Vet surveys show AI gains, staffing strain, and new schedule norms

Veterinary practices are adopting AI and digital tools at a faster clip than many in the profession may have expected, according to two newly released 2026 surveys from Instinct Science. The company’s inaugural general practice report found that 91% of respondents had adopted or changed at least one technology in the past year, while 48% said they’re already using AI in some capacity. At the same time, Instinct’s third annual survey of specialty, emergency, and urgent care teams found the profession’s familiar pain points haven’t gone away: staffing shortages still topped the list of operational challenges, and client financial limits are rising as a concern. (globenewswire.com)

The findings land in a profession that has been talking for years about burnout, access, and workforce strain, but is now showing clearer signs of structural adaptation. Instinct’s general practice survey, based on responses from 763 veterinary professionals, found that only 10% of clinics still operate on a traditional fixed schedule, while 40% offer part-time roles and 25% have moved to a four-day work week. That shift suggests flexibility is no longer a recruiting perk, but part of the operating model many teams now expect. (instinct.vet)

The technology story is similarly moving from experimentation to normalization. Instinct reported that 90% of general practices use digital diagnostic and imaging equipment, 75% use digital client communication tools, and nearly half now use AI, most commonly for medical records, SOAP note creation, and diagnostic assistance. Among specialty and ER teams, 67% said new tools improved efficiency, 57% said patient care improved, and more than half said technology reduced treatment or diagnostic errors. Digital treatment sheets had the biggest reported efficiency impact in those settings, while AI scribes showed the largest jump in adoption since 2024. (instinct.vet)

What makes the surveys notable is the contrast between operational modernization and workforce fragility. In specialty, emergency, and urgent care, 85% of respondents cited staffing shortages as the top challenge, up from 78% in Instinct’s 2024 report. Even though 55% of practices said they hired more full-time team members in 2025, 32% still reported working more hours, suggesting that headcount gains aren’t keeping pace with caseload or complexity. Meanwhile, 79% flagged client financial limitations as a pressure point, underscoring that affordability is increasingly shaping clinical workflow and case acceptance, not just front-desk conversations. (globenewswire.com)

There’s also evidence these results fit a broader industry pattern rather than a single-vendor narrative. The AVMA’s 2025 economic report said 76.5% of represented practices had practice management software in place in 2024, with client communications software used by 59.9% and telehealth by 29.2%. In 2024, AAHA reported that nearly 40% of veterinary professionals were already using AI tools, describing AI as a viable tool for specific applications rather than a universal solution. Those benchmarks help explain why Instinct’s 2026 numbers feel less like a sudden leap and more like an acceleration of trends already underway. (ebusiness.avma.org)

Industry commentary is increasingly focused on the management implications of that acceleration. A recent Veterinary Viewfinder episode framed AI as a growing force in hiring, leadership, and career transitions, while emphasizing the continued need for human oversight in employment decisions. That concern mirrors the operational question now facing clinics: not whether AI will enter practice workflows, but who will set the rules for how it’s used, where it’s trusted, and when clinicians override it. (podcasts.apple.com)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the practical takeaway is that digital adoption alone won’t solve retention, burnout, or affordability, but it may reshape how clinics respond to all three. AI scribes and cloud systems can reduce administrative drag, digital treatment sheets can tighten inpatient workflow, and flexible scheduling may help practices compete for talent. But every one of those gains depends on implementation discipline, team training, and clear boundaries around clinical decision-making. The clinics that benefit most are likely to be the ones that treat technology as infrastructure, not a quick fix. (globenewswire.com)

What to watch: The next phase will be less about whether practices adopt AI and more about whether they formalize governance around it, measure return on time and staffing, and show that these tools can improve care access without adding new operational risk. (globenewswire.com)