Operating Veterinarian, Emergency Medicine and Surgery

AEC is looking for a particular kind of emergency veterinarian. Animal Emergency Care is looking to expand our team of Operating Veterinarians (oDVM). These are veterinarians who like both emergency surgery and emergency medicine. We are looking for someone who can hold more than one truth at a time: the patient’s medical needs, the client’s reality, the team’s capacity, the limits of resources, and the next safe step. This role is for an experienced emergency veterinarian who can move toward complex situations without making the room smaller. The candidate we hope to meet is clinically capable, emotionally steady, curious, direct, kind, and willing to help when help is needed. They are the person who wants to learn, who is ready for adventure, and who understands that emergency medicine asks for both skill and generosity. Quick Details · Hospital: Privately owned emergency hospital in Bellingham, Washington · Ownership: Founded in 2002 by local veterinarians and still owned by 33 local veterinarians · Referral context: Nearest after-hours specialty referral options are more than an hour away · Role: Operating Veterinarian, Emergency Medicine and Surgery · Schedule: Nights, weekends, and holidays required · Full-time status: > 24 hours per week · Recent oDVM census: 1,341.67 to 1,634.12 paid hours annually, or 25.8 to 31.4 average weekly hours · Recent oDVM gross annual compensation: Approximately $171,890 to $221,906 Why AEC Is Different Animal Emergency Care is a privately owned emergency hospital in Bellingham, Washington, founded in 2002 by local veterinarians to provide after-hours emergency care for the community. Today, AEC remains privately owned by 33 local veterinarians, many of whom are still connected to our referral network. We were built by the community, for the community, and that still shapes how we operate every day. AEC is not a general practice with emergency hours. Emergency care is the work. Our nearest after-hours specialty options are more than an hour away, so clinical judgment, surgical readiness, communication, and team coordination matter here. AEC has built a team model around emergency medicine. For every veterinarian, our hospital currently has approximately four people working alongside them on the floor and one working to support them off the floor: • 1.6 licensed veterinary technicians • 1.3 non-LVT medical professionals • 1.1 veterinary advocates • 1 administrative team member All team members share the workload of their department. The ratios include decimals because more than one veterinarian works most shifts. Swing shifts generally host 2-3 veterinarians, day shifts host 2 veterinarians, and overnight shifts host 1-2 veterinarians. We recognize that emergency medicine is not just medicine. It is communication, financial reality, access, timing, fear, grief, and decision-making all while under immense pressure. This is why AEC offers more pathways for clients to access care than any other veterinary hospital in our region. For our veterinarians, that means financial conversations are supported by systems, veterinary advocates, and real options, rather than being left entirely on the provider in the room. AEC’s commitment to access does not stop at the hospital doors. Through free community veterinary wellness clinics, we provide preventive care and resource connections for families who may otherwise be unable to reach veterinary care. We invest in shared learning across the veterinary community and within our hospital. This includes spring and fall continuing education symposia that hosts around 50 lectures over two weeks per season. Both initiatives reflect our beliefs; care improves when people are supported before they are in crisis. The Person We Are Looking For Qualified candidates must have a doctorate degree in veterinary medicine or equivalent, an active or eligible Washington veterinarian license, an active or eligible DEA license, availability for nights, weekends, and holidays, and demonstrated proficiency through experience in the following scopes of practice. Relevant surgical scope includes but may not be limited to: • Exploratory laparotomy • Abdominal and diaphragmatic hernia repair • Enterotomy, anastomosis, and gastrotomy • GDV rotation, gastropexy, and partial gastrectomy • Splenectomy • Cesarean and pyometra OVH/OVE • Cystotomy • Enucleation and ophthalmic globe reduction with tarsorrhaphy • Abscess, wound, and laceration repair to include penetrating thoracic or abdominal wounds Relevant clinical scope includes but may not be limited to the medical management of: • Addi