Determinants of Salary for Veterinarians Employed in the Field of Shelter Medicine in the United States.

Despite recent growth in the field of shelter medicine, there is a paucity of wage data available. Understanding determinants of salary is helpful for new graduates deciding on a career path as well as employees and employers with regard to budgeting, professional development, and negotiations. An anonymous online survey was distributed via commercial survey platform to shelter veterinarians. Salary was analyzed using multiple linear regression, Kruskall-Wallis equality-of-populations rank-test, and Conover-Iman pairwise comparison. Of the 219 unique respondents, 197 worked as shelter veterinarians, with 157 full-time and 40 part-time. Fifteen respondents worked in academia, and 7 respondents worked in shelter leadership. Full-time shelter veterinarians had a median income of $92,000 [$78,000-110,000], which is the same as the median salary reported for all veterinarians by the AVMA in 2018. Salary depended on years of shelter experience (P = .004), supervision of other veterinarians (P = .015), region (Southwest, P = .010, Mideast, P = .010, and Far West, P = .002) and size of the metropolitan area (>1 million, P = .001 and <250,000, P = .011). Part-time veterinarians had a median income of $60,000 [$44,000-84,000]. The only variable predictive of salary was hours worked, with part-time veterinarians paid a median of $48 [36-66] per hour. Academic veterinarians had a median income of $108,000 [90,000-120,000]. For academics, title (assistant professor, P <.0001 and professor, P = .001), PhD (P = .010), and master's (P= .001) predicted salary. Veterinarians working in leadership positions had a median income of $120,000 [110,000-198,000], and no variable was significant. Veterinarians employed in academia and leadership had a higher salary than veterinarians employed in the shelter. There are predictors of salary for shelter medicine veterinarians, which will help both potential employers and employees, determine reasonable salaries when budgeting, negotiating, or planning personal development.

Surveys of Salary, Benefits, and Job Responsibilities for Veterinarians Employed in the Field of Shelter Medicine in the United States Conducted in 2011 and 2018.

According to American Veterinary Medical Association statistics, veterinarians employed in the not-for-profit sector account for the smallest group by type of employment. However, this group has experienced the greatest amount of change, with an increase of 52% between 2008 and 2013 and 55% between 2013 and 2018. Despite this growth, there has been a paucity of information regarding the salary, benefits, hours, and job duties that come with a career in shelter medicine. An initial survey of shelter medicine salary, benefits, hours, and job duties was conducted in 2011, and a similar survey conducted in 2018. All responses were anonymous. Results from 2018 were compared to 2011 using 2 sample test of proportions (counts) or Mann-Whitney (Wilcoxon rank sum) test (medians). A total of 207 conforming responses were received in 2011, and 219 in 2018. Median salary for all full-time veterinarians in the field of shelter medicine was $75,000 (interquartile range [IQR], 65,000-85,000) in 2011 and $94,500 (IQR, 80,000-110,000) in 2018. Part-time shelter employed veterinarians in 2011 worked a median of 20 hours (IQR 7-28) for an hourly rate of $41 (IQR, 29-56) while they worked a median of 26 hours (IQR, 15-32) for an hourly rate of $48 (IQR, 36-66) in 2018. There was an increase in the provision of all categories of benefits and an increase in veterinarians employed in academia and leadership. Demographics were similar, with the exception of increases in the number of boarded specialists and veterinarians who had completed a residency. Veterinarians reporting that shelter medicine had been offered in their curriculum increased by 44%. Budgets for shelters were reported to be higher, while animal intake and daily count of animals in care was lower. Comparison between surveys of shelter medicine veterinarians in 2011 and 2018 showed a consistent increase in salary, benefits and resources. There were indicators that the field of shelter medicine has matured as a discipline, particularly with regard to the availability of shelter medicine education and increased number of boarded specialists.