JOB SEARCH

MATCHMAKER, MATCHMAKER FIND ME A JOB…

Job Search Tips.

By Bree Montana, DVM, VIN Foundation Vets4Vets® Program Leader, and the VIN Foundation team

The job search and interview experience can be uncomfortable and intimidating, but you aren’t alone. By preparing ahead of time, you can minimize the pain and maximize the gain in your next job interview.

Let’s start by looking into the kind of position you want. What will you set as your focus?

"Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life." - Confucius

Often, when we begin to search for jobs, we focus on money or our preferred job location. While these are important considerations, it’s also important to look at the kind of hospital experience you want as well as other key environmental characteristics. Ask yourself “what kind of hospital culture will best support my growth through the next few years?”

Whether you are a new grad just stepping onto your career path, or an experienced practitioner taking a new road, introspection and careful observation will allow you to identify your needs and decide what positions will best meet them.

JOB SEARCH BASICS

Start getting a feel for jobs you might want before you officially begin your job search. Looking over job postings even in your second year of veterinary school can be a helpful way to start thinking about what you are looking for in your first job.

There’s no right or wrong time to start your official job search. Some new grads prefer to start as soon as they start clinics, while others want to get past their board exam first. Either is okay, just be sure to give yourself enough time that you won’t stress yourself out. Some of this may also depend on how challenging it may or may not be to find a job when you start getting closer to graduation. There are several different organizations and publications that assess how multiple industries (vet med included) are projected to perform in the near future. Do some research and have an idea of what kind of job market into which you might be stepping. This will help set realistic expectations and give you a sense of how much negotiating ability you may have.

Take a moment to rate the following hospital characteristics, with the number one being your highest priority:

Mentoring
Practice style
Location
Salary
Equipment at the practice
Surgery habits
Support staff
Employee benefits
Schedule

Of course, all of these points are important. Let’s talk about them in more depth.

MENTORING

Newer grads may need broad spectrum mentoring, while more experienced practitioners may be interested in perfecting targeted skills such as surgery, ultrasound, or other aspects of practice. Some grads may need mentoring outside of the medicine itself, whether it be working on client communication or time management when it comes to juggling appointments. The level and kind of mentoring you’ll need depends both upon your current level of expertise and on your goals.

Take a minute to select the statement that most closely represents your level of confidence, as you head out into your new job:

I’m ready to go! Just give me a price and drug list, and I’ll be ready to work on my own from day one.
I’m comfortable working alone, as long as I have someone to bounce cases off of, as well as a doctor onsite when I perform surgeries, at least for the first few months.
I am uncomfortable working alone and would prefer to work alongside at least one other doctor. I would also prefer to have another doctor scrub in with me for my first several months.
I’m not sure how I’m going to feel. I’d prefer to shadow another DVM for a while, then branch out as I feel comfortable.
I’m looking into the VIN Virtual Veterinary Internship as I would love to have that perfect balance of support and learning that I’ll get from an internship while also earning a competitive veterinary salary right from the get-go.

There’s no “right” answer. In my experience, the only “wrong” answer would be one that isn’t honest.

Regardless of your experience, if you’re uncomfortable, stress can make it difficult to perform well. Knowing what you need and being willing to ask for it will allow you to perform optimally. Trying to pretend to be confident or competent with skills you don’t fully own can make you appear inauthentic to your support crew, as well as your new boss. It is okay to not know, and it is okay to say that you do not know!

Many new hires (both experienced and fresh out of school) need guidance and support as they start new jobs. Be forthright when describing your support needs and commit to needing less guidance over time. I would always prefer to coach a colleague through new skills rather than having to clean up mistakes or missteps.

Let your prospective employer know how much time you’ll need for appointments as you start out, and make sure the staff booking appointments know as well. When I have a new doctor (either experienced relief, or new grad — new hires) I book longer appointment times and make sure their load is largely “wellness” cases for a while. Even with this plan going in, enough interesting and challenging cases will pop up to allow me to assess my new team member’s strengths and growth areas. We will usually discuss cases daily for a while, then weekly as we become comfortable together.

You may find yourself entering a practice as the owner’s very first new associate. It’s important to remember it’s been years since your boss was a new grad, and they may have forgotten what being fresh feels like.

You’ll need to be willing and ready to ask for support and time! You may need to ask for longer appointment times. Be prepared to ask to scrub in when your boss performs surgery – in some busy practices, this means you’ll need to come in for a couple of hours on your day off. Your new job will be a collaborative effort between you, the boss, and the support staff. Be ready to ask for support and offer to pitch in as well.

A good way to “suss” out your potential employers’ mentorship potential is a working interview. I recommend scheduling a working interview whenever possible; preferably several days in a row at the same hospital if possible. For me, this works well as I’m very nervous around new people, so I am unable to sense their work style until I can relax. Most of us are at our best when we aren’t nervous, and time can bring that calming response. Working several days with your potential boss will also allow you to observe their practice style.

