A Runbook for Hiring DVMs Across Multiple Hospitals

Given how tight the DVM market is, waiting to start a search until a veterinarian gives notice almost guarantees a coverage gap. Build a continuous relationship with veterinary schools, residency programs, and locum networks regardless of whether you have an open seat right now, so you're not starting cold every time a hospital needs coverage.

A contingent search firm with genuine veterinary placements can extend that reach further, particularly for relocating a candidate from outside your immediate region, which is often necessary given how thin the local pool can be in a lot of markets. Treat relocation support as a standard part of the offer for this role, not an exception you negotiate case by case.

Licensed veterinary technicians are a role most groups refill repeatedly across hospitals, with more standardized, checkable credentials than a DVM search. This is where RPO earns its keep: a partner maintaining a pipeline against your licensing requirements across every state you operate in, ready to activate candidates as hospitals grow or turnover happens.

Keep sign-on packages and relocation support consistent across hospitals in your group. Inconsistent offers between locations create friction both with candidates comparing notes and with your own hiring managers trying to compete against each other's budgets, which quietly undermines the group's negotiating position as a whole.

Cost per hire for a role this competitive runs well above the national nonexecutive average of about $5,475, closer to the $35,879 executive-level figure once you account for relocation assistance, sign-on incentives, and search fees¹. Budget for that reality across your group's growth plan rather than being surprised hospital by hospital.

Weigh that cost against what an unfilled DVM seat actually costs in lost patient capacity and overworked existing staff, which tends to make the search investment look reasonable by comparison, particularly once you factor in the overtime and locum coverage a chronic vacancy usually requires in the meantime.

For DVM roles, a contingent search firm with veterinary-specific reach and relocation experience is usually worth the fee given how scarce candidates are and how much a search benefits from a wide, active network. For licensed techs and practice managers, RPO or a solid internal pipeline works well once you're hiring repeatedly across hospitals.

In-house sourcing through your own veterinary school relationships works best for groups with a strong local reputation and a training or mentorship program that attracts new graduates directly, which some groups build specifically to reduce reliance on outside search over time.

The most costly mistake is competing on salary alone in a market where DVMs increasingly weigh caseload, mentorship, and schedule flexibility as heavily as pay. A search firm or internal recruiter who only pitches compensation is missing half of what actually closes a candidate in this market.

A second mistake is under-resourcing the DVM search relative to its difficulty because it's treated like any other clinical hire, when the market reality calls for meaningfully more lead time and a wider sourcing net than a tech or support role search.

Say your group is opening a sixth hospital and needs two DVMs, three licensed techs, and a practice manager before opening day. Start the DVM search first and give it the longest runway, likely through a contingent search firm with relocation reach, since it's the hire most likely to determine your opening timeline and patient capacity from day one.

Licensed techs can move through your standing multi-hospital pipeline. The practice manager role is often best filled by promoting a strong tech lead from an existing hospital who already understands your systems, rather than an external search.

Stagger the start dates if you can. Bringing on two new DVMs and a full tech team on the exact same opening day leaves no one available to mentor the newer hires through your specific protocols in the first critical weeks.

For a new hospital, sequence the hiring like this:

1. Start the DVM search first and give it the longest runway, since it is the hire most likely to set your opening timeline.
2. Use a contingent search firm with veterinary reach and relocation experience for the DVM seats.
3. Route licensed vet techs through a standing RPO or internal pipeline built against your state licensing requirements.
4. Check for a ready internal candidate before opening an external search for the practice manager.