Hiring Veterinarians for Your Rural Veterinary Practice: Strategies for Success

Understanding the Rural Veterinary Landscape

Bringing a new associate into any independent veterinary practice requires balancing each candidate’s clinical skills, personal qualities, and business sense with the practice’s culture and needs. Finding the right new associate for a rural veterinary practice can be even harder. In addition to fitting in with the practice, they also need to fit into close-knit, sometimes struggling communities. VMG members are rising to the challenge of this tricky hiring situation.  

What is a rural veterinary practice anyway? 

A rural veterinary practice is one located in and serving a rural community. But what is a rural community? The US Census Bureau defines rural vs. urban areas according to housing or population density.¹ Kansas defines a rural county as one with under 40,000 residents.² Whatever the numeric definition, there are many types of rural communities, and many types of rural veterinary practices. Not all rural veterinary practices are food animal practices; they may also be mixed-species, companion animal, or equine practices. Whatever the definition, residents of these communities all want the best veterinary care possible for their animals. 

The rural veterinary care gap 

Many rural communities lack sufficient veterinary care. With only 21% of veterinarians practicing in rural areas, the USDA has identified underserved rural or livestock-producing regions in almost every state.^3,4,5 Some veterinary schools, the federal government and many state governments have responded, creating programs specifically for students interested in rural veterinary practice that provide loans or grants for veterinary students, or loan forgiveness for practitioners who commit to practicing in an underserved rural area.^2,4-7 

Why are rural areas often underserved? 

Many factors contribute to this problem: Lower salaries make repaying veterinary school loans and meeting other financial goals a challenge.⁸ Mixed animal, large animal, or equine practice is physically demanding; emergency coverage adds to the strain.⁴ Referral practices and advanced care may be far away, leaving local veterinarians somewhat on their own with unusual or complex cases. Veterinarians considering rural veterinary practice may have concerns about where their spouses can work, the quality of local schools, and the availability of infrastructure such as childcare facilities and human healthcare.^4,9 Some wonder whether rural clients will welcome non-white or female veterinarians, particularly in food animal practice.⁸  

Still, there are many veterinarians who thrive in rural areas and are eager to join rural veterinary practices. The challenge for a hiring veterinarian is two-fold: first, how to find these veterinarians, and second, how to convince them to join and remain with your practice.  

Let’s look more deeply into these questions.  

 

Finding and attracting the right candidates 

Where to find candidates

It’s no use fishing in an empty pond. Rural veterinary practices looking to hire need to go where the right candidates are.  

New and upcoming graduates: Contact veterinary schools with strong programs for rural, large animal, or mixed practice. Talk with their Career Advisors, Alumni Officers, or faculty about students whose interests could match your needs.  

Experienced rural associates: Practices that need someone with more experience can look for associates who are already enjoying rural veterinary practice but who are looking for new pastures. They can be found at local or regional conferences or at those of specialty groups like the associations of bovine practice (AABP), swine veterinarians (AASV), or the Board of Veterinary Practice (ABVP).  

Online platforms: LinkedIn or veterinary-specific recruiters can get your job ads in front of the right candidates.  

Word of mouth: Ask your current associates, staff members, and local colleagues if they know of any potential candidates. VMG members can ask the other members of their Peer Group for recommendations and ideas. 

 

Write a meaningful job advertisement 

When crafting your job advertisement, remember what draws veterinarians to rural veterinary practice. Beyond a sufficient and varied caseload, welcoming culture and clientele, and modern equipment, important factors include the rural lifestyle and slower pace, the location of family and friends, and recognition of the community need for veterinary care.¹⁰  

Address the concerns that may drive your best candidates away: excessive emergency duty, insufficient time off, lack of mentorship, an unpleasant practice atmosphere, unwelcoming clients, or family concerns.¹¹ Those relocating to the area may struggle to find their place in a small community. Cultural values are critical; at least one study has shown that a rural background may be more important than a livestock background in determining an individual’s chance of success in rural veterinary practice.¹¹ 

Promoting your practice to potential applicants 

Now that you know where to find candidates for your independent rural veterinary practice and what they want, how do you entice them to apply? Fred Gingrich, Executive Director of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP), points out that times have changed since many rural veterinarians first entered practice. They must offer today’s candidates what those candidates want, not what the hiring veterinarians might themselves have wanted, 10, 20, or more years ago.⁸   

Objectively assess your practice as compared to other rural veterinary practices. What do you offer that’s ahead of the benchmark? A competitive salary and benefits are absolutely essential. But there are other factors too: Do you share emergencies with your colleagues?¹² If tertiary care centers are far away, do associates have access to support from mentors and specialists through your relationships with universities or other advanced care practices?¹³ Are your practice culture and clientele warm and welcoming? Do your Credentialed Veterinary Technicians (CVTs) practice at the top of their licenses, freeing veterinarians to focus on diagnosis and treatment? What makes your rural veterinary practice special?  

If you haven’t already, be sure to familiarize yourself with any financial support programs for rural veterinarians available in your state. 

 

The Hiring Process

Meaningful interviews 

Interviews allow potential employers and employees to explore whether they would be a good fit. Wise practice owners understand the importance of client relationships and cultural fit, prioritizing long-term fit as much as, if not more than, clinical skills. Associates look for a place they feel comfortable, and that they can commit to for years to come. Many hiring veterinarians and candidates find working interviews helpful for this; candidates and the practice team can see one another in action and consider whether they ‘click.’ Mobile practice owners should take candidates out on calls to meet your clients and see how they interact. Highlight services that will matter to associates, like AI-powered practice management systems to reduce administrative burdens, a strong local veterinary association providing quality continuing education and camaraderie, and access to specialists with whom you have a long-standing relationship. Include your own availability as a mentor and advisor.  