PRACTICE STYLE

Take a moment to review the following practice characteristics and decide how you would feel about them. Are any of these deal breakers for you?

Which of the following might cause consternation in your new job?

The practice has traditional (no CR/DR/digital) radiology. Radiographs are read onsite by the owner without Radiology review.
Blood-work and IVCs are not required for anesthesia, nor do you see any being used for hospitalized patients.
The practice has lots of bells and whistles. It also administers core and non-core vaccines annually.
You notice that there are anesthesia drug charts on the wall that the RVTs use for all procedures under all circumstances.
Surgical patients are being discharged without pain medications.
Anesthesia-free dentistry is advertised in the lobby.
Vaccine clinics are held weekly.
There are no licensed technicians on staff.
Looking at the pharmacy, you don’t see any of the drugs you are comfortable using, but the Boss says “no worries, you’ll learn to use these drugs with no problem”

Let’s think this through a little bit. Many of you will be going into practices different from your previous experience (school). You’ll need to make decisions about which things you require to practice, and which things you may be flexible on. These are important topics to discuss with your prospective employer. When you interview in a practice missing some gadgets and requirements, imagine how you might bring the topic to the forefront.

Compatible hospital culture and practice styles are important to your happiness and success in the workplace. You’ll need to understand the preventative medicine protocols your new boss expects you to support (minimal vaccine schedules or annual vaccines?). Pre-anesthetic protocols, pain management, and diagnostic options will vary. One of the biggest pitfalls for new employees is hoping the hospital you interview in is somehow different from the one you’ll be working in day to day. You may dream the owner will upgrade his equipment, modify her protocols, or wash that paw-smudged front door once you come aboard.

Doing a quick internet search on the practice and doctors at that practice can also be a good way to get some background on practice style. This might include reviews (good and bad) or board complaints. Some of those negative things may be easily disregarded as an upset client looking to vent (we’ll all have some of those) or may give you a better idea of a practice that isn’t the right fit for you.

When we notice uncomfortable things during the interview we often fantasize we’ll be able to educate the problems right out of the hospital. Sadly, this fantasy is the source of much unhappiness. The importance of practice style adds weight to your interview, so let’s walk through that topic next.

THE INTERVIEW

If you are traveling to a location to interview at more than one hospital, it looks better if you arrange your own transportation, but it’s not unreasonable to accept lodging and other gestures of welcome.

Your working interview will give you an opportunity to assess your potential new hospital’s equipment and protocols. While many employers are interested in owning the latest and greatest equipment, it’s not always in the budget.

If your prospective employer had the money for a new digital radiology system, he’d have one. If she thought full pre-operative blood work was necessary, she’d be running it. When you interview, realize some modifications may be possible, but for the most part, what you see is what you’ll be expected to practice. However, it’s always appropriate to ask questions about pain control, equipment, dental radiograph protocols, lab testing, and other specifics of practice. It’s important to be flexible with protocols, and drug availability. Employers will be hoping you will ask questions about their medicine. Do be observant during the interview and watch how folks relate to each other.

Observe your potential hospital team and setup with a kind eye; they may be working wonders on a shoe-string budget. You may be able to practice excellent medicine without every latest and greatest new toy, although it will be different from school. Successful new team members will figure out ways of working within the hospital’s system. The key is observing the overall hospital and making an educated guess about your ability to thrive or at least function within the hospital’s culture.

Only you can determine which equipment and protocols you’ll need to practice comfortably. You’ll need to do some introspection as you do your hospital inspection!

Be prepared for questions like, “What can you bring to our practice?” It is also a good idea to know how to briefly summarize yourself and your goals, your elevator pitch. Don’t be afraid to include some personal things, like hobbies, as this can help your potential employer get to know you as a person.

Have questions ready to ask them! It’s not a good look to have no questions for your future employer. Many of the common questions should be answered during the interview, so think outside the box. One good question could be, “what are your plans to grow the practice?”

PRACTICE LOCATION

How far from your dream location are you willing to travel for your next position? Take a moment to figure out which of the following answers feels the best fit for you:

I need to be within a 1-hour commute of my preferred location.
I need to be within 8 hours of my preferred location.
I am willing to relocate, provided I remain in my preferred kind of location (i.e. city, country, coast).
Location is not important to me. I am willing to relocate anywhere within the country.

Geography is a key component to most of our job searches. Geographic constraints often impact the style and sometimes quality of medicine that we are able to practice. We may need to practice in a set area because of a spouse’s career obligation, we may want to practice “anywhere near an ocean”, or we may need to be close to aging parents or other family. If you aren’t able to travel for that perfect job, you’ll have to work more intensively in your target area to find a good fit for yourself. You’ll also need to understand the financial micro-climates of the area in which you are job hunting.

