• Mean full-time starting salary among all types of employers combined (private, public, corporate, and advanced study programs) was $46,971 in 2011. Excluding salaries for graduates pursuing advanced education, mean full-time starting salary was $66,469. These values represented decreases of 3.5% and 1.3%, respectively, compared with values for 2010.
• Mean educational debt among the 89.6% of respondents with debt was $142,613 in 2011, an increase of 6.5% from the 2010 value. Mean educational debt for all respondents in 2011 was $127,713, and median was $130,00.
In cooperation with the 28 US schools and colleges of veterinary medicine, the AVMA conducted its annual survey of fourth-year veterinary medical students. Surveys were sent to the 2,618 veterinary medical students expected to graduate in spring 2011, and responses were received from 2,483 (94.8%; Appendix). Information on veterinary students' employment choices, expected salaries, and estimated educational indebtedness was collected from survey respondents. All schools participated in Web-based surveys. In the results reported here, base sizes vary because some respondents did not answer all questions.
Employment of New Graduates
At the time of the survey, 97.5% (2,421/2,483) of respondents indicated they were actively seeking employment or advanced education in veterinary medicine. The remainder of respondents (2.5% [62]) indicated that they were not actively seeking such positions.
Respondents seeking veterinary positions were asked to indicate their top 3 employment preferences. The first choice of these individuals was employment in private practice (60.7% [1,466/2,416]), followed by advanced education (35.2% [851]), public or corporate practice employment (3.8% [92]), and other employment (0.3% [7]).
Among respondents seeking veterinary positions, 74.3% (1,798) had received ≥ 1 offer of employment or advanced education, a decrease from 20101 (78.9% [1,827/2,316]) and 20092 (79.5% [1,817/2,286]). Of year-2011 respondents who had received offers, 63.1% (1,134) had 1 offer, 23.0% (414) had 2 offers, 9.0% (162) had 3 offers, and 4.8% (87) had ≥ 4 offers. The mean number of offers received by individual respondents who received at least 1 offer of employment was 1.6 in 2011, compared with 1.7 in 2010.
The distribution of respondents who had accepted veterinary positions was determined (Table 1). At the time of the survey, 85.5% (1,537/1,798) of those who had received employment offers had accepted an offer. This represented 63.5% of respondents who indicated that they were seeking a veterinary position (n = 2,421). Of those who had accepted offers, 84.2% (1,291/1,534) accepted a position that matched their first choice. Slightly less than half (44.8% [688]) of those who had accepted an offer accepted employment in private practice, 3.0% (46) accepted employment in public or corporate practice, and 0.3% (4) accepted employment in a setting other than those listed in the survey. Overall, 52.0% (799) of respondents accepting offers had chosen a position in an advanced education program. This represented 33.0% of respondents who indicated that they were seeking a veterinary position. Because the number of advanced education positions available in any given year is relatively limited, the 884 respondents who indicated that they were still considering employment offers or had not yet received an offer at the time of the survey were considered likely to accept veterinary employment in the public, corporate, or private practice sector, rather than obtain a position in an advanced education program.
Mean full-time starting salaries of year-2011 graduates* of US veterinary medical schools and colleges who had accepted a position at the time of the survey by type of employment.
