Let me choose the veterinarian I want to care for my horses!
Let me choose the veterinarian I want to care for my horses!
The Issue
Let me choose who I want to care for my horses! Please sign this petition in support of eliminating non-compete contracts and other predatory practices in our equine veterinary community. I am calling all Maryland equestrians to lead the charge and push local horse organizations, including the MD Horse Industry Board, the MD Horse Council, and the MD Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, to lobby for the elimination of these contracts. We also need to show national level governing bodies, including the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP), the National Association of Equine Practitioners, (NAEP), and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), that we, the horse owners, are tired of not being able to keep our quality veterinarians in our areas.
So why start here and now? A southern Maryland equine hospital recently had 3 veterinarians resign within the last 5 months. Due to non-compete clauses in their contracts and a practice owner with a strong litigious history, none of these veterinarians can keep treating most of their clients in this area. Upon further investigation, it seems that this hospital alone has gone through 17 veterinarians in its history, all of which are gone from our area or no longer working on horses. This seems to be happening at other practices in this area also and it needs to stop.
The articles below give great information from reputable sources about the shortage of equine veterinarians, but none of them mention how many young veterinarians sign non-compete contracts as part of their first job. They are often told that it is just a formality, it is standard practice in the industry, or even that you will not get a job anywhere unless you sign one. They are not told that it means all the work you are doing building client relationships at this job is for nothing since you will have to relocate if you want to advance or break out on your own. This article illustrated clearly the price that a lot of these young professionals are paying: Suffer in Silence; How the Non-Compete Damaged a Veterinarian
Information about the equine veterinary shortage:
The Impending Equine Health Care Crisis – The Horse
Declining Number of Equine Vets a Cause for Concern - BloodHorse
1,541
The Issue
Let me choose who I want to care for my horses! Please sign this petition in support of eliminating non-compete contracts and other predatory practices in our equine veterinary community. I am calling all Maryland equestrians to lead the charge and push local horse organizations, including the MD Horse Industry Board, the MD Horse Council, and the MD Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, to lobby for the elimination of these contracts. We also need to show national level governing bodies, including the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP), the National Association of Equine Practitioners, (NAEP), and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), that we, the horse owners, are tired of not being able to keep our quality veterinarians in our areas.
So why start here and now? A southern Maryland equine hospital recently had 3 veterinarians resign within the last 5 months. Due to non-compete clauses in their contracts and a practice owner with a strong litigious history, none of these veterinarians can keep treating most of their clients in this area. Upon further investigation, it seems that this hospital alone has gone through 17 veterinarians in its history, all of which are gone from our area or no longer working on horses. This seems to be happening at other practices in this area also and it needs to stop.
The articles below give great information from reputable sources about the shortage of equine veterinarians, but none of them mention how many young veterinarians sign non-compete contracts as part of their first job. They are often told that it is just a formality, it is standard practice in the industry, or even that you will not get a job anywhere unless you sign one. They are not told that it means all the work you are doing building client relationships at this job is for nothing since you will have to relocate if you want to advance or break out on your own. This article illustrated clearly the price that a lot of these young professionals are paying: Suffer in Silence; How the Non-Compete Damaged a Veterinarian
Information about the equine veterinary shortage:
The Impending Equine Health Care Crisis – The Horse
Declining Number of Equine Vets a Cause for Concern - BloodHorse
1,541
Petition created on November 19, 2023