Once/if you are confident with basic outpatient care, relief work can provide an effective introduction to your area’s hospitals; spend time with all contractors before starting work, however, be sure you’re comfortable with their equipment, support staff, and medical/surgical protocols. Of course, relief work can be a mixed bag for us when we’re newer. If you’re a newer grad, it’s helpful to be really clear about your skill level with potential employers. You don’t want to get thrown into the deep end if you do relief before you get a few years under your belt!

Finally, make sure you’ve applied for all licenses (or exams!) required to practice in your chosen location; most hospitals are unable to employ doctors without the appropriate state licenses.

Once you’ve set your sights on a practice style (large multi-doctor specialty practice, or mixed animal out in the boondocks?) and have narrowed your job search to a targeted area, you’ll need to get a grasp of appropriate pay for the kind of job you’re seeking.

SALARY

The harsh reality is a practice can only afford to pay an associate somewhere between 18 and 25% of the associate’s gross production. This means whether you’re on straight salary, a base salary plus production generated over a set percentage, or pure production, at some point you’re going to need to bring in enough money to cover your paycheck. As you progress through your career, pay attention to areas of opportunity to increase gross production in your hospital. Perhaps you are interested in dentistry, dermatology, or dog behavior; add services (and charge appropriately for them!) to serve both your interests and elevate your new practice’s bottom line. Look into areas of practice your boss doesn’t enjoy and discuss developing expertise in those areas to improve service in your community. Be sure you evaluate the costs associated with training, equipment, etc. so you have a strong grasp of the actual profitability of anything you’re hoping to bring to the practice.

You may explore the Veterinary Salary Estimator for New Veterinarians from the AVMA as a helpful reference point.

EQUIPMENT IN THE PRACTICE

Equipment is often an area of concern between practice owners and associates. We all have our deal breakers, when it comes to equipment- here are a few of mine:

Digital dental radiographs- I started practice when dental radiographs were optional with dental evaluations at many clinics, and many hospitals in financially challenged regions continue to perform dental cleaning without radiographs.. Like most veterinarians with an interest in dentistry, I feel that full mouth rads are the first step of any dental evaluation, and digital rads are exponentially faster than film based rads making them a requirement for me.

Anesthetic monitoring devices- I breathe (and surgicate ; )) so much easier when I have a capnograph, and I like the combo of an oscillometric as well as doppler BP in addition to the usual pulse ox, ecg, temp, forced air warmers etc… before you take that hospital tour DO take a minute to think through your anesthetic safety preferences.

Protocols and practices- Does the doctor evaluate each case and create a baseline protocol for sedation/ anesthesia, or is there a chart and every patient gets the same thing? Does every anesthesia patient have a baseline exam, IVC, other pre-anesthetic evaluation? What is meaningful to you, when it comes to treatment protocols? Will bupivicain (or another local ax option) be available for blocks – and do the Licensed Technicians perform blocks or will you?

Support Staff- This is so important! Having all of the equipment in the world won’t mean a thing if you don’t have a solid team member to help you utilize those awesome toys!

Let’s say you’d like a new piece of equipment, a new test, or a new therapeutic; A great way to present your request starts with figuring out where to get the item, and the cost. Develop a plan that improves your quality of medicine and also brings a profit along with the new item. Is this new item a one-off, or might it be useful several times a week? Is there a way to get this need met using the staff and equipment already on hand? Develop a solid presentation before making that request, and then follow through to make sure your new purchase pays off for the hospital.

I could go on all day about the things that I would love to have and the things that I would need, at minimum. Most importantly; take a minute to think through the things you would love to have, and then the things that are your baseline minimums.

SURGERY HABITS

It’s important for you to become comfortable with the kinds of sedation your hospital offers; either your mentor or an experienced support team member may need to provide support during sedated procedures for the first few months. For the first few weeks, I’ll invite the new associate to scrub in with me on surgeries. I’ll usually do the first ovarian pedicle on the first OVH, then invite them to do the next. During these experiences, I’ll be sure to discuss good surgery habits.

For me, this means:

Customizing my peri-anesthetic protocols to suit the patient, as well as the procedure – I do this in conversation with my RVTs
Discussing pain control with my team, as well as walking through the procedure, pre-op
Setting up the surgery tray in the same way each time (i.e., sharps to the left, clamps to the right, etc.)
Maintaining excellent posture
Breathing – I remind myself and my team that “when the going gets tough, the tough relax and breathe!”
Self-focusing and calming techniques

Conversation during surgery lets my new team member relax and chat about comfortable topics while they work through their first surgeries in our facility. The topics also remind all of us — support staff as well as veterinarians– that high-quality performance is a habit that needs to be practiced.

It’s important to acknowledge the elephant living in the surgery suite — fear. We all experience it in practice.

