Veterinary professionals have no shortage of clinical career opportunities, but from an employer’s lens, finding and retaining credentialed veterinary technicians (CrVTs) and doctors in a clinical setting can be difficult. Offering a competitive compensation package is important, but practices also need various recruitment and retention techniques to attract and retain top talent. Credentialed veterinary technicians Adrienne Kruzer and Michael Ho recruiting for new team members at a vet tech school career fair in Canada. Photo courtesy Adrienne Kruzer Recruitment activities Corporations have recruitment programs that provide various forms of outreach and engagement with schools, professional veterinary associations, and conferences. While privately owned hospitals don’t always have the bandwidth or resources to have a strong presence in the veterinary community, local opportunities still exist to source a healthy pipeline of talent. Local connections Connecting with educators at local veterinary technology/nursing programs, as well as veterinary assisting programs, is beneficial if you are looking for non-doctor talent. These schools often host free career fairs for employers to meet students and alumni, offer guest lecture opportunities during classes, maintain on-site and digital career boards to post job openings, or offer school event sponsorship opportunities to get your hospital name in front of students and alumni. Externships/internships In addition to these on-campus recruitment efforts, hosting interns/externs and providing shadowing opportunities in your hospital can showcase your work culture, team, facility, and medicine to students looking for future employment. Many schools use job listing networks for employers to participate in events and share job opportunities, so consider creating an account and following the schools you are interested in recruiting from. In-person and virtual events Veterinary schools have more restrictions when it comes to on-campus recruitment activities, but that does not mean you cannot still get in front of future doctors. If your hospital is close to a veterinary school, consider hosting a fun and educational in-person event for students through one of their clubs. If there are no vet schools near your practice, offer to host a virtual event, such as a case presentation, instead. Internships/externships and shadowing opportunities are also very popular with vet students and alumni, so be sure to advertise your offerings on your website. Do not underestimate the power of your hospital brand and the information that is available to candidates online. Current career openings, staff information including their credentials, student or training programs you offer, hospital equipment available to team members, and other key information should be easy to find on your hospital’s website. Social media channels should be leveraged to showcase your company culture and current job openings through videos and pictures. Having vet or vet tech/nursing student representatives is another recruitment tool, especially if you have a large practice or unique offerings. Student representatives are typically compensated for their help in organizing campus events and can help spread the word about what makes your practice special to classmates. Outside of schools, professional associations, various online job boards, social media groups, and conferences can also offer opportunities to get your practice in front of prospective team members. Exhibitor tables, lecture or event sponsorships, attendee swag bag donations, membership sponsorships, job postings, and other options may be available through your local groups, job boards, and continuing education opportunities. Focus on opportunities that are aligned with the type of medicine, practice, culture, specialty, or other identifiers at your practice to put yourself in front of the right demographic. For example, if you don’t treat horses, your practice may not find many candidates at an equine conference. However, if you are looking for a CrVT who enjoys working with exotic pets, sponsoring a speaker or swag at a conference with exotic pet lectures may be beneficial. If you are still struggling to find candidates, consider offering a referral bonus to your existing team members for referring candidates. Bonuses to the referring employee are usually only paid out when the referral is hired, which motivates your team members to encourage their very best veterinary colleagues to work with them. When in doubt, you can also consider hiring a veterinary recruitment company to help you find your next hire. Compensation packages Once you have gotten the attention of a candidate, an appealing compensation package will help secure the talent you need. Whether you are offering a salary, base rate, commission percentage, or hourly rate, the pay is just one piece of the compensation package. Paid vacation, sick, bereavement, and parental leave, health insurance, discounted pet services, tuition reimbursement, company equity, loan repayment, a retirement plan, continuing education and travel stipends, uniform allowance, mental health access, a gym membership, caregiving allowance, commuting stipends, phone stipends, and other benefits should be highlighted and shared with prospects. If you are not sure what perks your current and future team members want, ask them. This won’t only help recruit new employees, but it will also help retain them. If possible, flexible work schedules, benefits for part-time team members, and other unique perks should also be considered. While all options may not be possible for all types of hospitals, your future team members are often looking for work-life harmony, so compensation packages, positive work environments, and other perks of the job are vital to recruiting top talent. Candidate experience It is easy to overlook the experience your candidates have when they are considering employment with your practice. The time between when a candidate applies and hears back from you can make or break the likelihood of them accepting an offer, especially if yours is not the only practice they are considering. Don’t forget to prioritize the candidate experience by communicating promptly and making the interview process unforgettable. Even if a candidate does not end up working for you, they will remember what kind of experience they had when they applied and will share this with their colleagues. Don’t be afraid to provide candidates with company swag, take them out to dinner, or on a team outing to help them feel like part of the team right away. Small gestures can go a long way. Retention Offering fair compensation, a good benefits package, and great recruitment experience are all key elements to obtaining new team members, but once you have a new employee, you will want to work just as hard to retain them as you did to recruit them. A positive workplace culture, mentorship opportunities from experienced team members, professional growth opportunities both with skills and compensation, group outings, and other motivators can help retain your existing employees. For CrVTs, full utilization, competitive pay, appropriate recognition, proper staffing, and proactive measures to prevent burnout are top priorities for retention. All team members want to feel valued, so do not forget to invest in your current team just as much as you do prospective team members. It is often easier to keep good employees than it is to find new ones. If you are unsure what types of benefits your current team members would like, don’t be afraid to survey them to find out, and if employees opt to leave your practice, performing exit interviews can help you improve future employee retention. Adrienne Kruzer, BBA, RVT, LVT, is a credentialed veterinary technician in Ohio, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Kruzer writes for various publications, lectures at veterinary conferences and colleges across the U.S., and serves as the Director of Veterinary Nursing Development for VEG ER for Pets. Kruzer also volunteers as the Treasurer and board member for the South Carolina Association of Veterinary Technicians, and she actively represents her profession on social media. References chris@breightly.com. “NAVTA’s 2024 Demographic Survey Reveals Strong Feelings on Title Protection, Income, Role Clarity, and Wellness.” NAVTA, April 3, 2025. https://navta.net/news/navtas-2024-demographic-survey-reveals-strong-feelings-on-title-protection-income-role-clarity-and-wellness/. Vastag, Katrina. “Vet Recruitment: How to Attract Top Veterinary Talent.” Weave, October 7, 2024. https://www.getweave.com/vet-recruitment/. “Stay, Please: Phase 2.” February 20, 2025. https://www.aaha.org/resources/stay-please-phase-2/. “Handshake for Employers: Recruit and Hire Talent Fast.” Accessed March 29, 2026. https://joinhandshake.com/employers/.
