The great veterinary shortage

[beowulf]

No. My PTO is split into 3 categories so I provide the reason typically as I’d rather use a personal day than vacation day, etc.

I was just asking @kmwines01 because I found the comparison to practices that only offer routine services odd (AKA no ER). A better comparison would be a hospital; and while they have visiting hours many are open 24/7 and you can bring yourself into the ER at any time.

Some people can’t always schedule vet appointments during typical M-F 8-5. I just dealt with this a few weeks back. Neither of my small animal vets allow you to drop off a pet for routine appointments, FWIW. My job at least lets me take time off for vet appointments but I’ve worked in many industries where that has not been a “legitimate” enough reason to take off the schedule.

There’s a lot that’s wrong with the veterinary industry and it’s hard to start in one particular place. There should be access to vet and ER services when needed, though.

[lenapesadie]

Similar with my work, three leave banks and providing info as to which one I’m drawing on.

I entirely agree it is crucial to have access to emergency medical care for animals. I also can see how it might be impossible for many vet practices to have extended hours.

My vet has extended hours 730 to 530 during the week but no longer has regular Saturday hours for routine care. Reducing the amount of staffing they need on weekends presumably enables them to offer better work life balance for their employees.

A friend of mine’s small animal vet in a rural area has such difficulties with retaining staff for weekend coverage that the vets (a couple) have resorted to taking hospitalized animals home with them on weekends! I guess it’s easier for them to monitor the animals at home than drive back and forth to the clinic.

Drop off appointments can be really helpful in some scenarios but I can see how that might not work for some practices.

[trubandloki]

Where I work we have one bank of time off.
When we had multiple categories I simply stated I had an appointment. No one ever asked what kind of appointment.

[kmwines01]

I was comparing it to routine services because that was what referenced above. And what most GP vets are backlogged for. And in referencing human med I’m biased because I had to work my recent OB appointments around my work schedule and their availability was pretty limited with my work schedule so I had to make it work. Same with pediatrician appointments. So vet med isn’t the only medical field people would be required to take time off work for appointments.

My husband and I were discussing this the other day and there isn’t a straightforward answer. More urgent care/ER practices would be great but you’re limited in people that want that lifestyle. On call is brutal for some people (why I left equine practice). As more women have entered the field there are a lot more moms who want to spend time with their kids and be available for sports, recitals, etc. And to get people to do ER they need to be compensated. And to do that vet practices have to increase prices. Which in turn causes clients to turn into belligerent a**holes. Which drives more people out of the field because vets get treated like crap.
So there is no easy answer.

Also most practices probably have the hours they do for a reason. Either they found those evening hours unprofitable for what they had to pay staff or they didn’t have clientele that requested it. I used to work Sundays and we found we weren’t making enough money to justify it.

[OnAMission]

I’ve worked in clinics and I’ve long thought that Sat calls were b/c people were finally home with their pets to see issues. Plus Murphy’s law. These days, it’s hard enough to take/make time for vet visits when things are so squished. Our clinic has an ER that works out of their same office which is ideal. We really have excellent vets, though 90 miles away, so I can’t complain but I totally understand weekend needs. I’m very lucky that I know enough on the ground and know when I need a vet b/c it’s a haul for all the animals to get to a good vet. And I have the basic dogs/cats/horses and additionally exotic? birds, a macaw and cockatoo… Locally we have two elderly vets that really need and want to retire but they just keep hanging on but reject all surgeries and anything not dogs/cats. I go to them when I know what I want and just need the 'script.

[beowulf]

@kmwines01

Also most practices probably have the hours they do for a reason. Either they found those evening hours unprofitable for what they had to pay staff or they didn’t have clientele that requested it. I used to work Sundays and we found we weren’t making enough money to justify it.

Or they’re being bought out by Blue Pearl or another huge conglomerate and the hours are getting cut, or they’re short-staffed, or they’re cutting hours available to vets on the team, etc, etc…

Maybe where you live this isn’t the case; where I live there is most certainly a market for “afterhours” vet care. My area is oversaturated with pets as a HCOL area and the above (buying of established businesses / slashing vet hours) is happening everywhere. Saturdays were my former vet practices’ busiest day before VCA bought them out and slashed hours / vets on the team. Now they are only open 8-5 M-F. I ended up leaving this practice anyway after 5 years because even though I’d spent thousands of dollars with them, they couldn’t fit in two separate ERs that happened during normal work hours, and they had to cancel a spay appointment of mine for three cats last minute.

You’re still missing a huge point that was made up thread about how many people can’t just “bring their pet to work” like you, or don’t have the luxury of being able to use PTO for these appointments. It’s the animals that suffer in the end. I’m very lucky to be able to use my PTO for vet appointments but many people are not that lucky.

We’re probably both on the same side re: problems in this industry anyway but I just wanted to put my piece of perspective into the puzzle because your experience is not my own or even others’ on this thread.