| Employment type | No. (%) accepting positions | Mean starting salary ($) | No. reporting starting salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private practice | |||
| Food animal exclusive | 29 (1.9) | 71,096 | 28 |
| Food animal predominant | 30 (2.0) | 67,338 | 29 |
| Mixed animal | 144 (9.4) | 62,655 | 141 |
| Companion animal exclusive | 368 (23.9) | 69,789 | 350 |
| Companion animal predominant | 79 (5.1) | 69,654 | 74 |
| Equine | 38 (2.5) | 43,405 | 37 |
| All private practice | 688 (44.8) | 66,714 | 659 |
| Public and corporate | |||
| College or university | 2 (0.1) | — | 2 |
| Federal government | 8 (0.5) | — | 7 |
| State or local government | 0 (0) | NA | NA |
| Industry-commercial | 1 (0.1) | — | 1 |
| Uniformed services | 31 (2.0) | 65,692 | 30 |
| Not-for-profit | 4 (0.3) | — | 4 |
| All public and corporate | 46 (3.0) | 63,970 | 44 |
| Advanced education | 799 (52.0) | 29,116 | 771 |
| Other | 4 (0.3) | — | 3 |
| All employment types | 1,537 (100) | 46,971 | 1,477 |
| All employment types (excluding advanced education) | 738 (48.0) | 66,469 | 706 |
Surveys were sent to 2,618 veterinary medical students expected to graduate in spring 2011, and responses were received from 2,483. Of 2,421 respondents who were seeking positions, 1,537 had accepted employment offers at the time of the survey; salary information was provided by 1,477 of these who had accepted full-time employment offers.
— = Base size too small to reportvalue. NA = Not applicable.
Among respondents who had accepted offers, 98.0% (1,492/1,523) expected to work full-time (≥ 30 h/wk and ≥ 48 wk/y). Of the 681 respondents who had accepted employment in private practice and answered the question, 97.7% (665) expected to work full-time and 98.2% (669) expected to be an employee rather than self-employed. Of those who had accepted public or corporate practice employment, 95.7% (44/46) expected to work full-time. Only 1.5% (12/786) of respondents who had accepted an advanced education position did not expect to work full-time.
Among respondents who had accepted an offer of employment, companion animal exclusive practice (23.9%) was the most common private practice type chosen, followed by mixed animal practice (9.4%) and companion animal predominant practice (5.1%; Table 1). The least common private practice types chosen were equine (2.5%), food animal predominant (2.0%), and food animal exclusive (1.9%) practice. Offers accepted in public or corporate practice settings included uniformed services (2.0%), federal government (0.5%), not-for-profit organizations (0.3%), and colleges or universities (0.1%).
Advanced Education
Among the 1,537 respondents who had accepted employment offers, 45.3% (696) accepted an internship, 3.8% (59) accepted a residency, and 2.9% (44) accepted positions in other types of advanced education programs (MPH, MPVM, MS, PhD, or other). Of the 690 respondents who indicated the type of internship chosen, most accepted a position in private practice (72.5% [500]), followed by academic positions (26.5% [183]), and other positions (1.0% [7]). Most internships were companion animal-focused (74.9% [517]), followed by equine (19.9% [137]), food animal (2.3% [16]), exotic or zoological animal (1.3% [9]), and mixed animal (1.2% [8]); 0.4% (3) were focused on other specialties.
Respondents who accepted internships were asked their primary reason for undertaking an internship. Many (36.9% [254/688]) indicated that they planned to apply for a residency, 36.9% (254) indicated that they wanted to practice better quality veterinary medicine, 22.1% (152) believed they needed more training before entering veterinary practice, and 4.1% (28) had reasons other than the choices listed in the survey.
Specialty Board Certification
Of all respondents, 31.8% (790/2,483) indicated they were planning to obtain postgraduate education or training in an AVMA-recognized, board-certified specialty. Among the 779 respondents who indicated a particular specialty, the specialty boards mentioned most often were the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (26.8% [209]), American College of Veterinary Surgeons (19.5% [152]), American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care (13.0% [101]), and American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (12.5% [97]).
Base Starting Salary
To provide the most accurate salary information for graduates, survey questions allowed respondents to indicate various means by which they expected to be compensated for work (eg, base salary or stipend only, base salary or stipend with production bonus, and production bonus only [in lieu of salary]). Respondents who had accepted an offer of employment in 2011 were asked to indicate types of compensation expected. Of the 1,481 respondents who had accepted an offer for full-time employment and who indicated the type of salary they would receive, 72.4% (1,072) indicated they would receive a guaranteed salary with no option for a production bonus, 22.1% (328) indicated they would receive a base salary with a production bonus, and 1.0% (15) indicated they would receive a salary fully based on production; 4.5% (66) were uncertain.
