Career pivots gain traction as vet burnout reshapes retention: full analysis
Version 2 — Full analysis
A new Veterinary Practice News opinion column is making a simple argument with broader resonance: if a lateral, or even downward, career move feels necessary, veterinary professionals may not need to wait for permission, or for burnout to become unmanageable, before making it. The piece by Therese Castillo treats career change as a practical and sometimes healthy step, not a professional defeat. That framing aligns with a larger industry conversation about retention, workload, and how long clinicians can realistically stay in traditional practice under current conditions. (veterinarypracticenews.com)
The idea isn’t emerging in a vacuum. Veterinary media and researchers have been documenting the limits of “powering through” for years. A prior Veterinary Practice News column on early retirement argued that end-stage burnout can make some form of career change or hiatus necessary, while another piece examined the profession’s limited upward mobility and the role of lateral movement in associate careers. Together, those discussions suggest that job changes inside or adjacent to veterinary medicine are becoming a more openly acknowledged part of career management. (veterinarypracticenews.com)
The workforce data helps explain why. In a 2024 Frontiers in Veterinary Science study on career transition plans, 61% of respondents said they planned to decrease their clinical work over the next five years, and 31% said they planned to stop veterinary work entirely. Among veterinarians age 44 and younger, 35% planned to reduce clinical hours and 7% planned to stop completely. Burnout was the strongest predictor, alongside lower job fulfillment and work-life pressures. The authors concluded that support is needed well before traditional retirement age, and that organizational changes, not just individual coping strategies, will be essential. (frontiersin.org)
Other research and industry groups are pointing in the same direction. Cornell researchers, working with AVMA-backed funding, have described burnout as a workplace and industry problem tied to long hours, difficult cases, client complaints, and repeated stress exposure. They’ve argued that managers and hospitals can often do more to reduce burnout than individuals can on their own, particularly through communication, teamwork, and psychologically safe environments. AAHA’s retention work has similarly framed attrition as a human-centered systems issue, with many veterinary team members considering leaving their current roles and with burnout, work-life balance, and workplace culture repeatedly surfacing as major drivers. (vet.cornell.edu)
That makes Castillo’s premise more than personal advice. It reflects a growing recognition that not every talented veterinarian or technician will want, or be able, to follow a straight-line clinical path for decades. In practice, a “downward” move might mean stepping out of leadership, reducing hours, shifting to relief work, moving into industry, teaching, shelter medicine, teletriage support, or taking a non-clinical role altogether. The common thread is that these moves may preserve a person’s wellbeing, and sometimes keep them connected to the profession, instead of losing them entirely. That last point is partly an inference from the retention research, which suggests reduced workload and better working conditions can help keep professionals engaged. (frontiersin.org)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals and practice leaders, the article is a reminder that career mobility can function as a retention strategy, not just an exit story. If clinicians are quietly considering stepping back, waiting until they are fully depleted may leave practices with abrupt turnover, heavier caseloads for remaining staff, and a deeper burnout cycle. Research suggests that reduced workload, schedule flexibility, improved leadership, and better working conditions could persuade some professionals to stay in some capacity. That’s especially relevant in a tight labor market where losing experienced people has operational, financial, and cultural costs. (frontiersin.org)
What to watch: The next phase of this conversation will likely focus less on whether career pivots are acceptable and more on whether employers can build structures, such as part-time tracks, redesigned roles, mentorship positions, and internal mobility, that let people step sideways without stepping out. If they can’t, more veterinary professionals may decide not to wait. (frontiersin.org)