Changing Tides, the importance of knowing your worth now more than ever in veterinary medicine

It's a bit of a funny time in vet med. We are in a time of great transition. The OG's are getting ready to retire, corporations and larger corporations are coming in and buying up many family practices, and the new grads want higher salaries and a better work-life balance than their predecessors. There are some grumblings from the veteran vet community about how they are concerned about the future of our field with the 'lazier" and more “entitled” generation coming in…but maybe when we evaluate our gripes with this newer generation of thought, we discover that we aren't upset at their values but a little jealous that we didn't think of it sooner. 

C.R.E.A.M (Cash Rules Everything Around Me)

I'll be the first to admit I have rolled my eyes when I heard a new grad asking for six figures fresh out of school. But when I stopped to think about it, I realized I shouldn't be annoyed about that, instead I should be championing this next generation so that they don't make the same mistakes those before them did. Isn't that, after all, the definition of growth, and don't we want to see our colleagues flourish? 12 years into this field, I wish I had known my worth much sooner and advocated for myself early on. I applaud this newer generation of vets for realizing that the skills they possess from years of hard work and likely a large student loan debt deserve better compensation than what the industry has provided us up to this point. 

Work smarter, not harder

The other thing this newer generation of veterinarians is teaching us is to work smarter, not harder. This idea of working long hours, overbooking yourself until you burn out, and giving years of your time and energy to making someone else millions of dollars is insanity. Don't get me wrong, the right practice and mentor can be invaluable to your career, but we must start thinking more like businessmen and women. Gone are the days of financial freedom from working 10 or 12 hours shifts 4-5 days a week. There's never been a better moment to seize the to own practices and invest in small businesses. Take control of your future and explore the possibilities available to you.

Side Hustle Season

If ownership is not your jam, the side hustles available to you as a veterinarian are ripe for the picking. There are people willing pay you for your advice and expertise. Use your knowledge to your advantage and start thinking of yourself as an asset not an employee. If you're great with social media, use it to gain a following that helps you spread your unique message. Love teaching?...great, start a course or create e-books or documents you can sell. Regardless of what your side hustle or business may be, while you continue to work as an associate veterinarian, don't be afraid to negotiate your contract. The fear of negotiating comes from lack of knowledge and leverage. Know your production and how that contributes to the overall revenue of that practice. If you don't know your worth how can you confidently convince your boss you deserve a bigger piece of the pie? 

Kindness not weakness

I feel personally that veterinarians have this overall reputation of being empathetic, hard working, loyal and compassionate, but dare I say, pushovers. It's time to take our future into our own hands and start truly believing we are valuable and essential to the growth of the businesses and industry that we have given so much of our blood, sweat, and tears to. It's time for us to stop making ends meet and start building our empires. Our time is now, we owe it to ourselves and our families.