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Are you thinking about becoming a relief veterinarian? It’s become an increasingly popular career path in the veterinary industry. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the number of relief veterinarians working in the United States has increased by roughly 30% over the last 10 years. Relief veterinarians are still licensed veterinarians, meaning they are capable of providing medical care to injured and sick animals. With that said, relief veterinarians don’t work full-time at a given veterinary practice. Rather, they work on demand when needed. Following these seven tips will help you succeed as a relief veterinarian.

#1) Complete a DVM Program

Since relief veterinarians are licensed veterinarians, you’ll need to complete a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program to become a relief veterinarian. A DVM program is a college-level education program that’s designed for aspiring veterinarians. It typically lasts four years, and it’s preceded by a three- or four-year bachelor’s degree program. Once you’ve completed a DVM program, you’ll be one step closer to earning your veterinary license so that you can work as a licensed veterinarian or a relied veterinarian.

#2) Gain Experience Working at a Practice

You may want to gain some initial experience working at a veterinary practice before embarking on a career as a relief veterinarian. Relief veterinarians essentially provide fill-in work for veterinary practices. If a veterinary practice needs help, it may request the temporary services of a relief veterinarian. While some veterinary practices may hire you as a relief veterinarian immediately after you’ve completed a DVM program, many of them will require at least some experience working as a veterinarian. Therefore, you should consider working as a part-time veterinarian at a practice beforehand.

#3) Understand Tax Classifications

While traditional licensed veterinarians are almost always classified by employees in the eyes of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), this isn’t always the case for relief veterinarians. As a relief veterinarian, you may be classified as either an employee or an independent contractor. Independent contractors are essentially freelancers. By definition, they don’t perform work on a fixed schedule. Employees, on the other hand, do perform work on a fixed schedule. There are other nuances between them, but because of the temporary nature of work with relief veterinarians, they may or may not be classified as employees. For more information on the differences between independent contractors and employees, visit the IRS’s website here.

#4) Make Yourself Readily Available

One of the most important tips to succeed as a relief veterinarian is to make yourself readily available. After all, veterinarian practices may contact you to request your services without notice. If a practice’s lead veterinarian calls out sick, the practice may ask you to come in. If you don’t answer your phone, you may miss the opportunity to fill in for the veterinarian. Making yourself readily available is essential to succeeding as a relief veterinarian.

#5) Offer Services to Multiple Veterinary Practices

In addition to making yourself readily available, you should offer your services to multiple veterinary practices. Most relief veterinarians don’t work at any single practice. Rather, they offer their services to multiple practices. Some practices may not have any trouble running their operations with their own staff, whereas others may have several days out of the week when they need fill-in work from relief veterinarians. By offering your services to multiple veterinary practices, you can keep your workload full — all while helping practices in need. Just remember to choose veterinary practices that are within a reasonable driving distance from your residence. If a practice is too far away, you may not be able to reach it in time when requested.

#6) Negotiate Your Rates

As a relief veterinarian, you can often negotiate your rates with the practices where you work. Veterinary practices usually offer different rates for relief veterinarians than traditional veterinarians. Relief veterinarians must work when needed, so they go above and beyond the call of duty. In turn, most veterinary practices are willing to pay more for their services. You can negotiate your rates when seeking work as a relief veterinarian. Some practices may offer to pay you 20% or even 30% more per hour than the amount they pay traditional veterinarians. Of course, you’ll have to negotiate your rates to take advantage of this higher pay.

#7) Explore Alternative Relief Veterinary Work

There are other ways to work as a relief veterinarian besides offering fill-in services at companion animal veterinary practices. You can offer your services to other types of veterinary practices. Equine practices, for instance, often need relief veterinarians to fill in for their traditional veterinarians. If you have experience working with horses, you should consider offering services to an equine practice. Emergency veterinary clinics also need relief veterinarians. Exploring these alternative forms of work can allow you to refine your skills and broaden your career. These are just a tips to help you succeed as a relief veterinarian.