The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted veterinary client satisfaction and loyalty.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the temporal association of the COVID-19 pandemic with veterinary client loyalty and satisfaction. SAMPLE: 318,693 client satisfaction surveys, available from CalPro Research, between March 5, 2018, and May 30, 2022, from 4 veterinary practice types: colleges of veterinary medicine, emergency/critical care clinics, general practices, and specialty private practices. METHODS: Survey data on client loyalty score (CLS), which is the likelihood of a client to recommend a practice, and 5 clinic performance domains (professionalism, communication, convenience, perceived overall value, and personalized interaction) were compared between the pre-COVID-19 (2018 to 2020) and COVID-19 eras (2020 to 2022) and by practice type. Correlations among CLS performance domains were evaluated. RESULTS: CLS and all clinic performance domains decreased significantly during the COVID-19 era (P < .001), except professionalism. There was a significant correlation between each performance domain and overall CLS (P < .001). The most pronounced association with CLS during the COVID-19 era was for personalized interaction. Among clients who did not report a personalized interaction (ie, their dog or themselves being addressed by name), the CLS decreased from 9.47 to 4.88 (P < .001). CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Our study found that client loyalty scores for veterinary clinics dropped during the COVID-19 era, although veterinary professionalism was still considered high. These data suggest that improving communication, convenience, perceived overall value, and especially personalized interactions with clients could improve client loyalty. In particular, consistently addressing clients and pets by name provides a specific, measurable, and achievable intervention for clinics to potentially sustain client satisfaction and loyalty.

Occupational segregation by gender in veterinary specialties: Who we are choosing, or who is choosing us.

OBJECTIVE: Gender demographics vary across specialties including surgery, internal medicine, cardiology, neurology, and oncology. Our objective was to determine whether residency selection or the decision to apply for training drives these differences. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SAMPLE POPULATION: Matched and unmatched residents lists from Veterinary Internship and Residency Matching Program (VIRMP) from 2011 to 2020. Comparative Data Reports from the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges from 2010 to 2019. METHODS: Names for matched and unmatched residents with addresses in the United States or Canada were coded for gender for seven programs: large and small animal surgery, large and small animal medicine, cardiology, neurology, and oncology. Match rate by gender was compared using chi-square tests. Gender demographics of applicants were compared to demographics of graduates using tests of two proportions. RESULTS: No differences were observed between genders for the likelihood of successfully matching into each residency program evaluated except in large animal internal medicine. Women (44.2%) were slightly more likely to match, overall, than men (39.0%, p = .003). The proportions of women applying for residencies overall (70.7%), in large and small animal surgery (66.1%, 62.2%), cardiology (70.2%), and neurology (70.7%) were lower than the proportion of female graduates (79%; p's < .001). CONCLUSION: No evidence for gender bias was detected in the VIRMP resident selection process. Female veterinary graduates seemed less likely to apply for residencies than their male counterparts. IMPACT: Occupational segregation seems to stem from the decision to apply for residency. Interventions aimed at altering gender demographics in specialized medicine should target potential applicants.