Is it your clinic, or the profession?
If the schedule, staffing, on-call rota or one practice's culture is wearing you down, relief work may fix it. If euthanasia, economic euthanasia or cost conversations follow you from clinic to clinic, a different clinic won't help. Tick what's true for you.
There are no wrong answers, and ticking a mix is normal.
Who is struggling, according to the Merck wellbeing study
The Merck Animal Health Veterinary Wellbeing Study surveyed 4,636 US veterinarians from an AVMA random sample (JAVMA, 2024). Burnout overall was close to the general employed population, but it was not evenly spread.
| Answer | Share |
|---|---|
| Under 35 | 26% |
| Companion animal practice | 20% |
| All veterinarians | 18% |
| Aged 55 to 64 | 13% |
| Food animal practice | 8% |
Serious psychological distress was more common than in the general population: 10% of veterinarians against 6.3% of employed, college-educated US adults. Yet only about 3% of vets under 55 said they were very likely to leave the profession within two years, and 56% were very or extremely satisfied with their job. The strain concentrates in young companion animal vets, and most are looking for a different version of veterinary medicine rather than a way out of it.
15 careers veterinarians move into, ranked by what you want
Pick what matters most. The list re-ranks. Pay is the US median compared with the veterinarian median of $130,100. Open any row for why it fits and the first step.
Pay: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 medians where an occupation exists. “Skills carried over” and “Fit” are our editorial ratings.
What 4,288 experienced career changers told us
Government data tells you what each career pays. It can't tell you what holds experienced people back or what they want next. These answers come from 4,288 MyPassion.ai quiz takers with four or more years of work experience, across every profession, January 29, 2026 to September 24, 2026. We publish a single profession only once at least 100 people from it have taken the quiz, and veterinarians aren't there yet.
What this means for you: not knowing which direction to pick is the most common struggle, ahead of being bored in the current job. The exit finder above narrows the field; the quiz below is built for the direction question.
Source: MyPassion.ai Career Changer Index 2026, self-reported answers from quiz takers with 4+ years of experience or returning after a break, January 29, 2026 to September 24, 2026. n = 4,288; each card shows its own base.
The quiz matches what you enjoy and what you're good at to specific careers, with salary data for each. Under 10 minutes, free.
Take the free quiz →Your DVM isn't wasted. Here's what it's worth outside the exam room
O*NET lists active listening, reading comprehension, critical thinking and science as core skills for veterinarians, and biology, medicine and chemistry as core knowledge. That describes a scientist who can talk to non-scientists, which is what industry, public health and research hire.
Three ways to make the switch
How you leave matters as much as where you go. Pick the route that matches your savings, your debt and how far you're moving.
Keep practicing on your terms. Relief solves schedule, staffing and culture problems and buys time to build an industry network.
Technical services, sales, medical affairs, pet insurance and USDA roles hire on the DVM and clinical years. Expect travel or a plant environment in some of them.
An MPH for public health, a PhD for research and faculty posts, a residency for pathology or lab animal medicine. Test the direction before paying for the degree.
Where these jobs are posted
Veterinary job boards mostly show clinic roles. Search by the title and the type of employer instead.
Search "technical services veterinarian", "professional services veterinarian", "pharmacovigilance" on animal health, diagnostics and pet food company careers pages.
Search USAJOBS for "public health veterinarian" (USDA FSIS) and "veterinary medical officer" (APHIS), plus your state veterinarian's office.
Read the CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service application cycle and state health department epidemiology postings.
Search "study veterinarian", "clinical veterinarian", "attending veterinarian" at universities and contract research organizations.
Search pet insurers for "veterinary claims" and practice management firms for consulting roles.
Does your clinical CV still work?
For industry, government and relief, mostly yes. For research and public health, it needs reframing around populations and evidence.
Technical services, sales, USDA and relief. Lead with species, case volume, procedures and client education.
Regulatory, pharmacovigilance and insurance. Re-tell cases as safety, documentation and decision problems.
Research and public health. A small outbreak or herd health analysis, a poster, or a short course project.
