New Study Launches to Investigate Burnout Among Relief Veterinarians

Prompted by rising burnout rates among relief veterinarians, the survey will explore key factors affecting mental well-being and job satisfaction in this rapidly growing group

Serenity Vet, a veterinary relief management platform with integrated financial planning tools for veterinarians and clinics, has launched a survey to investigate burnout among relief (locum) veterinarians. The study is conducted in collaboration with Talkatoo, a leader in voice-to-text and AI productivity solutions for veterinary practices, with research guidance provided by Dr. Ivan Zak, CEO of Galaxy Vets, who led several industry-wide veterinary burnout studies in recent years.

Veterinarians who practice relief either exclusively or occasionally are invited to participate in the study. The survey takes approximately 10 minutes to complete, and all responses are anonymous. The survey can be accessed here.

Relief work is on the rise. According to the AVMA, the number of relief veterinarians increased by 30% from 2008 to 2018. A 2022 VIN poll found that over 14% of veterinarians had seriously considered switching from full- or part-time roles to relief work, while an additional 31% reported daydreaming about making the change. By 2025, relief veterinarians made up more than 9% of the veterinary workforce in private practice, an increase from just 6% the year prior.

Common reasons for choosing relief include greater flexibility, escape from an unhealthy workplace culture, and more control over scheduling. Yet, the 2025 AVMA Report on the Economic State of the Veterinary Profession shows that burnout among relief veterinarians has been climbing since 2021, and they report the lowest satisfaction with the profession overall.

“We built Serenity Vet to help relief veterinarians protect their work-life balance while achieving financial predictability and negotiation power,” said Dr. Andrew Ciccolini, co-founder of Serenity Vet. “This rise in burnout is deeply concerning, and we want to understand whether hidden or unforeseen challenges are emerging within the relief model. As more professionals make the switch, we need to ensure this path remains sustainable and fulfilling.”

Shawn Wilkie, CEO of Talkatoo, added: “Talkatoo was built to help veterinarians reclaim their time and reduce administrative burden. Supporting this survey is part of our mission to improve work-life balance in meaningful, measurable ways. Burnout is personal to us, and we’re proud to support research that could drive real change.”

The questionnaire is based on the Stanford Professional Fulfillment Index (PFI), a validated tool that measures professional fulfillment (the intrinsic positive reward derived from work) and burnout (work exhaustion and interpersonal disengagement). An additional set of questions is tailored specifically to the relief veterinary experience, exploring areas such as compensation, scheduling, and administrative tasks. With support from Galaxy Vets, the study will also leverage historical data from previous annual burnout surveys to identify emerging trends and explore strategies for burnout prevention within the relief veterinary community.

About Serenity Vet

Serenity Vet is a comprehensive relief management platform that combines a staffing marketplace with powerful business tools for both veterinarians and clinics. Veterinarians can take control of their careers through features like income forecasting, goal-setting, and personalized scheduling. Clinics benefit from tools such as a profitability calculator to set competitive and sustainable rates. By supporting fair compensation, financial predictability, and flexible scheduling, Serenity Vet helps relief veterinarians build sustainable careers while making it easier for practices to maintain consistent staffing and operational efficiency.

For more information, visit https://serenity.vet/.

About Talkatoo

Talkatoo was founded in 2019 as the first AI company in veterinary medicine. Talkatoo provides time-saving AI vet tools that enable vet professionals to complete their work and get home on time. These tools include:

• Auto-Records: Record your appointment, and Talkatoo will write your medical notes for you. It’ll create a standard SOAP, or use whatever template you upload.
• Call Summary: Place a call using the Talkatoo mobile app and instantly receive a summary of your conversation and a full transcript.
• AI Assistant: Cruise through tedious tasks with the AI Assistant. Summarize and edit notes, write emails, generate discharge reports, and more.
• Veterinary Dictation: Talk anywhere you can type, with our trusted speech-to-text dictation tool – made for veterinarians.

Learn more at https://talkatoo.com/.