All Posts

In one harrowing Reddit post, a veterinary nurse recounts a medication error that almost harmed a patient. “I was so embarrassed and ashamed of myself…  I don’t know, this haunts me. The way I was careless. The way the doctor scolded me. The way the other nurses look down on me. The error of affecting   MY   patient negatively. It kills me ”[1]. This heartfelt confession is not an isolated incident. It’s one of  1,888 online posts  by veterinary professionals that reveal a co

In July 2025, Dr. Marty Becker — founder of the  Fear Free®  movement and a long-established voice in veterinary medicine — published a column in  Veterinary Practice News  contrasting his experiences as a 1980 graduate with what he perceives in the Class of 2030. He described an early-career world of long workweeks, high surgical self-sufficiency without specialist backup, and personal phone calls to every client. Against this, he noted that today’s graduates often enter wit

Veterinary Intelligence Gershon Alaluf, DVM, MBA, DBA Doctoral Candidate Is Veterinary Medicine Still Worth It? A Profession at a Crossroads A Rising Chorus of “Is It Worth It?” In veterinary circles, an unsettling question echoes with increasing frequency: Is this profession worth it? Across social media forums and professional networks, veterinarians and veterinary staff are voicing unprecedented levels of disillusionment. To gauge the sentiment, we analyzed over 2,500 post

Gershon Alaluf, DVM, MBA, DBA Doctoral Candidate and  Sylvalyn Hammond, DVM, Fear Free Certified   Veterinary medicine is experiencing a growing crisis of confidence, particularly among recent graduates. More than ever before, new veterinarians report feeling an overwhelming sense of fear when faced with basic and complex procedures. This anxiety is often compounded by feelings of inadequacy, uncertainty, and a profound sense of not being prepared, even though they’ve spent y

Gershon Alaluf  DVM, MBA, DBA Doctoral Candidate Introduction: Why the Phrase No Longer Fits In veterinary medicine, few phrases spark as much eye-rolling, debate, and defensiveness as  work-life balance . For some, it represents survival: the chance to leave the clinic at a reasonable hour and have enough energy left to be human. For others, it feels like entitlement — a code word for younger generations unwilling to put in the long hours their predecessors endured. The term

Gershon Alaluf, DVM, MBA, Doctoral Candidate The Quiet Epidemic “ PEOPLE ARE dying in vet med. VETS are dying. And it needs to get better. ” (Reddit, 2023). This anguished plea, posted in a veterinary forum, captures the stark truth. Veterinary medicine—a profession defined by compassion and care—is itself in crisis. The data are grim: male veterinarians are  2.1 times more likely  and female veterinarians  3.5 times more likely  to die by suicide than the general population

Veterinary medicine in the United States is undergoing rapid transformation. Over the past decade, private equity investors and corporate groups have acquired thousands of animal hospitals, bringing new capital and efficiency—but also raising concerns about autonomy, culture, and costs. At the same time, veterinarians on the front lines face intense emotional pressures: dealing with distraught pet owners, shouldering heavy  emotional labor , and coping with compassion fatigue

In late 2024, a veterinarian took to an online forum to make a painful confession: “I go to bed every night with a feeling of dread about the next day…I’ve taken 3 months off since January, and it isn’t enough…It just feels like my whole life has come to nothing, and I’m so, so tired”[1]. This heartfelt post, which resonated with hundreds of veterinary professionals, is not an isolated cry for help. It reflects a pervasive crisis in veterinary medicine – one that predates the

Gershon Alaluf DVM, MBA, DBA Candidate and Dani Rabwin DVM, Ready Vet Go What is in the article Veterinary medicine is experiencing a culture and retention crisis: nearly one-third of professionals plan to leave their job within a year, and many will exit the profession entirely. An analysis of over 8,000 Reddit posts reveals lived experiences that echo formal research—clinic culture, psychological safety, recognition, and growth are decisive in determining whether staff stay