Impact of Internship on Veterinary Salaries, 2009

Posted on October 6, 2011

In 2010, the AVMA Biennial Economic Survey was sent to a random population of veterinarians in the United States. The veterinarians were from private practice as well as the public and corporate sectors. The data collected was analyzed for relationships between gross salaries and multiple independent variables including type of internship completed (private practice, academic, or other), species specific internships (small animal, food animal, equine, mixed animal, exotics, etc.), number of years after completion of internship, practice ownership status, type of employment (practitioner, relief, consultant), number of years of clinical experience, number of hours worked per week, annual gross revenue generated, and gender.

There were 1645 surveys completed that were included in the data analysis. Results of a linear regression analysis showed that the completion of an internship, regardless of the type, did not have a significant effect on annual salary. There was also no significant difference in the rate of change of incomes per year for those who did and did not complete an internship. Those who had completed a residency, however, did earn a significantly higher salary than those who did not. Information from a 2010 survey of US veterinary graduates showed that financial gain was not a major reason for graduates electing to complete an internship. In that survey, 41.7% completed an internship in order to be able to apply to a residency program, 31.1% wanted to practice higher quality medicine, and 16.9% wanted additional formal training before practicing on their own.

For the full articles and reports, see JAVMA, Vol 239, No. 6, Sept 15, 2011 and AVMA. AVMA report on veterinary compensation. 2011 ed