[Professional entry into equine medicine]

In the present study phone interviews on working hours, salary, professional satisfaction and other topics were carried out with 30 equine veterinarians. None of the participants had more than five years of work experience. The gross annual wages ranged from CHF 36'400 to CHF 91'500. The study participants worked 42 to 93 hours per week. Only 13% were moderately satisfied with the job, the remaining participants were satisfied to highly satisfied. Sixty percent of the study participants were dissatisfied with their wages and wished to be paid according to the Swiss Veterinary Association (GST) salary recommendations. Five out of 27 wages were within the recommended ranges. The lowest wages were paid at the universities. Sixteen people worked more than the legal maximum of 50 hours a week. A big difference in total working hours per week existed. Especially since part-time workers had more working hours than participants in a full-time job. The study reflects the situation before 2018 and especially at the universities, before the introduction of a new employment contracts with a 50h week, wage adjustments and defined times for further training.