Salaries of respondents who had accepted full-time employment were summarized (Figure 1; Table 1). Mean starting salary among all employer types combined (private, public, and corporate practice and advanced education programs) decreased 3.5% from $48,674 in 2010 to $46,971 in 2011 (all salary values are reported in nominal dollars and have not been adjusted for inflation); this was attributable in part to a higher percentage of graduates reporting advanced education incomes. However, when advanced education salaries were excluded from the analysis, mean starting salary was still found to be decreased 1.3% from $67,359 in 2010 to $66,469 in 2011. Mean starting salary for public or corporate employment decreased 1.0% from 2010 ($64,619) to 2011 ($63,970). The mean starting salary in an advanced study program similarly decreased 0.9% in 2011 ($29,366 in 2010 vs $29,116 in 2011).
Relative frequency distribution of full-time starting salaries of year-2011 graduates (n = 659) of US veterinary medical schools and colleges who entered private practice.
Citation: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 239, 7; 10.2460/javma.239.7.953
Among all types of private practice employment, the mean full-time starting salary decreased 1.2% from $67,548 in 2010 to $66,714 in 2011. Excluding data from respondents who accepted positions in equine practice, mean starting salaries ranged from $62,655 for mixed animal practice to $71,096 for food animal exclusive practice. For those entering equine practice, mean starting salary was $43,405 in 2011. Across private practice types, the percentage change in mean starting salary between 2010 and 2011 ranged from −2.3% ($71,462 in 2010 vs $69,789 in 2011) for companion animal exclusive practice to 12.8% ($38,468 in 2010 vs $43,405 in 2011) for equine practice.
The salary distribution of respondents who accepted a full-time position (n = 1,477) was determined (Table 2). Of those who provided a response, 12.3% (183) expected to receive a salary ≥ $75,000 and 19.8% (292) expected to receive a salary < $27,000. Of respondents who accepted a position in advanced education, 37.2% (287) expected to receive a salary < $27,000.
Distribution of full-time starting salaries of year-2011 graduates* of US veterinary medical schools and colleges by type of employment.
| Salary range ($) | FAE (28) | FAP (29) | MIX (141) | CAE (350) | CAP (74) | EQU (37) | USV(30) | AEP (771) | Overall† (1,477) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| < 23,000 | — | — | — | — | — | 2.7 | — | 7.3 | 3.9 |
| 23,000–26,999 | — | — | — | — | 1.4 | 8.1 | — | 30.0 | 15.9 |
| 27,000–30,999 | — | — | — | 0.9 | — | 24.3 | — | 37.0 | 20.2 |
| 31,000–34,999 | — | — | — | 0.3 | — | 8.1 | — | 12.2 | 6.6 |
| 35,000–38,999 | — | — | 0.7 | 0.6 | — | 8.1 | — | 8.7 | 4.9 |
| 39,000–42,999 | 3.6 | — | — | 0.6 | 1.4 | 2.7 | — | 2.3 | 1.6 |
| 43,000–46,999 | 3.6 | — | 2.1 | 1.1 | — | 5.4 | 6.7 | 0.8 | 1.2 |
| 47,000–50,999 | 3.6 | 13.8 | 8.5 | 3.4 | — | 13.5 | 3.3 | 0.6 | 2.8 |
| 51,000–54,999 | — | — | 3.5 | 2.9 | 2.7 | — | — | 0.1 | 1.3 |
| 55,000–58,999 | — | 10.3 | 14.9 | 6.0 | 9.5 | 2.7 | — | 0.6 | 4.1 |
| 59,000–62,999 | 21.4 | 10.3 | 22.0 | 10.6 | 21.6 | 10.8 | 13.3 | — | 7.0 |
| 63,000–66,999 | 10.7 | 20.7 | 20.6 | 19.7 | 13.5 | 2.7 | 40.0 | 0.1 | 9.1 |
| 67,000–70,999 | 10.7 | 13.8 | 16.3 | 15.1 | 10.8 | — | 16.7 | 0.1 | 6.6 |
| 71,000–74,999 | 7.1 | 6.9 | 0.7 | 6.6 | 4.1 | 2.7 | — | 0.1 | 2.2 |
| 75,000–78,999 | 7.1 | 10.3 | 5.0 | 9.7 | 6.8 | 2.7 | 10.0 | — | 3.8 |
| 79,000–82,999 | 10.7 | 3.4 | 2.8 | 6.3 | 13.5 | 5.4 | 10.0 | — | 3.1 |
| 83,000–86,999 | 10.7 | 3.4 | 2.1 | 4.9 | 4.1 | — | — | — | 1.8 |
| 87,000–90,999 | — | — | 0.7 | 3.1 | 2.7 | — | — | — | 0.9 |
| ≥ 91,000 | 10.7 | 6.9 | — | 8.3 | 8.1 | — | — | — | 2.7 |
For each type of employment, values indicate percentage of respondents. Numbers in parentheses indicate number of respondents.