Keep your license, and what a new credential buys
Many non-clinical DVM roles list an active state license in the requirements, including CDC's Epidemic Intelligence Service, and it keeps relief work open as income. Renewal is usually continuing education and a fee; lapsing and reinstating costs far more.
EIS asks veterinarians for an MPH or equivalent degree, or at least one year of full-time public health experience, plus an active, unrestricted US license.
- The DVM is enough for these
Industry technical services and many medical affairs roles, animal health sales, USDA public health veterinarian posts, relief work, practice consulting and pet insurance medical roles.
- A short credential helps for these
Regulatory affairs certification, a pharmacovigilance course, or a certificate in epidemiology or biostatistics. Each can be done while you still practice.
- A degree or residency is expected for these
CDC EIS and many public health posts (an MPH, or a year of public health work), research and faculty posts (a PhD or board certification), laboratory animal medicine and pathology (a residency).
What happened to veterinarians who left
Paraphrased from public Reddit threads, usernames removed. Each card links to its thread.
After five years in clinical practice, one vet moved into government work with USDA FSIS and, early on, found it interesting.
A vet now working as an epidemiologist said both paths have pros and cons: more bureaucracy and less instant gratification than practice.
Asked about work outside the conventional clinic, one vet described high-quality, high-volume surgery as very different from small animal general practice, in a good way.
Questions veterinarians ask before switching
What can a veterinarian do besides clinical practice?
The main non-clinical routes are the animal health industry (technical services, medical affairs, pharmacovigilance and sales), government and public health (USDA food safety and animal health, CDC and state public health), research and laboratory animal medicine, academia, and practice ownership or consulting. Relief work is a halfway step that keeps you clinical but changes the conditions.
Do non-clinical veterinary jobs pay less?
Most do at the median. In the May 2025 BLS wage data, natural sciences managers earn more than the veterinarian median of $130,100, while technical sales representatives, medical scientists, epidemiologists and compliance officers earn less. Industry technical services is not a separate BLS occupation. Government roles often trade a lower ceiling for predictable hours and benefits.
Is it common for vets to leave the profession?
Fewer plan to than the headlines suggest. In the 2024 Merck Animal Health Veterinary Wellbeing Study of 4,636 US veterinarians, only about 3% of those under 55 said they were very likely to leave within two years, and 56% were very or extremely satisfied with their job. A move within veterinary medicine is more common.
Do I need an MPH or PhD to leave clinical practice?
Only for some routes. Industry technical services, relief work, practice consulting and most USDA field roles hire on the DVM and clinical experience. CDC's Epidemic Intelligence Service asks for an MPH or equivalent, or a year of full-time public health experience, plus an active US license. Research and academic posts often ask for a PhD or a residency.
Is it the profession or just my clinic?
Use the checklist at the top of this page. If the schedule, staffing, on-call or one practice's culture is the problem, try relief work first. If euthanasia and cost conversations follow you from clinic to clinic, leaving the exam room makes more sense.
Should I keep my license if I leave practice?
Yes, in most cases. Many non-clinical roles list an active state license, including CDC EIS, and it keeps relief work open as income. Renewal is usually continuing education and a fee.
Can I switch gradually instead of quitting?
Usually that's the better option. Relief shifts keep income steady while you shadow a technical services vet, attend a public health briefing or take one consulting project.
Can I go back to practice later?
Yes, if your license is active. Relief work is also an easy way to keep clinical skills current while you work elsewhere.
Answer a few questions and get matched careers with salary data and a first step for each.
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Sources
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (pay)
- O*NET OnLine, Veterinarians (skills, knowledge and related occupations)
- Volk et al., Merck Animal Health Veterinary Wellbeing Study, JAVMA 2024
- CDC, Epidemic Intelligence Service eligibility
- Veterinary Practice News, AVMA senior survey on debt-to-income ratio
- Reddit, "Leaving veterinary medicine" (r/Veterinary, 2022)
- Reddit, "Vets who decided not to go into clinical practice" (r/Veterinary, 2021)
- Reddit, "Veterinarians working outside of conventional clinic" (r/Veterinary, 2025)
- MyPassion.ai Career Changer Index 2026 (quiz takers with 4+ years of experience)