Frequently Asked Questions

IndeVets provides veterinary relief services to our partner hospitals. But it’s not just relief work, it’s a whole new way to practice that puts vets first. ​We provide the freedom of relief work, ​the stability of an associate position, ​and a team dedicated to helping vets thrive.

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 or ER experience
  • Completion of a contemporary and challenging internship program
  • If less than two years in practice, experience must include an active mentorship
• 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 you’re applying to work in
• 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 sharing why you want to be an IndeVet, what intrigues you the most, or why you’re ready to make the change.

2. Intro Call
We’ll host a quick phone call or video chat with one of our IndeVets to see if we’re a good fit for each other and if our values and goals align.

3. Assessments
We have a couple of assessments to help us understand the caliber of doctor you are — we want to get a sense of your drives, standards, communication style, and attention to detail. There’s also a clinical case study for you to complete to make sure we’re all on the same page with high-quality medical standards.

4. Clinical Interview
Next, you’ll meet one of our friendly (and practicing) clinical leaders. They’ll tell you more about the IndeVets mission and learn more about you. This can be virtual or in person when possible.

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

The number of hours you choose to work on a weekly basis is up to you. We know the ideal work schedule means something different to everyone, so our structure is designed to be flexible.

For benefits purposes only, we do have minimum requirements to be part time or full time. Part time starts at 25 hours/week, while full time starts at just 34 hours/week. Please note, these are average weekly minimums, which get calculated over a quarter or 13-week period. Not the two-week pay period.

Nope! How much you work is your choice. There are some docs that choose to work more than 50 hours a week, but that’s up to them. You’re free to switch it up week by week and have a totally random schedule. Or you could keep it consistent with recurring shifts — almost like PT gigs or longer-term placements. We’ll say it again, it’s your choice.

But keep in mind we’re in the business of happy vets, not burnout. We want you to take time off to rest and relax. It’s super important for you and your patients that you’re at your best.

Whatever works for you, works for us. Most of our shifts are 8, 10, or 12 hours. Weekend shifts (if you’re into that sort of thing) are sometimes shorter, but the choice is always yours. We know that when you choose where, when, and how often you work, it leads to better health and happiness.

To keep your life simple, we built an easy-to-use app where you can find and book shifts right from your phone. We call it the IndeVets VetPortal. You can filter for distance, shift type, shift incentives, and favorite hospitals — and book with the click of a button. Some shifts are flexible, allowing you to choose your own hours within a larger window. And some shifts are promoted, which means you earn extra money just for taking (and working) the shift. Some hospitals will even pay you to drive.

You can also find the hospital profiles on VetPortal. These give you the run-down on the hospital, appointment lengths, dress code, protocols, and more. You’ll also get to see ratings and reviews from other vets who’ve worked there before. Know before you go, and avoid any surprises.

We ask that you pick your shifts 30-60 days out, at a minimum. Our doctors, as well as our hospital partners, prefer as much notice as possible to avoid unnecessary anxiety. You can even schedule months ahead (and adding that last-minute shift is okay too).

All kinds! Corporate groups, private practices, ERs, and urgent care hospitals. We encourage you to try out as many practices as possible when you first start. 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 VetPortal (our scheduling app). But remember: our hospital partners know you get to choose where you work. So they tend to be on their best behavior when IndeVets are there (they do want their shifts filled after all)!

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.

Most of our IndeVets work shifts within 45 minutes from their homes. Depending on your area, this could be much less or a bit more. In some cases, the hospital will compensate you for your travel time.

We pay by the hour. 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 we pay for your time to grab some lunch, so you do not clock out, which is typically an hour at most practices.

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

IndeVets helps you take charge of your career, create your dream schedule, and find your happy place. 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
• Generous PTO
• 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.

Your real hourly rate as an Associate IndeVet is actually higher than what you’d be earning as a traditional relief vet. (Yes, really.) This may seem hard to believe, but it all comes down to what we call “the law of diminishing hourly rates.” Here’s what we mean.

Those “high paying” traditional relief vet gigs come with unseen costs. Because you’re an independent contractor, all the benefits that are normally added to your compensation (including healthcare, employer taxes, licensing, PTO, retirement funds) become out-of-pocket expenses. Those things really add up – and bring your real hourly rate down. You’ll also be spending unpaid hours outside of the clinic working on the business. All things considered, relief vets who are charging $100/hr are actually only making an estimated $69/hr.

As an Associate IndeVet, you get those employee benefits that traditional relief vets do not. As long as you work an average of at least 34 hours a week, you’ll get our robust benefits package (valued at roughly $40,000). You won’t be spending any extra hours “on the business.” You’re paid hourly so that you’ll be compensated for every minute you work, including lunch breaks, shifts that run long, and sometimes even your commute. The average IndeVet working 40 hours a week is actually making close to $87/hour once you add in all of our benefits. And as an IndeVet, you can always increase your pay by choosing specialty and incentivized shifts, without adding a single hour to your week.

Typical associate vets get paid a base salary plus benefits (meaning their total comp is higher than their salary appears), but they inevitably work long hours which aren’t compensated and drag their real hourly rate down. When you factor in all the unpaid overtime hours, most associates are making closer to $72/hr (or even less).

As an Associate IndeVet, you’re paid hourly so we can make sure you’re paid for every minute you work. That includes lunch breaks, shifts that run long, and sometimes even your commute. Any extra hours are entirely your choice, and you’re always compensated for them. And if you work full time (at least 34 hours a week), you also get a robust benefits package valued at roughly $40,000. On average, an IndeVet working 40 hours a week is making around $87/hour once you add in all of our benefits.

All things considered, IndeVets actually net a higher hourly rate than their Associate peers. And they have plenty of opportunities to increase their pay through specialty and incentivized shifts, without adding a single hour to their week.

Updated: July 6, 2023

The federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency declaration ended on May 11, 2023. The CDC is shifting from an emergency response to incorporating COVID-19 activities into sustainable public health practice (click HERE for more information from the CDC). Most tools, like vaccines, treatments, and testing, will remain available.

Associate IndeVets have been pivotal as frontline healthcare workers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and we will continue to work diligently and safely in our Partner Hospitals. As a company, our doctors will continue to isolate for five days after testing positive for COVID-19 as per the current Isolation and Exposure Calculator.

For all Associate IndeVets 

The following safety protocols are required when practicing in our Partner Hospitals:

• Our Associate IndeVets will comply with a Partner Hospital’s protocols on mask wearing.
  • If a Partner Hospital isn’t masking, our Associate IndeVet may still mask.
• Practice appropriate hand washing as recommended by the CDC.
• Share only their positive COVID-19 status with their direct supervisor. Exposures are not required to be reported to their supervisor.
• Mask if they have been exposed to COVID-19 and are asymptomatic per the CDC’s guidelines
• Notify their supervisor if ill.
• The CDC recommends testing for COVID—19 if:
  • They have been potentially exposed to a COVID-19 positive person (tested 5 days post exposure)
  • They are symptomatic for COVID-19 (regardless of vaccination status)

For our Partner Hospitals 

We all acknowledge that the safety of our personnel is paramount and although the COVID emergency declaration is over, we appreciate your continued efforts to keep all people in your hospital safe.

If you have questions about this policy:

Please call our Scheduling team at (833) INDEVETS (option 1). If no one answers, please leave a message and email scheduling@indevets.com.