Career Center

SEEKING UNICORN(S)- Our small-animal practice is looking for an unusual veterinarian (or two). We have a long-established clinic with dedicated staff and appreciative clientele. We are an independent practice, not part of a corporate association and not owned by a private-equity firm. Accordingly, we set our own policies and methods to properly meet the health needs of our clients’ pets. We base our judgements on our professional knowledge and available veterinary medical evidence. Our clients have a great deal of trust in our clinic and we would like to take on a veterinarian (or two) who would continue to serve our community through eventual ownership of this private practice. We find the business of the veterinary medicine to be both challenging and rewarding. We don’t have corporate headquarters telling us what profit centers need to enhanced. We respond to the needs of our clients and find solutions in the products and technologies available to us. Lamentably, in recent years we have had to turn away many prospective clients because of excessive demand for our services. We would be delighted to mentor a new veterinarian who wishes to eventually be their own boss in the always challenging and often satisfying practice of veterinary medicine and surgery.

Most ads will sugarcoat their offerings and we have heard enough tales of unkept promises like mentorship.  We cannot change our spots. We are of a different generation than recent DVM graduates and it shows. We believe we are very evidence-based (although those goalposts keep moving), and we are skeptical of treatments and protocols that have weak evidence or appear unduly influenced by profit considerations. Any veterinarian at our practice needs to be comfortable in their diagnostic and therapeutic plans. We would mentor any new veterinarian as best we can to the limits that they find satisfactory. If you are the unusual recent DVM grad who (and let’s leave student debt out of consideration for now) might rather be their own boss and not a cog in a corporate machine, then let us know and we can discuss the possibilities.

Veterinarian wanted full-time (or part-time) for 2 doctor, small-animal practice. Responsibilities include: medical and surgical care of patients through evaluation, diagnosis, general surgery, anesthesia, cytology, patient care, client education, radiology, ultrasound and discharge. Veterinarians direct other staff members in patient and client care and coordinate invoicing, hospitalization and the dispensing of medication. 

The work schedule would be a minimum of 40 hours per week with a flexible schedule regarding coverage of occasional weekends and evenings. 

Full-time benefits include paid vacation leave and medical insurance, CE expense, CE leave, licensing fees, liability insurance, discounted pet care, association dues, paid legal holidays, commission on emergency work. Priorities are preventive health care and client education. 

We are looking for someone who may eventually wish to pursue an ownership interest, but this is not a necessity. Mentoring a new graduate should be quite doable; we find the flow of information is a two-way street. Although we are leery of fads, we are always on the lookout for new ways to improve our methods and add to our toolkit. 

Must be licensed to practice veterinary medicine in New York State. General surgery and anesthesia skills preferred.Veterinarians must complete required continuing education, follow the practice’s policies, be able to lift 50 pounds, and be able to stand for extended periods of time. 

About Fruit Valley Veterinary Clinic

The Fruit Valley Veterinary Clinic has been at the current location since 1965. The practice is exclusively small-animal. The Clinic- The working portion of the building is about 3500 sq. ft. There are separate entrance and exit waiting rooms, two exam rooms. The main treatment room has cages for recovery of anesthetized or ill patients. The x-ray room features a digital radiography system, hand-held intraoral dental x-ray system, ultrasound console with 3 probes and isoflurane anesthesia capability. The surgery room features a heated table, isoflurane anesthesia, radiowave surgical machine, warm-water blanket, high-speed dental machine, pulse oximetry, blood pressure and carbon dioxide monitoring. The anesthesia monitor can also track temperature & ECG. Adjacent to the treatment room is an auxiliary treatment room with a wet table. The lab contains centrifuges, microscope. A CBC analyzer, two Vetscans, one Vue, iStat, cortisol analyzer and another microscope are located adjacent to the exam rooms. An isolation room (for infectious cases) is located in the basement. The clinic has a computer network with 9 work stations. The medical records are mostly paperless. Smart Flow is use...d for treatment worklist purposes. It is accessed through iPads and computer. The staff currently includes 2 veterinarians, several veterinary technicians and both full-time and part-time receptionists and animal handlers. The patients mostly include dogs and cats (about 98% of caseload). The remainder are a few pocket pets. Our main emphasis is on prevention. We stress proper immunization, nutrition, parasite control, behavior management, exercise and accident prevention. We strive to provide evidence-based care, diagnosis and treatment. We provide limited emergency service to our regular clients to best of our abilities. Our clinic assists the local animal welfare organizations. We do not perform orthopedic surgery or cosmetic surgery. We refer patients who require specialized care. Cornell is 75 miles away and some specialists are available in nearby Syracuse or Rochester. We strive to help our clients with thoughtful decision-making. We are not part of a corporate chain. Profit-centers are not part of our vocabulary. We recognize that veterinary medicine has some conflicting motivations in deciding patient care and we try to do what's right. Today's environment is tough, but we try to be compassionate for our patients, clients and staff. The work is hard, but fulfilling and our clients are generally pretty grateful. Oswego is a small city surrounded by semirural towns. It has a great bookstore and bike shop. Oswego is on the shore of Lake Ontario and is within an hour of Syracuse. Housing costs are generally affordable. The region appears to have surplus residential housing as opposed to the general US trend. The local schools have been good for us. Hiking, biking, boating, and fishing are popular pursuits in the Oswego area. Our usual winter provides opportunity for snow-shoeing and cross-country skiing. SUNY Oswego is our neighbor. It hosts a superb public radio station. We often employ students from SUNY as part-time workers. They are excellent workers who are thoughtful and conscientious.

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