References
Good leadership: what emergency veterinarians value most when evaluating job opportunities and employment longevity
Abstract
Background/aims:
This study was designed to examine the factors that impact emergency veterinarians' decisions in selecting a place of employment and their perceptions of job aspects that are important to foster a work environment conducive to long term employment.
Methods:
An electronic survey was distributed to members of the Veterinary Information Network through its data collection portal.
Findings:
The factors rated by veterinarians as most important in selecting a place of employment include collegiality of co-workers, working with a highly trained support staff, and the opportunity to work fewer, but longer, shifts. Factor analysis identified five factors conducive to long-term employment: schedule, professional growth, environmental tone/atmosphere, medical support, and leadership. The factor found to be most important was leadership. All factors, except for professional growth, were rated as more important by female versus male practitioners.
Conclusions:
Emergency medicine recruitment and retention efforts can benefit from focusing on schedule, professional growth, environmental tone/atmosphere, medical support and leadership. By better understanding the impact of gender, children status, and years in practice on the perceived importance in creating workplace environments conducive to long term employment, hospitals can be better equipped to meet the needs current employees as well as potential new hires.
The demand for veterinary services currently exceeds the number of practicing veterinarians (American Pet Products Association, 2019; Lloyd, 2021), creating a situation in which many pet owners are turning to emergency services. This has led to an increased need for emergency veterinarians; (Cima, 2018, 2019; Bain et al, 2020) a need unable to be filled by the current number of veterinarians in emergency and critical care medicine (Cima, 2019).
While many veterinarians enjoy the nature of emergency medicine, it is not for everyone, as evidenced by the fact that burnout and compassion fatigue appear especially prevalent in emergency medicine (Cima, 2019; American Veterinary Medical Association 2020; Andela, 2020). This has been attributed to several factors including the challenging nature of emergency work, and the demanding schedule (Andela, 2020, Booth et al, 2021). As the need for emergency veterinarians continues to grow, it is imperative to understand the factors that impact how emergency veterinarians select a particular position or hospital, as well as what they feel is important for creating an environment conducive for long-term employment. This study was designed to explore these issues.
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