Transitioning Into Your First Associate Position

1. Introduction

You studied hard through high school and college to get accepted into veterinary school. In veterinary school, you studied even harder to pass your exams and then studied to pass the licensing exams and boards. Throughout this time, you may have worked numerous jobs in or outside of the industry to pay the bills, have some spending money, and to gain some experience. You may have then gone on to complete an internship and/or residency. Now, you have taken to the journals, on-line listings, and word of mouth to start the process of finding your first associate position and embarking on your career as a veterinarian. When you stop and look back, you had no classes or instruction on how to do so, what things to look for, and how to negotiate your first contract. This article will help both parties come to a better understanding of the negotiation process and potential pitfalls that may be encountered.

2. Discussion

Negotiation is defined by Merriam-Webster Dictionary as a formal discussion between people who are trying to reach an agreement. Typically, some interests are shared and some interests are opposed.¹ The goals of negotiation are to reach satisfying agreements for both parties, to reach the agreements efficiently, and to continue on a positive note.²

Often, individuals involved in conversations or disputes do not realize that they are actually in a negotiation process when opinions are not shared. Assumptions are made, tension escalates, and communication breaks down. The result often leaves one side feeling deceived or disrespected; this can only lead to more problems down the road. By realizing that almost everything is negotiable, one can obtain positive outcomes not only in the forms of salary and compensation but also by being truly happy with the process. Almost all of our communications with clients are negotiations. Understanding how to negotiate is more likely to lead to achieving the results you aspire to reach.

So you find yourself lucky enough to interview at a practice and have an offer extended to you. Now you must decide to take it, refuse it, or to negotiate it. If this offer is for a position you truly are interested in, you are left with accepting the offer or negotiating the offer further. Have you considered what your compensation needs are? What are your salary requirements? Do you need benefits? Which ones? What expenses will you incur moving to this area? Living in this area? Working at this practice? Benefit packages vary between practices and among individuals. The following package is typical of many practices.

• Health care coverage (single coverage) and a dental plan

• Professional liability insurance (AVMA plan)

• Disability insurance ($1000 toward coverage)

• Continuing education and training expenses (in-house sessions and conference registration, hotel and travel up to $1500)

• Paid time off for continuing education (5 days minimum)

• Professional organization dues (e.g., AAEP, AVMA, state VMA)

• State veterinary license and DEA license

• Paid vacation (2 weeks or 12 days)

• Uniform allowance (up to $500 per year, practice logo wear)

The above package totals over $12,000 in benefits. This figure is part of your compensation package and will need to be taken into consideration by both parties.

So the process begins. It must first start with an understanding that almost everything is negotiable. Once the offer has been extended, YOU are in the driver’s seat. Or one might say, “The ball is in your court.” When I polled second- and third-year veterinary students from one veterinary school this past year concerning their comfort in negotiating and their knowledge of how to do so, 73% responded they were uncomfortable doing so.^a

The process of negotiation can be broken down into five steps: preparation, entry, exploration, give and take, and closure.² By following some simple guidelines for each step, you can be prepared to negotiate your first associate position for yourself as well as be able to negotiate for anything else in your life.

Preparation

The first step is to know what you want. If you can detail exactly what you want, you have a better chance in attaining it. This means you must have a budget in hand. You cannot accept a job that does not allow you to pay your bills and still expect to be successful and positive every day. Your budget should include all the absolute items such as rent and utilities, automobile payments, expenses, groceries, clothing, cell phone and/or Internet plan, student loan obligations, and a small entertainment expense. This is the absolute minimum that you must receive to pay your bills. Additionally, medical and/or dental insurance, disability insurance, professional liability insurance, continuing education, and licensing fees should also be tallied. How these last few items will be addressed by your compensation may affect your bottom line: the least you can settle for. I do not recommend referencing what others are getting paid or comparing with similar positions because these do not necessarily pertain to your circumstance and can be misleading.

You also must know your potential employer’s interests. Find out if they looking to fill a position, expand services, get someone to share emergency coverage, find someone with new and current ideas, or some combination of all of these. It is much easier to know their interests if they have communicated them to you during the interview process. If not, be prepared with questions to ask. These questions may include getting clarification about after-hours duties, weekend horse show details, night checks, availability of mentoring or not, and openness to new ideas and procedures. It is also helpful if you know your potential employer’s style of negotiation: are they open to discussions, or are they difficult to question? You may be able to get a better idea by asking other associates, having a case discussion with your potential employer, or by asking a few nonthreatening or soft questions initially. A soft question may be something along the lines of vehicle use or cell phone use.

The best place to start is to rephrase the offer to share your understanding of the contractual terms. It is acceptable to seek clarification of words or phrases that may seem unclear. You are merely trying to understand exactly what has been offered; you are not to challenge the offer at this point. You should have a checklist of items in front of you and then paraphrase your understanding before moving on. This is typically done over the phone, but it should be followed up with an e-mail or written document to confirm the agreement or clarification. 

Entry

Entry establishes the understanding of a mutual purpose and should be a brief statement. For example, “You need an associate and this is the place I would like to work.” At this point, you will need to present your reason for negotiating. You may have concerns about finding a place to live on short notice, or your budgeted income requirement is too high for this salary offer. It is very important to remove people from this process and to concentrate on the problem at hand. By now you have prepared and restated what the offer is, so you can accurately identify what the problem may be. If you are specific about your interest or concern, your potential employer will be more willing to listen and understand.

Exploration

To avoid the feeling of being attacked, you should now ask for permission to ask questions. Tell your potential employer why you want to ask questions. Use phrases such as, “I would like to ask you a few questions about your benefit package so I can get a complete understanding of my financial obligations,” or, “Can I ask you about the typical frequency of emergency calls so I can understand how this will impact my home life or my income?” If the discussion is going well you may want to ask how they see you helping the business. You will quickly move onto the next step. [...]