Frequently Asked Questions

IndeVets is a veterinary staffing company built on the mission of bringing balance, fulfillment, and joy back to a burned-out industry. Vet-led and doctor-driven since day one, we employ highly credentialed veterinarians who provide trusted, consistent coverage to animal hospitals nationwide, filling staffing gaps without compromising care. We make it easy for veterinarians to get the time back they deserve for better work-life balance by giving them control over the hours they work, along with professional growth, mental health support, and comprehensive benefits. For our hospital partners, that means minimized stress, maximized continuity, and a proven return on investment.

We’re united in caring for pets across the country by ensuring veterinarians can deliver their best to the clinics and animals they serve. Officially certified as a Great Place to Work®.

As practicing vets ourselves, we had first-hand experience with the burnout that has become our industry’s status quo. Insane hours, little-to-no support, office politics, too much focus on production, and piles of vet school debt are all too real these days. We knew there had to be a better way, and we decided to fix it.

Hop on over to our veterinarian careers page.

You’ll need to have the experience in general practice to handle working alone on occasion, the confidence to help guide the hospital clinical team, and the personality to get along in a collaborative environment. We do have a strict No Jerks policy after all.

Here’s the checklist:

• High quality, independent post-grad hospital experience including any or all of the following:
  • Small animal GP with dynamic and consistent mentorship
  • ER experience with dynamic and consistent mentorship
  • Completion of a contemporary and challenging internship program
• Established confidence with ability to work independently in our hospitals while being actively supported by the IndeVet community
• Ability to work a minimum of 25 hours/week
• Active veterinary license/DEA license/CDS license (if applicable) or ability to apply for a license in the state in wich you’re applying to work
• Strong clinical skills
• Excellent client communication
• Internship training is a plus

We’ll tell you up front, we’re thorough.

We want to make sure we hire the best, both for our benefit and yours.

Here’s how it works:

1. Application
Apply on our site with your resume and a cover letter

2. Intro Call
We’ll set up a quick phone call or video chat with one of our IndeVets so we can get to know each other and answer your questions.

3. Clinical Skills Assessment and Interview
If it feels like a love match (or close), we’ll provide a clinical case study for you to complete to make sure we’re all on the same page with high-quality medical standards. Then you’ll meet one of our friendly (and practicing) clinical leaders to discuss the case and learn more about you. This can be virtual or in person if it works for you.

4. Finishing Touches
Finally, we’ll check your references, request a drug screening, and conduct a background check. If we’re both feeling it, we’ll make you an offer you can’t refuse!

At IndeVets, we create a schedule that suits you – one that gives you the time you need to practice great medicine in clinic, and have more time to do whatever you want outside of it.

You send us your availability and tell us how you want to practice by setting your preferences:

• Check off the days and times you’re available.
• Tell us the types of shifts you love (GP, ER, urgent care, dentistry, etc.).
  Indicate your favorite hospitals (just “heart” them in the app)
• Let us know if you plan to take PTO.

We then use your input to tailor your personalized schedule – curated to match the way you want to practice and how you want to manage your time.

Our IndeVets can also take advantage of these options if they’ve found a practice they love:

• Long-Term Placement (LTP): This program is a 13-week commitment to a hospital you love. You’ll work at least one shift, one day per week at the same clinic and you even get a bonus at the end of the commitment. You can combine LTPs with your regular IndeVets shift work to create your ideal schedule or set up several LTPs.
• Associate IndeVet in Residence: This is a six-month commitment to a practice of your choosing. You have a consistent schedule on days that work for you. Plus, you get a flat bonus from the practice at the end of the residency.

Please note, in a few areas of the country these options may not be available just yet.

Part-time starts at 25 hours/week, while full-time starts at just 34 hours/week.

Nope! We will schedule you for the hours you set at the start of each quarter. We have minimums of 25 hours per week for part time and 34 hours per week for full time. If you’d like to work more hours than you set each quarter, just let your Scheduling Coordinator know. They’ll take it from there.

Absolutely. You’ll work with your Scheduling Coordinator and Strategic Support Manager (SSM) to set preferences and flag anything that doesn’t work for you. Once your schedule is finalized, any updates go through your Coordinator and may be subject to our attendance or cancellation policies.

We aim to have your schedule ready 60 days before the working month. So for April, you’d have your schedule by February 1. Once you get it, you’ll have 48 hours to share any feedback.

The IndeVets App will be your new best friend. You’ll use it to:

• Check your schedule
• Clock in/out
• Browse hospital profiles and reviews
• Track your hours
• Access CE and community resources through the IndeVets Clinical Collective

Absolutely. If you find a clinic you love, be sure to favorite it so your Scheduling Coordinator is aware to give preference to that clinic when creating your schedule. And if you want to lock down a more consistent schedule at a particular clinics, we can set you up with a Long-Term Placement at one or even a few of your favorite clinics.

We always try to prioritize your favorite hospitals. If something pops up that isn’t your jam, flag it to your Coordinator or DCE. We’ll handle the convo with the hospital. If the situation can’t be improved, we’ll avoid scheduling you there again.

All kinds! Corporate groups, private practices, ERs, and urgent care hospitals. We have thousands of hospital partners so it’s easy to find your happy place.

