How to hire a veterinarian

How to hire a veterinarian, step by step

Here's a step-by-step veterinarian hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a veterinarian job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new veterinarian
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a veterinarian do?

Post a veterinarian job for free, promote it for a fee

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your veterinarian job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a veterinarian for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A veterinarian's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, veterinarians from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of veterinarians and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Veterinarian	Description	Hourly rate
   Veterinarian	Veterinarians care for the health of animals and work to improve public health. They diagnose, treat, and research medical conditions and diseases of pets, livestock, and other animals.	$27-98
   Doctor Of Veterinary Medicine	A Veterinary Medicine Doctor is responsible for studying animal nature, diagnosing animal illnesses, and developing treatment plans and medications. They analyze an extensive scope of animal conditions to identify care programs that would keep them healthy... Show more	$31-133
   Public Health Veterinarian	Public Health Veterinarians require participation in a public health program that leads to a master's degree in public health with a focus on veterinarian medicine, should this be their career choice. Earning an average of $76K per year, it is a position that requires a great deal of compassion, as well as manual dexterity, and decision-making, interpersonal, problem-solving, and management skills... Show more	$13-65

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • PET
   • Customer Service
   • Diagnostic Tests
   • Preventative Care
   • Blood Draws
   • Client Communication
   • Critical Care
   • DVM
   • Patients
   • Patient Care
   • Emergency Medicine
   • Internal Medicine
   • Veterinary Medicine
   • Private Practice

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage wildlife rehabilitation program for native species, including state and federal rehabilitation licenses for the practice.
   • Advise researchers on animal surgery protocols for NIH and NSF grant proposals
   • Support community organizations/humane society organizations in their rabies, immunization, spay and neuter and pet adoption programs.
   • Work as a general DVM.
   • Full service hospital, USDA accreditation
   • Perform surgery using CO2 laser.

   More veterinarian duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your veterinarian job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A veterinarian can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, veterinarians' average salary in oklahoma is 48% less than in maine.
   • Seniority. Entry-level veterinarians 72% less than senior-level veterinarians.
   • Certifications. A veterinarian with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a veterinarian's salary.

   Average veterinarian salary

   $109,524yearly

   $52.66 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level veterinarian salary

   $58,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average veterinarian salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Maine	$118,496	$57
   2	California	$115,733	$56
   3	Maryland	$112,500	$54
   4	New York	$110,807	$53
   5	Massachusetts	$108,091	$52
   6	Pennsylvania	$107,771	$52
   7	Oregon	$105,792	$51
   8	Texas	$104,117	$50
   9	Nevada	$104,029	$50
   10	Washington	$103,365	$50
   11	Virginia	$102,643	$49
   12	Arizona	$102,391	$49
   13	North Carolina	$100,057	$48
   14	Michigan	$97,980	$47
   15	Illinois	$97,368	$47
   16	Tennessee	$96,562	$46
   17	Indiana	$96,381	$46
   18	Florida	$94,914	$46
   19	Georgia	$93,206	$45
   20	Colorado	$84,647	$41

   Average veterinarian salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium	$195,081	$93.79
   2	SPCA of Wake County	$192,479	$92.54	2
   3	Valley Community Healthcare	$185,820	$89.34
   4	Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center	$177,411	$85.29
   5	University of Maryland, Baltimore	$174,338	$83.82	1
   6	Massachusetts General Hospital	$163,318	$78.52
   7	Madera Community Hospital	$163,200	$78.46
   8	New Day	$160,169	$77.00	17
   9	Private Practice	$148,814	$71.55	6
   10	City of El Dorado	$148,050	$71.18
   11	Central Florida Health Care, Inc.	$143,806	$69.14
   12	City of Farmington	$143,159	$68.83
   13	Edmond Oklahoma	$139,900	$67.26
   14	Brookville Hospital	$138,931	$66.79
   15	Adobe	$136,671	$65.71
   16	Boehringer Ingelheim	$135,915	$65.34	5
   17	Mission Regional Medical Center	$135,834	$65.30
   18	Saratoga Hospital	$134,189	$64.51
   19	Sona MedSpa	$133,377	$64.12
   20	Riverside Community Hospital	$130,735	$62.85

4. Writing a veterinarian job description

   A good veterinarian job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a veterinarian job description:

   Veterinarian job description example

   We are looking for a hardworking, client-focused, full-time veterinarian to support the growth of our clinics. Our AAHA-accredited veterinary hospitals offer digital radiography, digital dental radiography, ultrasound, in-house laboratory, therapeutic laser, endoscopy, full-service dentistry, and a complete range of soft tissue and orthopedic surgeries. Our Pain Management Centers also offer rehabilitation services.
   What sets our clinic apart?
   -AMCMA is a part of the Humane Society of Missouri.
   -We've operated a public veterinary practice since 1923.
   -There are only 16 AAHA-accredited non-profit veterinary hospitals in the country, and we operate two of them.
   -We are working toward practice-level Fear Free Certification.
   -We invest in technology to make diagnostics easier and faster, such as digital imaging, cloud-based pacs, and medical record keeping.
   -We have a wide variety of clients and are dedicated to providing the best possible care for each and every one. In addition to providing routine services, our practice has been a local option for pets in need of soft tissue and orthopedic surgeries.
   -We also perform the surgical procedures for animals at HSMO prior to adoption.
   -Proceeds from AMCMA support rescue, rehabilitation, and adoption of HSMO animals.
   
   Our veterinarians enjoy a 40-hour work week, with a consistent schedule, and every other Saturday off. There are no after hour calls or emergencies, and we are closed on all major holidays. Veterinarians earn two weeks paid vacation after 12 months, paid sick time, and four floating holidays per year. In addition to our standard benefits, we offer our veterinarians:
   
   Base salary starting at $70,000, and upward based on experience. We have a very competitive production incentive where we target 75% of veterinarian pay as the base salary and a production incentive to be 25% of annual compensation to be commission.
   Eligible for non-profit student loan forgiveness programs. Commission accrued every four weeks. This means there are 13 production periods per year. Continuing education expenses - Based on years out of school. This is a total for all expenses incurred and does not carry over into the next fiscal year (Nov-Oct). CE paid time off Based on years out of school. Time off can be used for travel days but is only good for normally scheduled work days. Missouri Veterinary License, DEA and Missouri Controlled Substance License paid. Liability coverage (AVMA-PLIT). Annual Membership - AVMA , GSLVMA , VIN or VetGirl. Other organizations (MVMA or other professional organization of your choice).

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right veterinarian for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with veterinarians they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit veterinarians who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your veterinarian job on Zippia to find and attract quality veterinarian candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting veterinarians requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new veterinarian

   Once you've found the veterinarian candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new veterinarian. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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