Includes individuals who accepted a full-time position in federal, state, or local government; industry; a college or university; a not-for-profit organization; or other employment.
— = No observations in this category. AEP = Advanced education program. FAE = Food animal exclusive. FAP = Food animal predominant. CAE = Companion animal exclusive. CAP = Companion animal predominant. EQU = Equine. MIX= Mixed animal. USV = Uniformed services.
See Table 1 for remainder of key.
Additional Compensation
Respondents were asked whether they would receive a signing bonus, moving allowance, or emergency case compensation. Of 1,492 respondents who provided this information, 26.8% (400) indicated they would receive ≥ 1 of these types of compensation in addition to their salary. Of those who indicated they would receive additional compensation, 20.1% (79) anticipated a signing bonus, 27.2% (107) indicated a moving allowance, and 70.1% (276) expected to receive emergency case compensation. Mean additional compensation for respondents who specified the types and amounts of additional compensation was as follows: signing bonus, $3,797; moving allowance, $1,699; and emergency case compensation, $4,795 (Table 3).
Mean additional compensation of year-2011 graduates* of US veterinary medical schools and colleges by employment type.
| Type of additional compensation | Employment | No. of respondents | Compensation ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Signing bonus | Private practice | 55 | 3,353 |
| Public or corporate | 5 | — | |
| Advanced education | 5 | — | |
| All employment types | 65 | 3,797 | |
| Moving allowance | Private practice | 53 | 1,925 |
| Public or corporate | 3 | — | |
| Advanced education | 18 | 776 | |
| All employment types | 74 | 1,699 | |
| Emergency case compensation | Private practice | 61 | 5,211 |
| Public or corporate | 2 | — | |
| Advanced education | 24 | 3,804 | |
| All employment types | 87 | 4,795 |
Four hundred respondents indicated they would receive ≥ 1 type of additional compensation to supplement their salary; not all respondents provided values for this additional income.
— = Base size too small to report value.
Of respondents who had accepted a position in private practice, 41.1% (273/665) indicated they would be able to earn additional compensation in their first year of employment. In this type of practice, the mean additional compensation was as follows: signing bonus, $3,353; moving allowance, $1,925; and emergency case compensation, $5,211 (Table 3). Of those who had accepted a position in public or corporate sectors, slightly less than half (45.5% [20/44]) indicated they would receive additional compensation in their first year of employment, whereas only 13.6% (106/780) of those pursuing advanced education expected to receive additional compensation.
Educational Debt
Respondents were asked to indicate their total anticipated educational debt at the time of graduation; 89.6% (2,220/2,479) indicated that they expected to have at least some educational debt at the time of their graduation from veterinary medical school (Figure 2; Table 4). Mean debt of those who reported having debt increased 6.5% between 2010 ($133,873) and 2011 ($142,613; all values for educational debt are reported in nominal dollars and have not been adjusted for inflation). The median debt for those with educational debt in 2011 was $140,000, a 7.7% increase from 2010 ($130,000). Among individuals who responded to questions regarding educational debt, 40.9% (1,013/2,479) had incurred a debt ≥ $150,000. All but 8.8% of the mean reported debt was incurred while in veterinary medical school. Among respondents reporting debt, mean debt incurred for veterinary medical school education was $131,877 (median, $130,000). Mean total educational debt for all respondents that answered the question was $127,713 (median, $130,000).
