“We’ve Always Done It This Way” Doesn’t Mean Perfect — It Means We’ve Stopped Evolving

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 with more ceremonial recognition, a broader network of student support services, multiple job offers, lighter scheduled hours, and a practice environment that may lean more heavily on technology, specialist referral, and delegated client follow-up.

The piece drew widespread attention. On veterinary and workplace subreddits, it became a catalyst for extended discussions, drawing thousands of practitioner comments. Some respondents resonated with the sense of contrast Becker drew. Others read it as an incomplete picture of the realities facing new graduates — including high educational debt, corporate consolidation, staffing pressures, and a profession navigating well-documented mental health concerns.

This article places Becker’s column alongside two other vantage points:

• Peer-reviewed empirical research from 2020–2025 on veterinary training, productivity, client relationships, business trends, and workplace culture.

• Practitioner sentiment drawn from a combined analysis of thousands of Reddit posts across relevant subreddits, coded to six themes.

The aim is not to take sides, but to present each perspective clearly so readers can examine where they align, where they diverge, and what those differences may signal for the profession’s future.

Methodology

This analysis combines three sources:

1. Becker’s July 2025 column in Veterinary Practice News, from which thematic positions were paraphrased.

2. Peer-reviewed literature from 2020–2025 relevant to each theme.

3. Practitioner sentiment from Reddit, drawn from a baseline dataset and an expanded dataset gathered after Becker’s column.

The Reddit data encompassed 4,834 posts across multiple veterinary and workplace subreddits. Posts were coded to one or more of the six themes defined in Table 1. Sentiment scores were calculated using VADER (Valence Aware Dictionary and sEntiment Reasoner) and averaged per theme. While Reddit users are not a representative sample of all veterinary professionals, the breadth of discussion offers insight into how practitioners discuss and interpret these issues in public forums.

Table 1: Six core themes used for analysis, with definitions outlining their scope and relevance to the discussion of veterinary professional culture, practice models, and generational perspectives.

Table 2. Combined totals and percentages of Reddit posts coded to each theme across the baseline and expanded datasets, representing practitioner sentiment and discussion trends from 4,834 posts in total.Table 3. Combined totals and percentages of Reddit posts coded to each theme across the baseline and expanded datasets, representing practitioner sentiment and discussion trends from 4,834 posts in total.

Table 3. Summary of empirical research findings (2020–2025), positions outlined in Becker’s July 2025 column, and sentiment from Reddit practitioner discussions coded to each them

Examining the Themes

Across all six themes, Becker’s reflections, empirical research, and practitioner discussions reveal a mix of alignment and divergence.

When it comes to training and skillsets, Becker recalls that his generation often arrived at veterinary school with extensive animal handling backgrounds, frequently from farm or rural environments, and learned through direct, sometimes solitary clinical work. In contrast, he sees today’s graduates as more reliant on simulations, advanced diagnostics, and specialist referrals. Research offers a different emphasis: competency-based veterinary education frameworks, structured clinical assessments like OSCEs, and simulation-based training have been shown to improve readiness and, in surgical contexts, even enhance patient outcomes. Many practitioners online frame referral not as a weakness but as sound judgment, with one noting, “Knowing when to send a case to a specialist is as much a skill as doing the surgery yourself.”

The theme of work ethic and productivity is one of the more visible fault lines. Becker highlights the long workweeks and high patient loads common in his early career, suggesting that shorter hours and smaller caseloads may hinder professional and financial growth. Empirical findings point toward moderation: condensed workweeks and sustainable caseload targets can preserve productivity while reducing burnout risk. Practitioners frequently echo this balance, linking boundaries to career longevity and focusing on team-based strategies that maintain efficiency without overextending individual veterinarians.

In financial philosophy and client relationships, Becker laments what he views as a shift from relational care — characterized by direct follow-ups and personal touches — toward transactional encounters shaped by metrics and delegation. Yet research on the spectrum-of-care model shows that offering clients clear options and financing pathways can improve adherence without compromising standards. Many veterinarians online still value long-term relationships, but describe debt and corporate performance targets as forces that influence how and when those relationships are nurtured.

The business models and career trends discussion follows a similar pattern. Becker points to after-hours expansion and practice ownership as effective strategies for building wealth and client loyalty. Economic data, however, shows a more nuanced picture: corporate consolidation and high acquisition prices have made ownership less accessible, and technician underutilization remains a lost opportunity for efficiency. Practitioners often question whether extending hours is feasible given staffing realities, and some are exploring co-op ownership or niche service models as alternatives.

Becker’s framing of the tone and generational divide uses contrasts to underscore differences in approach, but research suggests generational variation in work values is relatively small. Factors like workplace culture, leadership, and role clarity often carry more weight. Online discussions reflect a mix of reactions — some push back against generational stereotypes, while others highlight shared values across age groups, such as respect, professional growth, and balanced workloads.

Finally, in recognition culture, Becker notes that today’s students benefit from milestones such as White Coat ceremonies, extensive institutional support, and strong job prospects upon graduation. The White Coat ceremony, while ceremonial, is earned through admission and early-stage training, marking the transition into clinical education. Some online discussions liken these events to “participation trophies,” though others reject the comparison and see them as morale-boosting acknowledgments appropriate for the rigor of veterinary education. Motivation research supports the latter, showing that well-designed recognition improves engagement across all generations.

Moving the Profession Forward

The perspectives above show a profession in motion, balancing long-held traditions with new pressures and opportunities. Evidence and practitioner voices suggest that progress will require intentional steps:

• Establishing structured, competency-linked mentorship programs.

• Aligning caseload expectations with sustainable practice.

• Expanding spectrum-of-care approaches and financing options to meet diverse client needs.

• Designing workplaces that foster respectful, cross-generational communication and recognition.

• Exploring practice models that make long-term careers viable for more veterinarians

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