One Year of Veterinary Relief: Pros and Cons

Just about a year ago now, I decided it was time to make a change in my career. I had been an associate veterinarian at the same clinic for about 7 years and was starting to feel the effects of burn out. Every vet has their own reasons for going through burn out, especially those of us who worked through the peak of the pandemic. For me it was a combination of things: dealing with the same daily issues of that particular clinic over and over again, having the clinic sold to a corporation, and feeling stuck being in the same cramped space everyday. Finally it culminated in being bit in the face by a dog which sent me to the ER for stitches. It was time for a change, and I decided to go into relief.

Making a career change can be a frightening prospect. There is a certain level of comfort when you have a stable job. You know where you’re going every day, you likely have a fixed schedule, and you likely have a regular paycheck with benefits. However, being comfortable in your job isn’t the same as being happy. There are some costs that come with that comfort. It’s all a balancing act, so in this post I’m going to outline the pros and cons of being a relief vs associate veterinarian, and hopefully help anyone out there that might be contemplating the same decisions.

Work Life Balance

This one is easy, the clear winner is relief. One of the biggest benefits of relief work is that you can set your own schedule and work as little or as much as you want. Want to take a vacation? Take as much as want, with relief you don’t need to ask anyone.

Another big negative contributor to work life balance as an associate veterinarian has to do with the longer term care of patients that you’re responsible for as an associate. As an associate I would call clients or come into the office to report labs on my day off. I wasn’t even safe on vacations, as I found myself answering work emails and calls.

Winner: Relief

Financial

There’s a few things to think about financially here. The biggest financial benefit for relief work is the fact that relief veterinarians do make quite a bit more per shift. But everyone has a different situation, so before you see dollar signs and jump into relief, you should run some calculations to make sure it’s the right choice for you.

While relief veterinarians make more per shift, there are some significant differences in what you become responsible for as an Independent Contractor. When you’re an associate, your employer will pay half of your Social Security and Medicare taxes, and you pay 7.6%. Now as an Independent Contractor, you’ll be responsible for the full 15.3%.

Benefits are also a huge loss for Independent Contractors, with the biggest hit being health insurance. Last year I paid $400 a month for a pretty weak health plan, and that’s considered a low payment. I also have to pay for dental and vision plans. Don’t forget about state veterinary and DEA license renewals. As well as continuing education. There’s also the loss of sick days and paid time off. As a relief veterinarian, if you don’t work you don’t get paid. I caught Covid last year and lost about $5000 of potential income.

All of the above is scary, and it should be. Don’t quit your job until you’ve run calculations! But luckily tax deductions make a huge difference. That’s a whole different post that I’ll try to get to soon. I highly recommend an accountant, and you can even do a consult with one before you make the big switch.

For me, despite all those changes, relief won because I was able to work fewer days per week and still ended up making the same amount.

Winner: Relief (mileage may vary)

I think at this point I’m going to continue this as a series because there’s still a lot more to talk about. What other aspects of relief vs associate life do you want to hear about? Use the Contact Us form to let me know.

And sign up for VetRoam! It is totally free for vets. Even if you’re not ready to make the full time switch, you should definitely test the waters with a shift or two.

Why VetRoam? Unlike other platforms, hospitals compete for you and send personalized offers. There’s no hassle for vets, just set your calendar and watch the offers come in. You also won’t have to worry about a bunch of 1099 forms at the end of the year, you’ll get one single form no matter how many hospitals you go to. There are plenty of other benefits, so sign up now!