Part I of "Navigating the transition": early-career working conditions, psychosocial demands, and job satisfaction among German, Austrian, and Swiss veterinarians - a first-year survey.

Abstract

Background: Starting a career in veterinary medicine represents a major life transition, accompanied by substantial professional and personal challenges. The study aimed to assess job satisfaction, psychosocial demands, and working conditions of veterinarians during their first year in their profession, and to identify the factors associated with commitment and job satisfaction. Early-career veterinarians in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland were surveyed using an online questionnaire that included the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire III. Multifactorial regression models were calculated to reveal the associations of (a) demographics and working conditions and (b) psychosocial demands with commitment and job satisfaction.

Results: Responses from 196 participants were included in the analysis. The majority of participants (n=118; 76%) were engaged in clinical practice, predominantly in the small animal sector. Half of the respondents already participated in emergency services, and another 17% planned to do so in the near future. Most respondents reported overtime work. Compared with the German COPSOQ standard sample, early-career veterinarians reported lower levels of role conflicts and higher levels of job satisfaction, commitment to the workplace, and sense of community at work. At the same time, dissolution (work-life boundary blurring) was higher than in the German standard sample. Job satisfaction and commitment were primarily associated with the availability of a supervising veterinarian, perceived quality of leadership, support at work, and feedback. Interestingly, neither quantitative demands (amount of work related to time) nor emotional demands (emotionally distressing work situations) were significantly associated with commitment to the workplace or job satisfaction.

Conclusion: The results indicate that early-career veterinarians are highly motivated and satisfied with their work but strongly benefit from adequate supervision, feedback, and organizational support.