You’ll find it’s unique that IndeVets get the opportunity to work with so many new teams, doctors, and their support staff. We’re big on clinical growth and will champion you as you learn how others do things. You may even get to teach hospitals a thing or two!

When a practice chooses to partner with us, we conduct a thorough assessment before they can post any shifts with us. We start with a detailed questionnaire about their practice and their protocols. This is how we look for red (and green) flags. We also give them our minimum standards of care and our communications policies.

During the onboarding process, hospitals are asked to complete a hospital profile that is shared with our vets. This helps alleviate a ton of anxiety by making sure you know how things work before you show up. It’s also really helpful for the hospital — they don’t have to go through all the details with every new IndeVet.

You’ll also have access to reviews on every practice from your colleagues through the IndeVets App (our scheduling platform).

We stay on top of this. Our IndeVets have left thousands of reviews — and our hospitals have performed! They’re averaging a 4.7 rating out of 5.

Travel time expectations for IndeVets is up to a 45-minute commute. However, doctors can specify if they are willing to travel longer than this. In some cases, the hospital will compensate you for your travel time.

We do not work on production, and we do not pay by the shift. That means if your shift goes long, you are paid for the entire duration — including those few extra minutes to work on records. And you never clock out for breaks including lunch or dinner.

We offer highly competitive compensation to all our veterinarians. Plus you can always request more hours with your Scheduling Coordinator to earn more.

Every two weeks. All of our Associate IndeVets are W2 employees on payroll with benefits.

IndeVets gives you the time you need to practice great medicine in clinic and the work-life balance you need to enjoy your life outside of it. Along with the positive emotional and physical effects of a proper work/life balance, we have a pretty epic benefits package that includes:

• Health insurance, including dental & vision, and dependent coverage for spouses, children and domestic partners, including plan premiums fully funded by us
• Generous PTO (including paid time for CE)
• Company-Paid Short-Term Disability Insurance
• Paid parental leave
• And many more!

Want to get more specific about what to expect? Check out the full package.

Not necessarily. If you pick up a specialty shift like Surgery, Dentistry, Day/Overnight ER or Urgent Care there is a premium applied to your rate.

The easiest way to earn more is to reach out to your Scheduling Coordinator. They will do their best to get you the shifts that meet your request. You can also take advantage of these options:

Long-Term Placement: This is a 13-week commitment to a hospital you love. You’ll work at least one shift, one day per week at the same clinic. You can combine LTPs with your regular IndeVets shift work to create your ideal schedule. Since you are committing for a longer period of time, we provide a meaningful boost on your rate for the full duration of your LTP.

Associate IndeVet in Residence: This is a six-month commitment to a practice of your choosing. You have a consistent schedule on days that work for you. Plus, you get a flat bonus from the practice at the end of the residency.

IndeVets offers a structured pathway and program for professional and personal development, called IndeAcademy, that includes continuing education, leadership training and positions, and wellness initiatives.

IndeAcademy features three primary course categories or tracks:

• Clinical Excellence
• Leadership and Professional Development
• Wellness and Personal Development 

The IndeVets General Practice Certification (IVGPC) is a RACE certified program that will earn 19 hours of CE credit upon completion. This custom self-paced certification program covers 38 diverse topics in clinical excellence such as preventative medicine, emergency and critical care, endocrine disorders, and more. It allows you to learn at your own pace, with optional office hours for discussions with colleagues.

The Power Skills certification and Leadership Foundations course are certification programs that develop essential communication, leadership, and client relationship skills through interactive learning and practical application.

Yes, the course is designed for both emerging leaders and those with more experience, making it suitable for a wide range of participants.

Yes, completing the IVGPC course earns you a certification that also opens additional career opportunities at IndeVets such as roles as Medical Director at our partner hospitals, Senior Associate IndeVet, or positions at our headquarters.

To become a Senior Associate IndeVet, you need:

• 1 year of tenure as an Associate IndeVet
• Completion of the IndeAcademy Foundations of Leadership course
• Completion of the IVGPC
• Recommendations from both your Director of Clinical Excellence and Strategic Support Manager.

Senior Associate IndeVets can advance to various leadership roles within IndeVets HQ, such as Area Clinical Lead, Director of Clinical Excellence, or Veterinary Success Advisor.

The Medical Director Training course is designed to provide leadership training and support for veterinarians who may take on or are currently in medical director roles. It aims to equip them with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed, enhancing their professional influence in veterinary medicine.

Yes, IndeVets offers a mentorship program where experienced vets can mentor new graduates or vets making a career transition into small animal general practice. Mentors are offered training through the MentorVet Lift program and paid a stipend for their time as a mentor.

Yes! IndeVets offers a 6-month mentorship program for new and recent graduates.

IndeVets offers free, RACE-approved virtual continuing education sessions at least twice a month, featuring industry specialists and wellness topics.

In addition, IndeVets receive a continuing education allowance (plus additional PTO for CE).

Yes, our dedicated social worker leads a course focused on wellness. It is comprised of 12 group meetings, asynchronous viewing and reading, group discussions and activities, ongoing journaling, and self-assessment. This course explores a wide variety of tools to help veterinarians achieve their recovery goals.