Research Article: The duality of veterinary career satisfaction: shared domains of fulfillment and distress in veterinary practice

Abstract:
Veterinary medicine is associated with both substantial professional rewards and significant occupational challenges. While previous research has identified contributors to professional satisfaction and distress, these factors are commonly discussed as distinct positive or negative influences. During a broader study evaluating a spectrum of care (SpOC) workshop, an unexpected pattern emerged regarding how participants experienced career satisfaction. This secondary qualitative analysis examined semi-structured interviews and questionnaire open-text responses collected during a mixed-methods study exploring implementation of SpOC in veterinary practice. Data were analyzed using an inductive reflexive thematic analysis approach. Participants did not describe separate sources of satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Instead, the same domains of veterinary practice were experienced as either fulfilling or distressing depending on context. Supportive team relationships, professional autonomy, value alignment, and flexibility in care planning appeared to shift experiences toward satisfaction, whereas judgment, organizational constraints, fear of professional repercussions, and misalignment between values and achievable actions contributed to distress. Participants frequently described SpOC as helping reconcile competing obligations to patients, clients, colleagues, employers, and themselves, thereby reducing ethical tension and supporting value-aligned practice. However, fear and elements of the hidden curriculum emerged as important barriers limiting the adoption of flexible approaches to care. These findings suggest that veterinary wellbeing may be better understood as a dynamic, context-dependent phenomenon in which fulfillment and distress arise from shared domains of professional practice rather than distinct positive and negative workplace factors. By supporting value-aligned decision-making within real-world constraints, SpOC may represent one mechanism through which practitioner wellbeing and access to care can be advanced simultaneously.

Introduction:
Veterinary medicine is associated with both substantial professional rewards and significant occupational challenges. While previous research has identified contributors to professional satisfaction and distress, these factors are commonly discussed as distinct positive or negative influences. During a broader study evaluating a spectrum of care (SpOC) workshop, an unexpected pattern emerged regarding how participants experienced career satisfaction.

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