For nearly 15 years, Holiday Vet has been providing relief veterinary services. Founded by Dr. Caren Carney in 2011, we’re dedicated to providing relief opportunities to DVMs while supporting animal hospitals with high-quality DVM care. We are committed to maintaining a reputation of integrity and excellence.
Ethics guide us in two primary areas – how we treat the people we work with and how we care for animals. On the medical side, we follow the AVMA’s Principles of Veterinary Medical Ethics.
We’d like to take a minute to discuss our business ethics – how we deal with the people and business side of things. Three main tenets guide our approach:
- Honesty & Transparency
- Consent
- Communication & Reliability
Honesty & Transparency in Relief Veterinary Staffing
Honesty is critical to our business and it distinguishes us from other big relief job boards. We expect our clients to provide clear and accurate information about expectations and working conditions for the relief veterinarians. On the flip side, we also ask our relief vets to be honest about their work preferences to ensure the best job matches. This extends to punctuality and reporting.
On our end, we promise transparency in our communications and expectations. You will always know who you’re speaking with at Holiday Vet, and each staff member is happy to share their credentials. While our founder is an actively practicing, licensed DVM, our support staff are not. They have rich and varied credentials and experience in helping people, and many have previous veterinary experience or vet tech experience and a variety of other degrees.
Transparency in Social Media
We ensure clarity on our social media practices and identify whether it is Holiday Vet as a business or one of our team members reaching out to a community. We respect the credentials and trust of our veterinarians and will never misuse their license information. Our social media team does not claim qualifications or credentials that they don’t possess.
Consent & Anonymity
Consent is key to how we operate. Relief veterinarians grant permission for initial contact, profile sharing with follow-up communication preferences. When we use feedback or quotes from veterinarians in marketing materials, we anonymize them with initials unless explicit consent is given for name use.
We do not currently feature reviews from third-party sites like Google or Glassdoor on our website or in other marketing materials. If we choose to do this in the future, we will share that change with our veterinarians, ensuring control over marketing contributions.
Communication & Reliability
Effective Communication and reliability are important aspects of our success. We communicate via email, phone, and text. We confirm our doctors’ preferred communication channels, to ensure messages are received in the way that’s best for for you.
We know that DVMs are under immense pressure, and that many vets choose relief work to escape those high demands. We incorporate empathy in our communications and discussions with clients, staff and doctors. An empathetic approach can be a great basis for a wonderful partnership.
In return, we ask relief veterinarians to communicate urgent matters with us, honor their commitments, arrive on time, and perform their job well. Similarly, we expect hospitals to provide a welcoming professional environment. Should any issues arise, prompt communication helps up address concerns quickly and effectively.
Our Perspective On Relief Work
At Holiday Vet, our ethical principles are the foundation of our commitment to excellence. While our goal is not to be the biggest relief company, it is to be the best. We love the veterinary field and are thankful to have the opportunity to be a part of the relief journey.
Holiday Vet is here to help with the business footwork – scheduling relief and all the paperwork that goes with it, offering employment benefits, and other functions. Whether you are a doctor using us as a full-time employer, part-time employer or for occasional shifts; or a hospital using us for help, we want to reduce your stress so that you can enjoy your practice of veterinary medicine in an honest, empathic way.
If this rings true and you’re not yet working with us, register now to get started!