Relief Vets Are 1 in 10 of Private Practice. Clinics Still Treat Them as Stopgaps

Nearly one in 10 veterinarians in U.S. private practice worked relief or contract roles in 2025, according to AVMA-cited data — a share that has climbed steadily for a decade. Yet many clinics still book relief doctors as temporary fill rather than managing them as a business asset, and the cost of that habit is now measurable.

The 2026 Serenity Vet study puts burnout among relief veterinarians at its highest level in five years, a 25 percent increase since 2022. One in three relief veterinarians reported unstable or unpredictable income, discomfort negotiating rates, and limited leverage to advocate for themselves. In-clinic stressors cited most often: absent protocols, unclear expectations, and poor communication.

The context is a practice-level squeeze — flat patient volumes, rising operating costs, and tight margins. In that environment, relief doctors shift from stopgap to investment, argues Dr. Andrew Ciccolini, DVM, MSOL, relief veterinarian and co-founder of Serenity Vet, a subscription-based veterinary relief management platform. How a clinic welcomes, equips, and treats a relief doctor on shift directly affects performance and whether that doctor accepts future shifts.

What do the numbers say clinics should change?

The study and survey data point to concrete friction points, each with a figure attached:

• Nearly one in four relief veterinarians report difficulty managing their schedules — advance planning for vacations, parental leave, and seasonal peaks addresses both sides' predictability.
• More than 28 percent struggle to find shifts that are well-paid, well-scheduled, or aligned with their preferred type of work — transparency about caseload, staffing, and policies improves the match.
• More than 17 percent said they would welcome a hybrid pay model combining a flat rate with a production bonus, particularly relevant for ER and urgent care clinics.
• Nearly 29 percent say they are more likely to accept shifts at clinics offering AI scribe support; users report higher fulfillment and slightly lower burnout scores.

Relief practitioners with repeat clients report greater financial stability and lower burnout than those constantly sourcing new work, the data show. For clinics, consistent relationships mean higher shift fill rates, less repeated training time, and continuity of care.

Ten operational steps from the source

1. Plan shifts as far ahead as possible. Anticipatable events — vacations, parental leave, seasonal peaks — should drive early bookings.
2. Build a trusted relief network. Offer first right of refusal on open shifts to doctors who have performed well.
3. Outline shift terms clearly. Beyond date, time, and pay, share expected caseload, support staff availability, special procedures, and policies — especially in last-minute bookings.
4. Discuss overtime compensation upfront. Cover overtime, undertime, time tracking, and payment methods before the shift, even when overtime seems unlikely.
5. Build in flexibility incentives. A hybrid flat-rate-plus-production model compensates mid-day scope changes and added hours.
6. Start with a quick orientation. Walk relief doctors through the clinic, lounge, work process, and workstation specifics; a 10-minute walkthrough buys productivity and confidence for the full day.
7. Review protocols and documentation. Cover PIMS shortcuts, recordkeeping, controlled substances, and communication expectations to avoid mid-shift surprises.
8. Ensure access to tools. Provide logins, cheat sheets, and pre-configured AI scribes or time-tracking tools.
9. Acknowledge contribution. A verbal thank you or quick email increases the likelihood a relief vet returns.
10. Invite feedback. Relief doctors work across many clinics and spot workflow, communication, and scheduling patterns a single team may miss.

Who is behind the guidance?

Dr. Ciccolini is a former medical director at National Mill Dog Rescue, a Colorado nonprofit, and director of Non-Profit Initiatives at Galaxy Vets. He served in the U.S. Army, rising from associate veterinarian to vice president of Operations.

The framing applies across practice types: companion-animal clinics gain continuity of care and fill rates; high-volume and ER settings gain most from hybrid pay and pre-configured tooling. The study's public-health relevance is indirect — a burnt-out relief workforce covering staff shortages affects access to care, not food safety or zoonotic control.

Clinics that operationalize these steps — earlier booking, clearer terms, ten-minute orientations, scribe access — convert a rising one-in-ten workforce segment from a cost line into a measurable performance lever, at a moment when relief burnout is at a five-year high.