Life as a new grad is exciting—and a little crazy. Between finding your footing in a new practice, meeting the unanticipated clinic challenges, and keeping up with your own appointment schedule, you can’t fathom taking on one more project or educational program.
But, investing a little time now in your future is one of the simplest ways you can ensure a decades-long emotionally and financially rewarding career.
If you’ve been considering Ready, Vet, Go Veterinary Mentorship but wondering about the six-month time commitment, consider the program’s long-range returns.
Getting back what you put in, and more: The RVG ROI
The RVG ROI isn’t based on financial data—at least not for the purposes of this article—it’s the immeasurable benefits and advantages that our graduates report time and time again. They regularly tout the skills, habits, and thought processes they learn through Ready, Vet, Go that help them grow, develop, and spark positive change, and the traits and practices that help them build long, satisfying, healthy careers.
Here’s a brief look at what you’ll gain when you invest time and effort in yourself and your professional future through Ready, Vet, Go.
Increased confidence
Confidence is invaluable for newly graduated veterinarians, yet many struggle for years doubting their own capabilities, because they learn the skills they weren’t taught in veterinary school only through trial and error. New graduates need a structured support system.
They need Ready, Vet, Go.
Ready, Vet, Go builds confidence by providing relevant, practical content that addresses real early-career issues, a reliable network of knowledgeable mentors dedicated to their success, and a supportive peer community who will talk them through common challenges and celebrate learning milestones. Mentees who put time and effort into their professional learning modules that they then apply to their personal lives also learn how to measure and recognize their growth (i.e., the “wins”), identify new learning areas, and find their own professional style.
Ownership of your career
Learning doesn’t end after graduation from vet school or a mentorship program—that’s why Ready, Vet, Go programming focuses on mentees becoming self-directed learners. When you understand how to take initiative for learning, recognize your strengths and weaknesses, and can set strategic goals and achievement plans, you become a proactive, independent, and growth-minded professional. Owning your career will provide greater satisfaction, joy, and pride, not only professionally, but also personally.
Increased production and profitability
Ready, Vet, Go provides new grads with actionable tips and techniques that will help you become a productive associate right away. Our tools and strategies and our experienced mentor team will help you bypass common challenges (e.g., communicating with clients, time management in and outside the exam room), transition more smoothly into practice, reach and exceed initial production goals, increase practice profitability, and find your place in the practice’s culture. These realities can help give you a sense of purpose and value, which can also boost confidence and loyalty.
A sense of community
Our program mentors are required to have an extensive and accomplished professional background—including at least 10 years of practice and leadership experience—and many of our mentee graduates cite their Ready, Vet, Go peer community as an invaluable asset. The bonds our mentees form during their time in the program often last beyond the conclusion of formal mentorship and build the foundation for their own professional networks.
Life after veterinary school can feel lonely and isolating, especially if you’ve relocated to an unfamiliar area. Ready, Vet, Go connects new grads to a supportive community, so they have a reliable space where they can engage with, encourage, and draw strength from others navigating the same highs and lows.
Increased job satisfaction and reduced turnover
You didn’t spend eight or more years in veterinary school and countless sleepless nights to feel unfulfilled in your career. But, unfortunately, 30% of new veterinarians leave their first practices in 12 months or less, with many citing lack of mentorship as the primary reason. Also unfortunately, a new graduate’s early career job-hopping often sends the wrong message to future employers and negatively affects their reputation and their chances for a better opportunity.
Ready, Vet, Go’s initial graduate surveys show that our mentees are bucking that trend. After one year, our turnover rate for program graduates is only 10%—a marked improvement on the national average, which suggests that mentorship not only boosts job satisfaction and practice loyalty, but also hints that our graduates enjoy improved wellbeing, which is instrumental to a long and productive career.
Cost versus career: Making time for mentorship
Time is a limited resource, but so are your chances of starting your career off right.
Investing a little extra time for six short months in a program tailored to that critical first year in practice will pay dividends during your entire veterinary career. And, settle in, because with Ready, Vet, Go’s mentorship, you can expect that career to be long—and extremely rewarding.
Presenting the RVG ROI to your employer
You may find asking your employer for additional resources such as Ready, Vet, Go mentorship difficult and even awkward—especially if you’re concerned that you will seem weak or ill-prepared for practice life. The truth, however, is that no one expects you to know everything right out of veterinary school. More often than not, practice owners are eager and willing to ensure their new graduates have the right tools to reach their full potential—they may only need help understanding the actual tools they need.
Highlight the benefits of mentorship—especially its ability to enhance your production, job satisfaction, and retention—to simplify your practice leader’s decision-making and to get on board about outsourcing mentorship. Provide them with the information outlined here, as well as a link to our previous blog post, The Ready, Vet, Go ROI for Employers.
For any other questions about the Ready, Vet, Go program, including corporate and small group membership options, contact our team or check out our FAQ page.