By Trey Rivera, Founder & CEO, Beyond Just You
If you are trying to hire a veterinarian in 2026, the most honest answer is this: it usually takes longer than most practice owners expect.
Not because practices are doing something wrong. Not because there are no good candidates anywhere. But because veterinary hiring now sits at the intersection of sustained market demand, limited training capacity, shifting candidate expectations, and slower internal hiring processes than many owners realize. The broader labor market is still tight: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects veterinarian employment to grow 10% from 2024 to 2034, and AVMA’s 2026 economic report says the labor market continues to show demand for veterinarians.
So if you are hoping to post a role today and have the right DVM on staff in a few weeks, that is no longer the assumption most practices should make.
The short answer
In today’s market, veterinary hiring is often measured in months, not weeks.
There is no one-size-fits-all national benchmark that captures every companion animal, emergency, specialty, mixed, food animal, rural, and urban role. But the indicators all point in the same direction: demand remains elevated, the labor market remains competitive, and certain markets are still especially difficult to staff. AAVMC said significant shortages exist across sectors and levels of specialization and linked those shortages to long-term demand growth in veterinary services and to limited capacity to train veterinary professionals. Its 2024 workforce statement also noted that U.S. pet-healthcare demand has been increasing at an inflation-adjusted rate of more than 6% per year.
That is why so many practices feel like they are “always hiring” even when they are only trying to fill one role.
Why the process takes longer now
The first reason is simple: there is still real competition for veterinarians.
BLS continues to project faster-than-average employment growth for the profession, and AVMA’s 2026 report says almost 60% of 2025 graduates moved directly into full-time employment. That does not mean every graduate is unavailable, but it does mean the market is still absorbing new DVMs quickly. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
The second reason is that demand is not evenly distributed.
If you are hiring in a rural market, a food animal setting, or another underserved segment, your timeline is often longer by default. USDA and Nation Institute of Food Agriculture continue to designate veterinary shortage situations each fiscal year, and USDA launched a Rural Veterinary Action Plan in 2025 specifically to address veterinary shortages in rural America and the federal workforce. (Nation Institute of Food and Agriculture)
The third reason is that hiring difficulty is not just a supply problem. It is also an execution problem.
AVMA has been explicit that future workforce needs cannot be understood through headcount alone. The association points to process efficiency, better use of the veterinarian-led team, workplace culture, professional wellbeing, and retention as part of the real solution. In other words, two practices can be hiring in the same market and still get very different outcomes depending on how attractive, organized, and responsive they are.
What the market is telling practice owners
One of the clearest warning signs is that job demand has outpaced easy hiring for several years now.
AVMA reported that the monthly number of veterinarian job openings in its Veterinary Career Center roughly doubled between January 2021 and August 2022. In the same employer survey, practices reported an average of 1.8 veterinarian openings per employer but only 0.6 of those openings filled. That does not give us a universal 2026 “days to hire” number, but it does show a market where openings are lingering and employers are not filling roles as quickly as they would like. (AVMA Journals)
That is the practical reality behind this topic.
By the time a practice defines the role, posts the job, waits for applications, screens candidates, coordinates interviews, aligns decision-makers, makes an offer, negotiates details, and works through notice periods, the process can easily stretch far beyond the timeline most owners had in mind at the beginning.
Why some roles take even longer
Location is one factor, but it is not the only one.
Culture matters. Schedule matters. Leadership matters. Flexibility matters.
Recent veterinary research continues to show that work-life balance and a positive clinic culture are strongly tied to better well-being and lower burnout. A separate survey of rural and nonrural veterinarians found that work-life balance and practice culture remain important factors in recruitment and retention, while rural veterinarians were more likely to report working more than 40 hours a week and spending more time on call. (AVMA Journals)
That matters because many candidates are not only asking, “What is the salary?” They are also asking:
Will I have support?
Will I have flexibility?
Will I be set up to succeed?
Will this job still work for me a year from now?
If your process answers those questions slowly, vaguely, or inconsistently, your timeline gets longer.
Compensation still matters, but it is not the whole answer
Compensation still opens the door. It just does not close the deal on its own.
The BLS lists median annual pay for veterinarians at $125,510 in May 2024, while AVMA’s latest economic reporting shows that starting compensation remains meaningful to new graduates whose debt loads can still be substantial. AVMA’s 2026 report says nearly 20% of new graduates in 2025 had more than $300,000 in DVM debt. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
For practice owners, that means a vague or underdeveloped offer slows everything down. Candidates want clarity around base pay, production structure, schedule, mentorship, team support, and the actual day-to-day reality of the job. If those pieces are not ready when the right candidate appears, the search often stalls.
So what should practices plan for?
The better planning mindset in 2026 is not, “Can we hire in 30 days?”
It is, “How do we avoid losing the next 90 days to a slow, reactive process?”
Practices that hire faster usually do a few things well. They define compensation early. They move quickly from interest to interview. They communicate clearly. They sell the role honestly. And they understand that strong candidates often need to be engaged, not just waited on.
That is also where a specialized veterinary recruiter can change the equation. Good veterinary recruitment is not just about sending resumes. It is about shortening dead time, reaching passive candidates, creating momentum, and helping practice owners avoid the long stretches where nothing meaningful is happening.
Final Thoughts
So, how long does it actually take to hire a veterinarian in 2026?
Long enough that practices should stop treating it like a quick administrative task and start treating it like a strategic business priority.
The market still shows strong demand. Certain geographies and segments remain persistently difficult. Candidate expectations have evolved. And internal delays cost practices more than they realize. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
The practices that fill roles fastest are usually not the ones with the loudest job ads. They are the ones with the clearest offer, the healthiest team environment, and the discipline to move when the right candidate shows up.
For personalized consultation on veterinary compensation strategy or career planning, contact Beyond Just You at hello@beyondjustu.com or call us at 615-212-5244. Our team combines market expertise with individualized service to help veterinary professionals and practices achieve their goals.
About the Author: Trey Rivera is the Founder and CEO of Beyond Just You, a specialized veterinary recruiting and consulting firm. With extensive experience in veterinary practice management and talent acquisition, Trey helps practices and veterinarians navigate the evolving compensation landscape to achieve sustainable success.