Demographic survey of private veterinary practices in western Canada |
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Authors: | Murray D Jelinski Brittany Schreiner Alison Neale Hugh GG Townsend |
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Institution: | Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences (Jelinski, Schreiner, Townsend), Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B4; Site 111, Box 1, RR3, Sundre, Alberta T0M 1X0 (Neale) |
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Abstract: | A workforce survey of private veterinary practices in western Canada was conducted in 2020. Data were obtained on 526 practices (response rate = 39.5%) and 1445 individual veterinary practitioners. Overall, 68.4% of practitioners identified as female, with 4 times as many females as males comprising the youngest age cohorts (26 to 35 y) of the profession. The majority of practices (67.9%) were companion animal, followed by mixed animal (21.9%) and food animal (10.2%). Most females (77.2%) and males (57.8%) were engaged in companion animal practice, whereas 23.5% of males and 6.0% of females were food animal practitioners. During an average work week, practitioners devoted 77.4% of practice time to small animals, 15.1% to food animals, and 7.5% to equine animals. A greater proportion of males (75.2%) versus females (63.2%) worked on a full-time equivalent basis (P < 0.001). Whereas males were 1.7 times (95% CI = 1.3 to 2.3; P < 0.001) more likely to be practice owners than females, 54.5% of females were owners. Practice ownership was lower than in previous surveys, a trend that may have long-term implications with respect to the corporatization of the veterinary profession. |
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