Burnout in Veterinary medicine is not just a buzzword. It is the reality for too many veterinarians. I have watched bright-eyed graduates lose their spark within a few years, and I have seen seasoned colleagues question the career they once loved. Even before I applied to Veterinary school, people warned me not to go down this path.
What has the profession’s response been? Wellness retreats, pizza parties, and seminars on resilience. Let’s be honest, none of that fixes the real problem. Burnout is not about a lack of yoga mats in the break room. It is about a lack of freedom and control over your career.
At the core of much of our burnout is financial stress. Until we address how veterinarians build financial wellbeing, we will keep spinning our wheels. The real antidote to burnout is not another workshop. It is financial freedom. And the most reliable path to that freedom in this profession is practice ownership.
Money as a Tool, Not the Goal
Money has always been a subject veterinarians avoided discussing. Even in Veterinary school, I lost count of how many times I heard, “we didn’t choose this career for the money.” That mindset shaped how many of us think about finances. But the reality is that taking out $200,000 or more in student loans for a career pursued only out of passion, with no plan to pay it back, is a financial planner’s nightmare. It makes no sense.
The good news is that I hear more early-career veterinarians talking about salaries and finances with urgency. That is a positive shift, but we need to go further. Money itself should never be the sole driver of our careers, but it is not something to ignore. Money is a tool. It allows us to pursue what matters most and, most importantly, it allows us to buy back our time.
Time is the most valuable asset we possess. Financial freedom creates the margin to step back from the constant grind, to choose how we spend our days, and to have options that are not dictated by the next paycheck. In Veterinary medicine, money also allows us to invest in practice ownership. Ownership is the most reliable way to build long-term wealth. It takes you outside the limits of salary and production-based pay and gives you the chance to create something that works even when you are not in the building.
When you own a practice, your income is not tied only to the hours you personally work. Your wealth grows through the systems you design and the leaders you empower. That shift, from trading hours for a paycheck to building equity and autonomy, is the foundation of financial wellbeing.
Why Ownership Is a Safe and Smart Investment
Not long ago, I read a post from a veterinarian who wanted to buy an existing practice but hesitated because of fears about the economy. They were worried about “what could happen” and decided not to move forward. This is exactly the kind of fear that holds too many people back from ownership.
The reality is that veterinary medicine is a sector where people will continue to spend money. Even when the economy shifts, pet owners prioritize their animals’ care. Yes, practices may need to get more creative and competitive with pricing and value, but the demand is not going away. Ownership requires courage, and waiting for the “perfect” economic conditions is a recipe for inaction.
Veterinary practice loans also carry one of the lowest failure rates of any lending category, with a failure rate below 0.5 percent. That is about as safe as it gets when borrowing to build a business. Banks trust veterinarians because the industry is stable, necessary, and proven. There are few safer investments than betting on yourself in this profession.
And ownership is not just a financial play. It is an investment in yourself, your team, and the community you serve. As an owner, you decide how the practice operates, how your team is paid, and what kind of culture you create. You build a reputation and a legacy that reflects your values, not someone else’s.
That does not mean ownership is easy. Leadership is hard work. But it is a good hard — the kind of challenge that brings meaning and satisfaction. It is far better to do that work for yourself and your team than to spend a career answering to someone else.
Transition to Part 2: Stay Tuned for Next Month’s Article
Ownership is the foundation of financial freedom, but knowing it is valuable is not enough. Next month, I will share a strategy for building financial wellbeing through ownership, how to address the skeptics, and why ownership is not just an investment in yourself, but in your entire community.