Veterinary Clinics & High-Pressure Environments – Where Do We Draw the Line?

I recently decided to personally take the step and speak with people that I know from various industries and roles—including veterinary professionals like vet nurses, receptionists, techs, as well as individuals working in other high-pressure fields.

I wanted to find out if it was just me feeling this way, and noticing things, or if others shared similar thoughts and experiences.

Many veterinary clinics are constantly (non-stop) busy: phones ringing off the hook, clients walking in for enquiries or sometimes even without appointments (eye rolling, yep I know the feeling), back-to-back consultations often run over time, with some vets going significantly over their scheduled slots—leaving clients frustrated and taking it out on the front desk staff (even though, ironically, the frustration is rarely directed at the vets themselves), emergencies popping up out of nowhere, and dealing with clients shouting at you (ahemm and not being able to put them in their place and teach them respect). It’s a lot, … a lot.

Not trying to be negative here, but it's better to tell the truth how it really is than hide it behind beautiful words; though this industry does have its beautiful side, but unfortunately, the dark side of it many people nowadays still don't even dare to speak up and say it out loud so others know the real deal. 

Even people who’ve worked in high-pressure jobs before say that the kind of mental juggling required in a nonstop busy veterinary clinic is on another level.

So, I asked them all the same core question and invited them to share their honest opinions and real-life insights:

The question: Is it realistic (or even healthy) to work in a nonstop, high-pressure veterinary clinic without burning out or making mistakes?

Their honest feedback? 

“It’s incredibly tough—so demanding, overwhelming, seriously draining you, both mentally and physically, the exhaustion can become so intense that it starts to negatively affect your overall well-being.”

Honestly, I wasn't surprised to hear most of them saying this. 

• Even the most experienced staff struggle to stay accurate under constant pressure.

• Mental and physical extreme exhaustion is very common, and severe (don’t let them fool you by telling you otherwise).

• The nonstop fast-paced can make you cause errors especially when having to multitask, miscommunications, and definitely burnout.

• Some say flat out: “If you want a healthy work-life balance, this might not be the right industry and work environment. You better avoid it at all costs!”

Of course, every veterinary clinic is different—and some have much better systems and enough support (staff) in place than others. But it does raise a much bigger question:

Should the constant, high-stress environment in veterinary clinics be normalised—or should we start pushing for much better conditions and realistic expectations?

I don’t think it’s about weakness or lack of work ethic. It’s about long-term sustainability, safety, and definitely well-being—for staff and for patients.

If you’ve worked in or with busy veterinary clinics, what’s your honest take? Can it be manageable with the right systems but not enough support staff or is the current high-stress environment and nonstop fast-paced just unsustainable long-term?

Would love to hear your experiences and honest opinions—good or bad.

Catch you in the next blog post– JLai out! 😎✌🏼