While the veterinary profession is grappling with serious challenges-such as financial stress and isolation among early-career veterinarians to the rural service gap -the situation is manageable. Crucially, addressing these issues doesn't require sweeping, massive reforms.

The most impactful strategies to improve practice performance are, in fact, grounded in practicality: fostering connections for new veterinarians; teaching financial literacy and practice management; better leveraging veterinary technicians; and implementing efficiencies where possible.

"Employee engagement, financial stress, delegation, and client expectations are colliding in ways that make day-to-day practice unsustainable for too many teams," said Dr. Wendy Hauser, founder of Peak Veterinary Consulting. "The fixes aren't glamorous, but they are doable."

(Left to right) Dr. Taylor Tillery, Kelly Foltz, Dr. Amy Grice, and Dr. Wendy Hauser discuss the challenges facing the veterinary profession during the 2025 AVMA Veterinary Business and Economic Forum. While the pressures are serious and immediate, the panel believes incremental, proven changes to practice operations are the solution.

She was part of a panel discussion on emerging opportunities and collaborative solutions during the 2025 AVMA Veterinary Business and Economic Forum, held October 8-9 in Denver.

Alongside Dr. Hauser were Dr. Amy Grice, a retired managing partner of an equine referral hospital; Dr. Taylor Tillery, veterinary academic and industry liaison lead for Merck Animal Health; and Kelly Foltz, a veterinary technician specialist in emergency and critical care. The group focused on four areas: young professionals, people and culture, the business of practice, and pet owners.

Employee wellbeing

Dr. Tillery highlighted findings from the 2023 Merck Animal Health Veterinarian Wellbeing Study IV and 2023 Veterinary Team Wellbeing Study II, showing financial pressures track with burnout and mental health concerns across hospital roles.

"Sixty-eight percent of team members rated financial stress as critically important, and 60% said they were dissatisfied with their financial situation. That's not sustainable," he said.

One solution he suggested: Embedding business acumen in veterinary curricula.

"We do a great job building medical knowledge," "but we leave out financial literacy: pricing, payroll, productivity levers, and reading a (profit and loss statement)," Dr. Tillery said. "That gap shows up as stress."

Dr. Hauser connected diminished wellbeing to a broader workforce picture. Gallup's U.S. employee engagement survey found workforce engagement had slipped by 2% to 31% in 2024, marking a 10-year low.

"Seven out of 10 people in your building may be disengaged right now. That's a culture and a cost problem," she said, because it can result in lower productivity and higher turnover.

One way to promote engagement is by fostering connections among staff members, which Dr. Grice described as the most underrated retention tool for those early in their career.

"When we surveyed doctors in my Decade One program, business education mattered, but the highest-rated value was belonging-having peers who understand the same stresses and choices," she said. "It's a psychologically safe place to [be able to] say the quiet part out loud and compare notes on real-world practice."

A sense of belonging can guard against feelings of isolation, something Dr. Grice says is common among equine and rural practices, which are frequently one-veterinarian operations. She suggested solo veterinarians join or form emergency cooperatives for shared coverage; hire and leverage credentialed veterinary technicians; and explore haul-in models for single-animal visits to regain efficiency.

Dr. Grice cautioned, though, that streamlining services must be done with care.

"There's a balance between operational efficiency and the bond you build in the barn aisle," she said.

Technicians, front and center

Not surprisingly, Foltz urged practices to immediately better incorporate their veterinary technicians' skills.

"Your No. 1 efficiency add is a credentialed technician, paired with a plan to actually use their training," she said. "Center credentialed technicians in rounds, skills training, and even teaching roles so new grads learn what a high-functioning team looks like."

Throwing new hires into the deep end and hoping for the best is not a strategy, Foltz added.

"Structured onboarding, competency checks, and confidence-building reps prevent downstream errors when the caseload spikes," she said.

Veterinary technicians can especially help when it comes to client interactions, but they need to be trained in areas such as reflective listening, open-ended questions, and de-escalation.

"We need complete histories the first time, and we need clients to feel heard," Foltz said.

Dr. Hauser said that most client-experience failures are a consequence of poor communication about the costs of veterinary care.

"Veterinary prices have risen sharply since the pandemic, but the larger problem is that we rarely educate clients proactively about the cadence and cost of care," she explained. "People say 'no' when they're surprised, not when they're informed."

Dr. Hauser suggested informing clients what they can expect in terms of veterinary costs during the first year. Later, she says to talk with them about what a stable adult year looks like, when senior care begins, and what tools exist to help budget, such as wellness plans, pet insurance, or third-party credit.

Culture counts

When it comes to striking a balance between practice efficiency and practice culture, manager behavior matters more than mission statements.

"Start with shared values, trust, respect, and transparency, that's what gives leaders credibility," Dr. Tillery advised. "Then align incentives with the behaviors you actually want. If you reward only throughput, don't be surprised when culture erodes."

Dr. Hauser agreed, adding: "The single most impactful, research-supported move? Short, weekly check-ins-10 to 15 minutes per person-covering recognition, priorities, collaboration needs, and strengths. Document action items and end with explicit confidence. It sounds basic because it is. And it works."

"Give people authority with accountability," Dr. Grice suggested. "Define the destination and the guardrails. Then get out of the way. Engagement rises when team members can actually solve problems."

While panelists acknowledged the pressures confronting the veterinary profession, they believe that incremental, evidence-based changes can create a financially successful practice where staff feel heard and supported.

"Culture is not a retreat exercise," Dr. Hauser said. "It's purpose, growth, a secure manager, ongoing conversations, and strengths, delivered weekly, not yearly."