Perceptions and Experiences of Veterinary Assistants, Veterinary Technicians/Nurses, and Veterinary Technician...

To examine the perceptions and experiences pertaining to the motivations, barriers, well-being, and utilization of veterinary assistants and technicians/nurses (including veterinary technician specialists) and their influence on job fulfillment, burnout, and interest in remaining in the field.

Electronic survey distributed via veterinary organizations, associations, listservs, and social media from September 25, 2023, through January 7, 2024.

Two thousand one hundred seventy-six total participants.

Online survey.

Participants included 153 veterinary assistants, 1600 veterinary technicians/nurses, and 414 veterinary technician specialists. Sixty-four percent of respondents reported decreased interest in remaining in the field long term, with the most frequently endorsed factors for this change being inadequate pay, burnout/compassion fatigue, insufficient staff, and poor leadership. Respect at work, ability to contribute to animal well-being, self-improvement and professional development, and ability to effect change when identifying something that could be improved were significant predictors of burnout, fulfillment, and changed interest in remaining in the field long term.

It is critically important to understand the lived experiences, causes of veterinary assistants' and veterinary technicians/nurses' burnout, and the resulting decreased interest in remaining in the field. Even with current shortages and financial limitations, many of the job characteristics identified in the current study can be changed within veterinary hospitals. The results from this study suggest that improvements to workplace culture should focus on respect, the power to effect change, ability to contribute to animal well-being, and opportunities for professional development.