Explaining that I use self-focusing techniques whenever the blood squirts into the air allows less experienced doctors to accept that they will experience some scary things in surgery and medicine, and that they will be able to face those challenges when they arise. When my body is tense, my mind is tense. I try to keep my body comfortable so I can make good decisions.

What focusing and calming techniques do you use when cases get tricky? What about your boss or the other associates in your practice?

CONTRACTS

A good employment contract can prevent a significant amount of disagreement between employer and employee. While not all veterinarians have an employment contract, many do, and all should. Generally, employment contracts spell out your job duties and expectations, define how you are compensated and deal with terminating employment – not only on the behalf of the employee, but on behalf of the employer.

Read more about contracts.

As always, the best advice is to have a contract reviewed by an attorney prior to signing it. Depending on the complexity of the contract, this may or may not be necessary. Ask the attorney for prices/cost to review. I am a big fan of contracts and consider the contracting negotiation experience to be one of the most important conversations an associate and employer can have together. If your potential employer is not offering you a contract or if you are unable to agree with the one offered, consider the VIN Foundation’s free, customizable Model Employment Contract as a great place to start your “conversation”!

Remember: it’s best to avoid signing anything with which you would not be willing to comply (don’t count on that non-compete being unenforceable- the whole experience of fighting a non-compete can be soul withering).

WORKING WITH SUPPORT STAFF

As a new grad, or a seasoned but new–to-the-practice associate, you’ll be joining a team with loyalties and shorthand communication habits already developed.

Which best describes you?

I have had extensive experience working with groups, in a position of authority.
I have experience as a supporting team member, but limited experience in a position of authority.
Why would this matter? The support staff are experienced, so they won’t need me to manage them.
I’m worried about my ability to work with support staff. I’m afraid they’ll treat me like a newbie.

A casual perusal of the Practice Management and Professional Communications-Stress folders in the VIN Message Boards (a VIN membership is required for access) will tell you helping a new associate (experienced or newly graduated) get acclimated into a working team is extremely important to career success. It seems unsuccessful new associates come in two flavors; the Super Buddy who tries to be best buds with the support staff, and the Super Bossy who arrives with “my way or the highway” tattooed onto their foreheads. The most successful new associates find a way to walk the line between these extremes.

New associates who bond too closely with support staff often have problems when they need to be more firm with their new friends. Once the honeymoon phase is over, you’ll need to start directing your staff for optimal effectiveness. If you’ve been partying with your support staff, it may be hard to instruct them firmly during an emergency, or to ask them to clean up after that parvo pup when they’d rather handle less noxious duties. Additionally, if you’re overly social with your support staff, it’ll be harder to tell them they need to get off their phone and do callbacks or find other profitable ways of spending time during slow periods.

While there’s nothing wrong with a little “down time” and having some fun, owners may not appreciate you allowing support staff to kick back on the clock. Be sure to maintain the amount of emotional distance required to be a leader with staff so they will listen when you say “get back to work” should you need to. Your support staff is key to succeeding in your new job, and can really go a long way towards making your work day enjoyable. Starting off on a good foot by bringing treats is encouraged (pro tip: include some money for staff treats in your monthly budget).

Be sure to notice when the technicians, assistants, receptionists, and kennel staff are doing something well and compliment them with targeted notes, “Jen, I love that you’ve used the lidocaine cream before starting that IVC; that’s going to make Barney’s experience much more positive”. Your support staff are (hopefully!) rightfully proud of their equipment and training; you’ll want to be verbally complimentary about protocols, equipment, and other aspects of the practice you appreciate. Go in looking for positives, and wait until you’ve become an accepted member of the team before you start introducing changes.

Aside from the relationships you form, make sure you understand the support staff and their roles. Some practices may only have one licensed/registered technician for a team of five doctors while other practices may have a licensed/registered technician for every doctor. Knowing the roles and experience of your support staff will affect your workflow and how comfortable you are allocating other jobs. For example, if you are performing surgery and the technician who is monitoring anesthesia has 10 years of experience versus 1 year of experience, that may affect how you as the doctor also monitor anesthesia, and thus affecting how efficiently you can perform surgery.

Ideally, you’ll have visited and worked some trial days before starting the job, so there won’t be any ethical considerations you cannot live with in your new practice. While you’re getting to know your support staff, remember your most important relationship is with your boss. Check in occasionally to ensure you are on the right track with cases and interpersonal communications. If possible, try to catch the boss when things aren’t chaotic, and work to develop a respectful but relaxed camaraderie.

Once you’ve identified your target geographic region, the style of hospital suited best for you, and have figured out the salary DVMs with your level of experience in your dream region is sufficient to make a living, it’s time to start dropping those resumes all over town! Best of luck to you, and don’t be too shy to visit the other informative areas of the Thrive in Five Toolkit.