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Comment by zciwor | Hacker News Reader

My sister works as a veterinarian and is experiencing some serious burnout from her current practice (a subsidiary of a larger corporation).

I guess it's pretty common practice for corporations or private equity to snatch up smaller independent practices and then run them like a sweat shop. Her current CEO's resume is a list of Starbucks, Walmart, and a few other corporate roles that are totally unrelated to the medical industry.

We're tinkering with a platform that can somehow disrupt this cycle and add some transparency to the practice structure for the would-be employee.

The current form is kind of a niche Glassdoor, or we've been thinking of it as the "online dating between veterinarians & practices." Still playing with the concept.

Anyone have any thoughts on how to take out these massive PE firms that are plaguing the Vet Med industry?

Here's some more info on the problem: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2022/06/...

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My wife and I are suffering personally from this. I'll help for free.

I'm convinced Vetmed will follow human medicine's history. Currently, the future of human medicine is small clinic subscription medicine without insurance. Apps like Roo could help with temporary staffing issues.

Let's talk: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholascgilpin

Connected via LinkedIn. Excited to talk!

What's wrong with opening your own practice?

Investors can only invest in scalable, replicable businesses. Veterinary practices are intensely personal, often specialize in different species and breeds, and can develop unique experimental treatments. The cost of labor is ridiculously cheap (people become Vet Tech's for love, not money), and buildings need not be in commercial centers, so capital costs are minimal.

Honestly, veterinarians are really in the best possible profession for maintaining independent practices. If they can't resist investor takeover, who can?

> The cost of labor is ridiculously cheap (people become Vet Tech's for love, not money), and buildings need not be in commercial centers, so capital costs are minimal.

This is absolutely not true and it's a big issue in the field currently (my wife is a Veterinarian). This kind of thinking is also what is causing a lot of mental health issues in the field.

I'll echo that. Also being married to a vet it's insane how little very qualified and experienced techs are being paid.

how is that in disagreement? Cost of labor is indeed cheap

It's often referred to as compassion fatigue. Just because you have a love for something doesn't mean you should do it for free or cheap. The job also isn't all love and cuddles; there's a lot of having to turn away care or euthanizing because owners can't afford the needed care.

That is a problem that needs solving!

That is what burns the labour out

You are saying two different things here. Are you agreeing with the poster's position that veterinary professionals aren't getting paid what they're worth (aka. cheap labor), or are you refuting it?

I don't believe they are saying two different things, given the indication of mental health considerations- I would imagine that it is not true that people become vet tech's only for love and don't actually want to make more money. You can't pay bills with your pride. This is an issue with nurses, among other professions. Yes they love what they do, yes they also want to be paid worth their societal value. It's diminishing to think otherwise.

> The cost of labor is ridiculously cheap (people become Vet Tech's for love, not money)

I guess the question is then whether labour is abundant/available. Even if there are people willing to work for little, are there anywhere near enough?

All my vet friends need this. Veterinary medicine suicide rate is pretty high.

> Anyone have any thoughts on how to take out these massive PE firms that are plaguing the Vet Med industry?

Have you considered forming / joining a union?

Vets have crazy high margins, and thus salaries, so from an outsider perspective perhaps the market is ready for some more competition.

What are you considering to be a crazy high salary? Family doctors (some of the lowest paid doctors) earn double the reported average of a vet in the US. They're the only business I can think of that have people with doctorates providing medical services to other live creatures from a business perspective.

Also curious on what your source is for their high margins since you mentioned you're an outsider?

those savings don't go to you, at least not the majority. It goes to the starbucks ceo that turns the industry into a sweat shop.

Ok, but that is a wider problem. At least vets have better salaries than most other employees in the same business-construct.

Perhaps they should start a union, like the rest of us?

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