NH Business: Veterinarian turnover rates

BUSINESS. I’M FRED COKER. AT LAST COUNT, THERE WERE ABOUT 620 VETERINARIANS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. MANY OF THEM UNDERSTAFFED, SOME BURNED OUT. WHILE THE SERVICES WE PET OWNERS DEMANDING ARE UP TAKE A LOOK AT THIS GRAPH, WHICH SHOWS A COMPARISON IN THEIR TURNOVER RATES LEFT TO RIGHT OF PHYSICIANS, PHARMACISTS, NURSE PRACTITIONERS, PHYSICAL THERAPISTS, PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS AND OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS. AND THEN THE LAST THREE BARS SHOWING TURNOVER RATES FOR VETERINARIANS, REGISTERED NURSES AND VETERINARIAN TECHNICIANS. THE TAKEAWAY FROM THIS GRAPH IS THAT THE TURNOVER RATE FOR A VETERINARIAN IS TWO TIMES THAT OF AN MD AND THE TURNOVER RATE FOR A VETERINARIAN TECHNICIAN IS HIGHER THAN THAT OF AN WITH ME TO WALK THROUGH THIS DILEMMA AND THE IMPACT IS HAVING IN NEW HAMPSHIRE IS VETERINARIAN JANE BARLOW. ROY WITH THE SILLY ANIMAL CLINIC IN CONCORD THAT CHARLIE AND A DELEGATE TO THE AMERICAN VETERINARY AND MEDICAL ASSOCIATION AND VETERINARIAN DAVID HARRINGTON OF THE ANIMAL HOSPITAL OF BARRINGTON, WHO OPERATES THIS HOSPITAL WITH HIS WIFE MICHELLE, AND HAPPENS TO BE THE VETERINARIAN FOR MY CAT. WELCOME. NICE TO HAVE YOU. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. LET ME ASK BOTH OF YOU BECAUSE I’M AWARE OF THAT YOU HAVE WORKED FORCE ISSUES LIKE THEY HAVE ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND THERE’S SOME BURNOUT COSTS ARE UP JUST GIVE US A PICTURE OF WHAT YOUR PRACTICES LOOK LIKE RIGHT NOW, JANE. SO WE HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR A NEW VETERINARIAN FOR ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF. YEAH, WE FINALLY WERE ABLE TO HIRE OUR LOVELY NEW VETERINARIAN, DR. TRACY DUTTON, BUT THAT WAS AFTER A GOOD, SOLID YEARS LOOKING FOR FOR HER. WOW. WE HAVE OPEN POSITIONS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE TOOK A WHILE TO FILL WITH OUR OUR SUPPORT STAFF AS WELL AND THINK THAT THAT’S ACROSS THE BOARD. WE’RE LOOKING FOR NOT ONLY VETERINARIANS, BUT WE’RE LOOKING FOR THE SUPPORT STAFF, INCLUDING, YOU KNOW, FRONT DESK STAFF AND, YOU KNOW, TECHNICIANS. YEAH, DAVID, SAME THING WE’RE FINDING SIMILAR ISSUES IN OUR AREA. WE’RE BLESSED IN THAT OUR PRACTICE HAS BEEN FULLY STAFFED FOR QUITE A LONG TIME. BUT THE CHALLENGES OF THE PANDEMIC WERE JUST ASTRONOMICAL ON US. WE WERE CONSIDERED ESSENTIAL WORKERS. SO WE WORK THROUGH THE ENTIRE PANDEMIC AND THE FEELING OF BURNOUT AND THE STRUGGLE TO GET THROUGH EACH DAY IS REALLY TOUGH ON THE STAFF. YEAH, SO THOSE THOSE HUNTS FOR NEW STAFF ARE REAL. WELL, TALK ABOUT THE PANDEMIC. I MEAN, A LOT OF US GOT ANIMALS. WE ADOPTED ANIMALS DURING THE PANDEMIC BECAUSE WE WERE HOME. WE’RE WORKING FROM HOME. WHAT DID THAT DO TO YOUR PRACTICES? DAVID WITH OUR PRACTICE, IT IT DIDN’T INCREASE THE CASELOAD. IT WAS JUST THAT EACH CASE WAS MORE TIME CONSUMING AND MORE DIFFICULT. AT FIRST WE WEREN’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’T KNOW WHAT’S GOING ON. YOU KNOW, ASK MY MOM. AND, YOU KNOW, SO THE COMMUNICATION ISSUE IN THAT IF WE FOUND SOMETHING ON OUR PHYSICAL EXAM, WE ENDED UP HAVING TO STOP, CALL THE OWNER, GET THAT INFORMATION. AND SO IT JUST IT BOGGED, BOGGED THE SYSTEM DOWN. BRIEFLY, DO WE PET OWNERS NEED PET INSURANCE? DAVID? I THINK IT’S AN INDIVIDUAL SITUATION, BUT THE COST OF VETERINARY CARE IS RISING AS EVERYBODY KNOWS, THE COST OF EVERYTHING IS RISING FOR THOSE EMERGENCY SITUATIONS AND THE HIGH TICKET ITEMS. I THINK PET INSURANCE GIVES PEOPLE A PEACE OF MIND THAT THEY CAN TAKE CARE OF THEIR PETS. YEAH. LET ME ASK YOU BOTH BRIEFLY FOR THOSE THAT ARE WATCHING THAT MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN BECOMING A VETERINARIAN OR EVEN A VETERINARIAN TECHNICIAN, WHAT WOULD YOU WHAT’S THE PITCH CHANGE? THE PITCH IS NOT ONLY DO YOU HAVE TO LOVE ANIMALS, YOU ALSO HAVE TO LOVE INTERACTING WITH THE PUBLIC. THINK THAT’S ONE OF THE BIGGEST MISCONCEPTION THAT PEOPLE HAVE THAT YOU JUST DEAL WITH WITH DOGS AND CATS, PUPPIES AND KITTENS ALL DAY. BUT THOSE PUPPIES AND KITTENS COME IN WITH OWNERS, YOU KNOW. SO BEING ABLE TO EFFECTIVELY COMMUNICATE IS IS VERY IMPORTANT. JANE BARLOW ROY OF THE SILLY ANIMAL CLINIC IN CONCORD AND DAVID HARRINGTON OF THE ANIMAL HOSPITAL IN BARRINGTON. THANK YOU. AND IF YOU MISS PART OF THIS BRIEFING, YOU CAN G

