satisfaction survey, conducted by the Veterinary Hospitals Managers Association (VHMA) surfaced some key insights we wanted to share with you here.

When asked, “How satisfied are you with your current work hours?” 238 survey respondents answered:

• 13% extremely satisfied
• 38% very satisfied
• 32% moderately satisfied
• 10% slightly satisfied
• 7% not at all satisfied

When asked, “How many hours per week do you work on average?”, 240 survey responses came in as:

• 2% 10-20 hours
• 2% 21-30 hours
• 30% 31-40 hours
• 53% 41-50 hours
• 10% 51-60 hours
• 3% 61 or more hours

When asked, “Have you recently thought about leaving your career in veterinary practice management (last 36 months)?”, 239 survey responses came in as:

• 41% No
• 59% Yes

So what does this all mean?

Veterinary Practice Managers are Overworked and Consider Leaving the Business

The results speak for themselves, veterinary practice managers are working more hours than ever before and have been increasingly considering leaving the business during that same time frame. At a whopping 16% difference from those who have never thought about quitting their jobs, this number is a wake-up call to practices everywhere.

The state of employee well-being and mental health is a major concern these days, and people have a lot to say about it. This survey primarily reflects how managers feel about these issues because it was conducted among hospital administration staff; other roles may be having similar experiences.

We are hopeful that further research will be conducted to address the mental health of veterinarians in particular.

Veterinary Current Work Hours are Unsustainable

We can’t keep up this pace. We know it, you know it, everyone knows it. The veterinary workforce is burdened with more work than they have time for and burned-out employees are not good for customers or patients.

In short, we need to slow down and get a better work-life balance. We hope this article provides some perspective of the scale of these issues and how they are affecting veterinary hospital managers across North America.

Veterinary Marketing Takes a Back Seat To Manage the Day To Day Operations

We wanted to take a moment to comment on how these issues affect veterinary marketing. We all know that current employees are the lifeblood of any veterinary practice, and retention is unquestionably important. However, veterinary practices need to consider their potential new customers as well!

By focusing so much on the day-to-day operations of the practice, veterinary practices are neglecting their marketing which indirectly impacts their new client intake. Marketing offers a chance to find potential customers who would otherwise be difficult to reach.

Marketing is not secondary to any other aspect of your business. Veterinary marketing can both save you money in reducing new client acquisition costs and increase your revenue by connecting you with people who are ready to be your customers.

When veterinary practices take the time to market their business, they will find it pays for itself long-term through cost savings on reduced marketing expenses and increases in new client volume.

Why Hiring a Vet Marketing Agency Makes the Most Sense

With veterinary practice manager stress levels continuing to rise, outsourcing your animal hospital’s digital marketing only makes sense.

For example, by hiring a veterinary marketing firm to handle your website updates, veterinary SEO, and PPC marketing, you will benefit from years of experience in animal hospital marketing that will allow you to get your practice on track, saving you time, money, and reducing stress levels.

About the VET Marketing Agency

The VET Marketing Agency is the premier provider of digital marketing and social media engagement services to the veterinary animal hospital industry. Services include veterinary website design and development, veterinary search engine optimization, veterinary paid advertising programs, social media marketing, and engagement services for animal hospitals, and 24/7 reputation management services for veterinarians.

Headquartered in New Jersey, the VET Marketing Agency offers full-service, cost-effective digital solutions to ensure its veterinary customers remain competitive and, on the marketing cutting edge. The VET Marketing Agency is a certified Google Partner and a member of the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association (VHMA) and the Independent Veterinary Practitioners Association (IVPA).

Contact us to find out more about the VET Marketing Agency, visit VETMarketingAgency.com or call (800) 609-7657 ext. 700.