During the interview, emphasize your practice’s unique benefits: Close proximity to nature; ties with local clubs and schools, local long-standing relationships with clients, the way you and the other local practices support one another. Find out what the candidate thinks is important and show them how your practice ticks those boxes. 

Use situational interview questions to help you identify the characteristics beyond technical ability that will help a rural veterinarian succeed. Adjusting to the pace of rural life can be difficult; ask candidates to describe a time when they had to adjust to someone who preferred a much faster or slower pace. Look for someone confident but not arrogant, curious about people and interested in making personal connections. A veterinarian who is thirsty for knowledge and embraces the Spectrum of Care could fit nicely in a rural veterinary practice. Successful rural veterinarians are committed to stretching their practice wings when local referral options are limited and embrace the important role that veterinarians can play in rural communities.¹³ 

VMG members in rural communities can get additional support and ideas from the members of their Peer Groups, who are likely to have faced similar challenges. This peer support is one of the key benefits of VMG membership.  

Offers that work 

Once you identify a veterinarian to invxite into your practice, craft an offer that meets their needs. Use everything you have learned during the interview process to create a unique package that will motivate them to become an active contributor to your practice’s success. Beyond the basics of salary and modern equipment, consider additional commitments that will catch their attention.  

If your candidate is interested in mentoring and your practice does not have a specific program, consider offering to fund their participation in MentorVet. If childcare is a concern and you don’t have your own practice-based program, consider a childcare stipend just as you would offer one for continuing education. Both help your new associate to practice at the top of their game. If they are interested in leadership or future ownership, bring them to a relevant VMG Professional Development course or connect them to a financial advisor. Highlight any agreements that limit their emergency time, or that give them access to specialists.

 

Your next associate: Not a needle in a haystack 

Recruiting and hiring a new associate into your rural veterinary practice requires special attention to find someone who will fit and stay for the long term. Improve your chances with targeted recruitment, clear communication about your practice and clientele, interviewing for fit as well as function, and a tailored offer that meets your candidate’s needs. That, however, is just the beginning. Be sure to help them and their family settle in. Introduce them to clients and community leaders. Treat them as you would have liked to have been treated when you were starting out. This might be your most important business decision ever!
 

References 

1. United States Census Bureau. 2020 Census Urban Areas Facts. Updated June 2023. Accessed 10 June 2025. Available online https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/geography/guidance/geo-areas/urban-rural/2020-ua-facts.html. 
2. Veterinary training program for rural Kansas. Accessed 7 June 2025. Available online: https://www.vet.k-state.edu/admissions/financial-prep/rural.html 
3. McCullock, K., Doherty, C., Ouedraogo, F.B. 2025 AVMA Report on the Economic State of the Veterinary Profession (2025). Schaumberg, IL. 
4. AVMA News. ‘Virginia latest state to tackle large animal veterinarian shortage.’ Published 2 June 2025. Accessed 7 June 2025. Available online: https://www.avma.org/news/virginia-latest-state-tackle-large-animal-veterinarian-shortage  
5. United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program. Accessed 7 June 2025. Available online: https://www.nifa.usda.gov/grants/programs/veterinary-medicine-loan-repayment-program 
6. University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Nebraska Elite 11 Veterinarian Program. Accessed 12 June 2025. Available online: https://casnr.unl.edu/nebraska-elite-11-veterinarian-program/ 
7. Texas A&M Foundation. Call of the Rural Community. Accessed 12 June 2025. Available online https://www.txamfoundation.com/News/Call-of-the-Rural-Community.aspx 
8. Lederhouse, C and Larkin, M. AVMA News. Filling the Rural Veterinarian Gap. Published 26 November 2024. Accessed 7 June 2025. Available online: https://www.avma.org/news/filling-rural-veterinarian-gap  
9. Berrada, M., Raboisson, D., & Lhermie, G. ‘Effectiveness of rural internships for veterinary students to combat veterinary workforce shortages in rural areas.’ Plos one, 2024;19(3), e0294651. 
10. Villarroel, A., McDonald, S. R., Walker, W. L., Kaiser, L., Dewell, R. D., & Dewell, G. A. ‘A survey of reasons why veterinarians enter rural veterinary practice in the United States.’ JAVMA. 2010;236(8), 849-857. 
11. Villarroel, A., McDonald, S. R., Walker, W. L., Kaiser, L., Dewell, R. D., & Dewell, G. A. ‘A survey of reasons why veterinarians leave rural veterinary practice in the United States.’ JAVMA. 2010; 236(8), 859-867. 
12. Kuebelback L., Erskine M., Franklin R., Basque A., Beckman J., Graves M., et al. ‘Emergency Coverage 2.0: Innovative strategies to revolutionize after-hours care’. 2023. Accessed 10 June 2025. Available online: https://aaep.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/EmergencyCoverage-ToolkitFINAL.pdf  
13. Jumper I., King H., Chavez K., Ferguson JA. ‘Spotlight on Mississippi State University Veterinary Medicine. Innovative approaches in teaching the next generation of veterinarians. Equipping veterinary students to be successful in rural mixed animal practice.’ JAVMA. 2025:263(5), 684.