3,000 veterinary practices will be looking for a successor in the next 10 years.   

Statistics from the "Veterinarians Atlas Germany 2024", which was published by the Dessau Future Circle in October 2024, show that the total number of established veterinarians has been on a plateau for years, with 12,019 self-employed veterinarians in 2019 (in all curative areas). Since then, however, the number of self-employed has been falling. In 2023, the number of employed veterinarians equalled that of established veterinarians and even overtook them in 2024. Furthermore, the Veterinarians Atlas shows that around 3,000 veterinary practices will have to find a succession solution for their unit in the next 10 years. (DZK GbR Dr Julia Henning/Hubertus Keimer, 2024, p.38 ff.)

This development poses particular challenges for the industry, especially for curative small animal medicine. On the one hand, independent curative veterinarians in small animal practices, animal health centers, and small animal clinics are already struggling to find successors for their respective units. The recent past has shown that some units are being sold to investor groups/corporates, or private veterinary successors. However, there are also some units that do not find buyers and are closed by retiring independent veterinarians without being taken over by the younger generation.

On the other hand, young veterinarians have the opportunity to take over existing and functioning veterinary units. Many potential successors, young veterinarians, and students are unaware of the economic, professional, and social aspects, as well as the satisfaction levels of today's independent veterinarians in small animal medicine. During the student training period, there are already a few elective subjects and compulsory lectures on topics related to economics and self-employment; however, this area needs further expansion. Additionally, potential successors often shy away from the responsibility and risk associated with self-employment. What challenges do self-employed veterinarians have to overcome today? How satisfied are self-employed veterinarians? What recommendations are there for future generations? These are just some of the questions that the study aims to answer.  

The Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Biometry, in collaboration with PhD student Daron R. Remien, is investigating the current professional, economic, and social circumstances, as well as the satisfaction levels of self-employed veterinarians in the field of curative small animal medicine in Germany.

The target group consists of self-employed veterinarians who, as owners and proprietors, hold leadership and responsibility positions in their veterinary units and generate their own profits. The type of company does not matter if the unit does not belong to an investor group/corporate.

The survey was made available to participants via the online survey platform LimeSurvey Cloud, which is licensed by the FU Berlin. General information on self-employment in the field of small animal medicine, satisfaction with different working time models, the issue of succession or generational change, and questions on retirement provision. There were also questions on topics such as management, human resources, and business administration. At the end of the survey, the socio-demographic data of the participants awee collected. 

The evaluation of the study will help future generations of self-employed veterinarians to gain a broader perspective on the topic of "self-employment in small animal medicine". The study also aims to establish a baseline for self-employment. This newly acquired information and knowledge will help future self-employed veterinarians to remain capable of acting, innovative, modern and competitive. All self-employed veterinarians in the field of small animal medicine are cordially invited to take part in this survey.

To contact us, please contact Prof. Dr Roswitha Merle, e-mail: roswitha.merle@fu-berlin.de, telephone 030 838 75096.