NH Business: Veterinarian turnover rates

Fred Kocher is joined by Jane Barlow Roy and David Harriton to discuss staff shortages and burnout amongst vets

Updated: 10:08 AM EDT Jun 18, 2023

The effects of the pandemic were astronomical on businesses alike, but perhaps the hardest on essential workers, like veterinarians. They are feeling the lingering effects of workforce issues, turnover rates and burnout. The influx of pets coming into a clinic was noticeable, as people were staying home with their pets, therefore noticing when something was wrong with their pets. This in addition to the extra workload was tough and tiring on the staff. On the latest installment of NH Business, host Fred Kocher is joined by Jane Barlow Roy and David Harriton, two veterinarians from Barrington and Concord, who are definitely still feeling the effects in a post-COVID-19 world.

MANCHESTER, N.H. —

The effects of the pandemic were astronomical on businesses alike, but perhaps the hardest on essential workers, like veterinarians. They are feeling the lingering effects of workforce issues, turnover rates and burnout.

The influx of pets coming into a clinic was noticeable, as people were staying home with their pets, therefore noticing when something was wrong with their pets. This in addition to the extra workload was tough and tiring on the staff.

On the latest installment of NH Business, host Fred Kocher is joined by Jane Barlow Roy and David Harriton, two veterinarians from Barrington and Concord, who are definitely still feeling the effects in a post-COVID-19 world.