Jason Szumski’s path reflects vet med’s growing AI skill shift

A recent Vet Life Reimagined episode uses Dr. Jason Szumski’s career path to illustrate a larger change underway in veterinary medicine: some new graduates aren’t waiting years to shape the profession. In the March 23, 2026, podcast, Szumski is presented as both a full-time clinician at a 24/7 ER-GP hybrid practice in suburban Chicago and the co-founder of VetSOAP, a veterinarian-owned AI scribe platform that the show says is already used by thousands of veterinary professionals every day. (music.amazon.co.uk)

That framing matters because Szumski’s story didn’t start in tech. University of Illinois’ College of Veterinary Medicine profiled him and co-founder Dr. Aaron Smiley in April 2024, describing VetSOAP as an AI tool built to generate patient records from audio recordings. The school’s account tied the idea directly to frontline friction points: new graduates seeing far more cases than they did in school, spending disproportionate time on records, and often needing reassurance or mentorship as they build confidence. According to that profile, Szumski initially held off on the project while still a student because he wanted real clinical experience before deciding what the field actually needed. (vetmed.illinois.edu)

The newer podcast episode extends that narrative from product origin story to professional identity. Its episode description emphasizes that Szumski built the company without outside investors or private equity, while continuing in clinical practice, and says the conversation explores burnout, leadership, and the discipline required to pursue multiple tracks at once. That message aligns with information on VetSOAP’s site, which identifies Szumski as a 2023 Illinois graduate and says he has spoken nationally about what new graduate veterinarians want. The company currently markets the product as a documentation tool with monthly per-user pricing, positioning it around efficiency and workflow support rather than clinical replacement. (music.amazon.co.uk)

The broader industry context is important here. AI scribes have become one of the most visible entry points for artificial intelligence in veterinary practice, in part because they target administrative pain rather than direct diagnosis. In a January 19, 2026, episode of Dr. Andy Roark’s podcast, guest Dr. Aaron Massecar said the human healthcare literature points to potential gains in reduced administrative burden, stronger records, improved client connection, and burnout prevention. Separately, a Veterinary Innovation Council and NAVC forum summarized by Today’s Veterinary Business classified AI-powered scribes as a lower-risk application than diagnostic tools, while stressing the need for validation, transparency, and accountability. (drandyroark.com)

That cautious tone also shows up in more formal guidance. A Veterinary Innovation Council paper on AI scribing in 2025 says these tools may improve efficiency, accuracy, and workflow integration, but it warns clinicians to stay alert to overinterpretation and automation bias, and to remember that the veterinarian, not the algorithm, is responsible for the final medical record. The paper also flags privacy, record retention, and transparency with clients about recordings as practical considerations. The AAVSB’s 2025 AI guidance white paper suggests regulators are paying attention, too, and signals that model regulatory language is now under discussion across U.S. and Canadian jurisdictions. (navc.com)

For veterinary professionals, the deeper takeaway isn’t simply that one young veterinarian launched a company. It’s that workforce development may be expanding beyond clinical competence alone. Szumski’s profile, both in Illinois’ reporting and in the Vet Life Reimagined episode, highlights communication, leadership, business awareness, adaptability, and implementation mindset as career assets. In practical terms, that could influence how hospitals recruit new graduates, how mentors support them, and how colleges think about preparing students for a workplace where they may be expected not just to use technology, but to assess it, challenge it, and help shape it. (vetmed.illinois.edu)

Why it matters: Documentation burden remains one of the profession’s most persistent workflow complaints, and AI scribes are emerging as a tangible response. If tools like VetSOAP can reliably reduce note-writing time without undermining record quality, they could support retention, ease early-career stress, and free clinicians for more direct client and patient interaction. But the promise depends on disciplined use: practice-level review, clear policies on recording and privacy, and ongoing vigilance against blindly accepting AI-generated output. (vetmed.illinois.edu)

What to watch: The next phase will likely be less about launch stories and more about evidence, integration, and governance, including whether veterinary schools, practice groups, and regulators move faster to define standards for AI literacy, documentation oversight, and responsible adoption. (navc.com)