Associate Veterinarian

AzVMA; Plainville (CT); Presencial; USD 120.000 - 175.000; Jornada completa

Ventajas ofrecidas por este puesto de trabajo

Health insurance

401(k) with employer match

Continuing education allowance

Paid time off

Licensing fees paid

Employee pet-care discounts

Connecticut Paid Leave

Descripción de la vacante

Ragged Mountain Animal Hospital in Plainville, CT is seeking an enthusiastic veterinarian to join our small-animal team. We value teaching, work-life balance, and a collaborative culture, with open Monday–Friday hours and no weekends.

Starting compensation ranges from $120,000 to $175,000+ depending on experience and mentorship needs; flexible models (salary or pro-sal) are discussed to fit our team-based approach. This role offers mentorship and opportunities to grow clinical skills.

Formación

• DVM or equivalent degree and CT veterinary license or eligibility.
• Willingness to mentor and teach; strong communication with clients and staff.
• Commitment to compassionate, high‑quality patient care and teamwork.

Responsabilidades

• Provide medical, surgical, and dental care for small animals.
• Collaborate with a team to mentor early-career veterinarians.
• Engage in case discussions, teaching, and clinical decision-making with mentorship.
• Balance patient welfare with clear client communication and efficiency.

Educación

DVM or equivalent

CT Veterinary License

Herramientas

ScribbleVet

DaySmart Vet

Weave

Descripción del empleo

We are looking for an enthusiastic veterinarian to join and grow with our team. Ragged Mountain Animal Hospital is a privately owned, veterinarian-led small-animal practice in Plainville, Connecticut. We have served our community for more than 30 years and have been under our current ownership for the past five.

Our medical team currently includes two full-time veterinarians and another veterinarian who joins us one day each week. They are supported by credentialed veterinary technicians, highly experienced and skilled non-credentialed technicians, wonderful assistants, and experienced, kind, and steady receptionists. Our full-time hospital manager worked as a technician in our hospital for years and understands every aspect of its day-to-day operation.

We genuinely enjoy working together. We laugh often, help one another through difficult days, and are protective of the healthy team dynamic we have built. We want to grow, but we are prepared to wait for someone who will both appreciate and contribute to the way we work together.

Our preferred candidate is joyful, curious, and excited to grow into their career while working in an environment that respects work-life boundaries. Both of our full-time doctors love teaching and are excited to help an early-career veterinarian become the doctor they want to be. Our doctors were veterinary-school classmates and have extensive experience in both emergency medicine and general practice, creating ample opportunity to strengthen medical, surgical, and clinical decision-making skills.

We are equally excited to incorporate new techniques and ideas. If there is a corner of veterinary medicine that lights you up, we are ready to help you explore it. We are a family-friendly practice and do everything reasonably possible to meet people where they are while balancing the needs of the individual, the team, and our patients.

We try to begin difficult interactions by assuming good intent while still addressing problems directly, respectfully, and honestly. That approach helps us preserve trust and find some joy even on very hard days. Our clients recognize that there is something different about the way our team works together, and that creates the trust and relationships that help us navigate difficult decisions and conversations.

We are anticipating that an early-career veterinarian, ideally someone within their first five years of practice might be our best fit. We especially enjoy helping newer veterinarians build confidence, strengthen their clinical judgment, and develop their own professional interests. Although early-career mentorship is where we believe this position offers something special, we would love to meet a more experienced veterinarian who finds that our philosophy and long-term direction genuinely match what they are seeking.

Our hospital is thoughtfully designed for both patients and people:

• Four dedicated exam rooms, including a feline-only room, plus a separate comfort room for euthanasia and difficult conversations.
• A spacious treatment area with a dedicated dental station, separate surgical suite and prep area, and a quieter treatment space for ultrasound and patients who benefit from reduced stimulation.
• A separate office wing that gives doctors and staff comfortable space for records, case discussion, collaboration, and teaching.

Our diagnostic and treatment capabilities include:

• Ultrasound and echocardiography with daily telemedicine specialist interpretation; trained support staff assist with image acquisition.
• Digital radiology and digital dental radiology, with access to specialist radiology review as needed.
• A comprehensive in-house laboratory, including Abaxis chemistry and CBC, Zoetis Imagyst, and Bionote Vcheck testing, including proBNP, fPL, and cPL.
• A full in-house pharmacy supplemented by an extensive online pharmacy.
• Several advanced and complementary treatment modalities not commonly available in many general practices, including Companion Animal laser therapy, Phovia fluorescent light therapy, Kubanda cryotherapy, and Assisi Loop and Assisi Mat therapy. Our staff are trained and actively involved in providing these treatments.
• ScribbleVet in every appointment, cloud-based DaySmart Vet, and Weave communications to reduce administrative burden and improve accessibility.

Our schedule and staffing support high-quality, sustainable medicine:

• Open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.–6 p.m., with overlapping doctor schedules and no weekends, on-call responsibilities, or overnight hospitalization.
• Thirty-minute appointments for both wellness and sick visits, with no more than two scheduled drop-off appointments per doctor per day.
• A two-hour midday block for lunch, records, lab review, callbacks, catch up and case discussion.
• A current support-staff ratio of approximately five FTEs per doctor, with a commitment to maintaining at least four FTEs per doctor as we grow.
• Dedicated surgery and dentistry time based on each doctor’s interests, experience, and comfort. Our current doctors each receive one full procedure day per week, and we would work toward the same for a new colleague as their skills and caseload develop.
• Experienced doctors who enjoy teaching medicine, surgery, and dentistry—but no requirement to become surgery-focused. A veterinarian who prefers primarily medical appointments could also fit well because our current doctors genuinely enjoy procedures.

Expected starting compensation is $120,000–$175,000+, depending on experience, schedule, clinical independence, and the degree of structured mentorship required. Higher end salary expectations would be for a more experienced veterinarian without a significant need for mentorship. For a new graduate or early-career veterinarian, we generally anticipate beginning with a guaranteed salary so that clinical decisions and professional development are not driven by production pressure. Compensation will be formally reviewed as the veterinarian’s caseload, production, and independence grow. As a practice we do prefer salary or hourly models as it fits best with our practice culture of teamwork and shared patients but we would be willing to discuss pro-sal with a candidate if they have a strong preference.

Full-time doctors and staff are generally scheduled for approximately 35 hours per week, consisting of three full shifts of approximately 9–10 hours and one half shift of approximately 5–6 hours. Although hours may vary with patient-care needs, they typically remain below 40 per week.

Benefits include:

• Three weeks of paid time off
• Up to five additional days for continuing education
• A $2,500 annual continuing-education allowance
• Paid AVMA, PLIT, Connecticut VMA, state licensing, and DEA expenses
• A 401(k) with an employer match of up to 4%
• Health insurance, currently we pay 50%
• Employee pet-care discounts
• Access to Connecticut Paid Leave for qualifying medical, caregiving, and parental leave
• Access to AFLAC elective insurance options

We are happy to teach clinical skills, support developing interests, and help a veterinarian grow into the kind of doctor they want to become. What we cannot teach (and will not compromise on) is kindness, accountability, respectful communication, and a willingness to contribute to a genuinely collaborative team. Our practice has a healthy, supportive culture, and we are prepared to take our time finding someone who will both benefit from and contribute to it. We hope to find someone interested in building a lasting professional home and growing with the practice over many years.

We believe fit goes both ways. Our interview process is designed to give candidates an honest view of our hospital, workload, team dynamics, and expectations and not simply to persuade someone to accept the job.

DVM or equivalent with either CT Veterinary License or ability to be licensed in the state before starting employment.