Why do veterinarians leave clinical practice? A qualitative study using thematic analysis

Abstract

Background: Veterinarians have an important role in society and having an adequate veterinary workforce is important not only for their communities but also nationwide. Lately, there have been anecdotal reports regarding veterinary practices struggling to find clinicians as well as evidence of mental ill-health in veterinarians. Furthermore, the Australian Veterinary Association annual workforce survey shows an increased percentage of veterinarians intending to leave practice from 2017 to 2019. Although many factors for attrition have been described in other professions, reasons for veterinarians to leave practice are not well understood. Methods: This study investigated why veterinary clinicians leave clinical practice by using Thematic Analysis to analyse 26 semi-structured interviews of former veterinary clinicians in relation to their work experiences and reasons for leaving. Interviews were done from February-April 2018 either face to face, via teleconferencing, or telephone. Participants were recruited from each Australian state except for New South Wales. Results: The results showed that a combination of personal and work-related factors influenced the participants to leave clinical practice. In Personal Factors, participants described the internal and external circumstances that impacted on their personal lives such as personal relationships, experiencing negative thoughts and emotions, physical and mental health, core motivations and beliefs, alternative professional and personal interests. On the other hand, Work Experiences described situations, experiences, and statements directly related to the participant's veterinary clinical work such as workplace relationships, employment conditions including remuneration and working hours and clinical experiences such as negative clinical outcomes. Furthermore, interlinkages between these two themes were revealed in participants' responses. Conclusion:This study highlights factors that contribute to attrition from veterinary clinical practice. The narrative indicates that the interlinking of such factors influenced the decision-making process to leave clinical practice in this cohort of former veterinary clinicians. Further research is required to understand the full implications for veterinary clinical practice and inform intervention strategies for retention.

Risk factors associated with veterinary attrition from clinical practice: a descriptive study

“…Salary and remuneration was another significant factor for attrition in this study and important reason for clinical attrition described in veterinarians in different fields. 18,20,26 A negative relationship between attrition and salary in the present study indicates that as salary increased, the odds of leaving the practice decreased, that is, those who were on higher salaries were more likely to remain in the practice (or less likely to leave). This is a small contribution when comparing with other variables such as hours of work, on-call duties and having worked in both regional and metropolitan areas.…”

“…15,23 It is also consistent with a qualitative study reporting hours of work as an important reason for attrition in former veterinary clinicians. 20 Hours of work showed borderline significance as a predictor for attrition in UK farm animal veterinarians but less on-call duties was significantly related with retention in the same study. 8 Furthermore, having limited time off and emergency duties (responsibilities and hours of work) were important factors for attrition from rural practice in US veterinarians.…”

“…In interviews with 26 former veterinary clinicians, the interaction between work schedules and work-life balance was considered an influential factor for attrition from practice. 20 Furthermore, need for time off and presence of after-hours duties was also reported as an influential factor for veterinarians to leave farm or rural veterinary practice overseas. 8,19,24 Finally, work-life balance was one of the most disliked aspects of the profession cited by veterinarians in the United Kingdom 9 and is an important element for job satisfaction in German veterinarians.…”

“…The survey was drafted using a framework derived from the results of semistructured interviews, which explored the career path of former veterinary clinicians. 20 The survey responses were collected between November 2019 and February 2020. Respondents who indicated they were currently working in clinical practice responded to survey B, whereas those who indicated they had left clinical practice responded to survey A.…”

“Refugees from practice”? Exploring why some vets move from the clinic to the laboratory

“…Crucially, these push factors appear consistent with previous studies of the recruitment and retention challenge facing contemporary general practice. 9,10,[16][17][18][19][20] In contrast, the analysis suggests that the accounts of how veterinarians took on the NVS role were less consistent and more varied. They also suggest the importance of chance as a route to discovery of the role, rather than a planned trajectory into laboratory veterinary work.…”