Dutch veterinary graduates leaving practice: A mixed-methods analysis of frequency and underlying reasons.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the frequency of veterinarians graduated between 2009 and 2019 in the Netherlands leaving practice, their reasons for leaving and the relative importance of these reasons. METHODS: Study 1 (focus group sessions, n = 14) of this project was aimed at defining the reasons Dutch veterinarians have for leaving veterinary practice within 10 years of graduation. In study 2, the frequency of veterinarians leaving veterinary practice and the relative importance of the reasons for leaving identified in study 1 were investigated through a cross-sectional digital survey. A career in veterinary practice was defined as working in first- or second-line veterinary practice. Leaving practice was defined as ending employment in veterinary practice. RESULTS: The results of study 1 yielded 20 reasons given by veterinarians to leave veterinary practice within 10 years of graduation. One of the reasons obtained by this study was not mentioned in literature before: leaving veterinary practice as a pre-planned career path. Study 2 demonstrated that the mean percentage of respondents from graduation years 2009 to 2014 who left practice within 5 years of graduation was 16.8%. The most important reasons respondents gave for this career move were poor work-life balance, excessive workload, insufficient remuneration and perceived lack of employer support. CONCLUSION: A substantial number of veterinarians leave veterinary practice within 5 years of graduation. The most important reasons for this decision are excessive job demands or insufficient job resources. Furthermore, these reasons are a result of negative experiences regarding organisation of work, management and remuneration.

Contribution of dynamic calibration to the measurement accuracy of a pressure plate system throughout the stance phase in sound horses.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of the vertical force curve of a pressure plate (PP) using dynamic calibration with a force plate (FP) in six sound Warmblood horses. The animals were walked and trotted over a combined PP-FP system sampling at 250 Hz. Five valid measurements of each forelimb were collected. The recalibration factor (RF), the ratio between the calibrated and raw PP data, was evaluated in each timeframe throughout the stance phase. Following dynamic calibration, the vertical force curve of the PP demonstrated a characteristic biphasic pattern at the walk and typical spikes at the beginning and end of stance at the trot. Both at walk and trot, the RF was considerably higher and more variable in the first 5% of stance (i.e. the impact phase) and during the final 20% of stance (i.e. the breakover phase), whereas between these phases (i.e. in the support phase), the RF was lower and remained relatively constant. These findings were confirmed by plotting the RF as a function of the vertical force and the RF in the loading part of the vertical force curve was lower than in the unloading part of the curve. Without dynamic calibration with a FP, the accuracy of the PP appears suboptimal, especially at the impact and breakover phases. However, the accuracy of the PP was relatively high and constant during the support phase, and higher loading was not associated with increasing deviation. It is therefore essential to optimise PP calibration, as this may downsize systematic measuring errors. However, in a clinical setting, where a stand-alone PP is used to objectively quantify locomotor symmetry, these errors can be readily eliminated by evaluating left:right symmetry ratios.