Relative frequency distributions of educational debt of year-2009 (n = 2,375), year-2010 (n = 2,392), and year-2011 (n = 2,479) graduates of 28 US veterinary medical schools and colleges.
Citation: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 239, 7; 10.2460/javma.239.7.953
Total educational debt of year-2011 graduates* of US veterinary medical schools and colleges.
| Educational debt ($) | Percentage of respondents | Cumulative percentage |
|---|---|---|
| ≥ 220,000 | 11.1 | 11.1 |
| 210,000–219,999 | 1.9 | 13.0 |
| 200,000–209,999 | 5.4 | 18.4 |
| 190,000–199,999 | 2.1 | 20.6 |
| 180,000–189,999 | 4.4 | 25.0 |
| 170,000–179,999 | 3.6 | 28.6 |
| 160,000–169,999 | 6.1 | 34.7 |
| 150,000–159,999 | 6.2 | 40.9 |
| 140,000–149,999 | 5.3 | 46.2 |
| 130,000–139,000 | 6.3 | 52.5 |
| 120,000–129,000 | 7.2 | 59.7 |
| 110,000–119,000 | 3.5 | 63.3 |
| 100,000–109,999 | 6.0 | 69.2 |
| 90,000–99,999 | 3.3 | 72.5 |
| 80,000–89,999 | 3.2 | 75.8 |
| 70,000–79,999 | 1.9 | 77.7 |
| 60,000–69,999 | 2.2 | 79.9 |
| 50,000–59,999 | 2.2 | 82.0 |
| 40,000–49,999 | 2.6 | 84.6 |
| 30,000–39,999 | 2.5 | 87.1 |
| 20,000–29,999 | 1.1 | 88.2 |
| 10,000–19,999 | 0.8 | 89.0 |
| < 10,000 | 0.5 | 89.6 |
| None | 10.4 |
Values were based on information from respondents who answered questions about debt (2,479/2,483). Cumulative percentage represents the percentage of respondents who had debt greater than or equal to the specific range's lower limit (eg, 40.9% of respondents reported debt ≥ $150,000).
References
- 1.↑
Shepherd AJ. Employment, starting salaries, and educational indebtedness of year-2010 graduates of US veterinary medical colleges. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2010; 237:795–798.
- 2.↑
Shepherd AJ. Employment, starting salaries, and educational indebtedness of year-2009 graduates of US veterinary medical colleges. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2009; 235:523–526.
Appendix
Response rates for fourth-year students at the 28 schools and colleges of veterinary medicine in the United States who participated in a 2011 survey of employment, starting salaries, and educational indebtedness.
| Veterinary school | Response rate of graduating class (%) |
|---|---|
| Auburn University | 99 |
| Colorado State University | 89 |
| Cornell Veterinary College | 100 |
| Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University | 87 |
| Iowa State University | 84 |
| Kansas State University | 99 |
| Louisiana State University | 100 |
| Michigan State University | 98 |
| Mississippi State University | 99 |
| North Carolina State University | 100 |
| The Ohio State University | 89 |
| Oklahoma State University | 100 |
| Oregon State University | 94 |
| Purdue University | 100 |
| Texas A&M University | 100 |
| Tuskegee University | 100 |
| University of California-Davis | 100 |
| University of Florida | 96 |
| University of Georgia | 100 |
| University of Illinois | 90 |
| University of Minnesota | 98 |
| University of Missouri-Columbia | 86 |
| University of Pennsylvania | 77 |
| University of Tennessee | 96 |
| University of Wisconsin | 99 |
| Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine | 100 |
| Washington State University | 100 |
| Western University of Health Sciences | 92 |
| Total | 95 |
