“Did you know the AVMA doesn’t actually require a residency to become a specialist?”

Yeah, neither did we—until Dr. Matt Booth dropped that fact-bomb.

And it’s bigger than just an interesting fact - it’s a mindset shift that cracks the door wide open to alternative routes to specialisation—for veterinarrians who want to grow their careers, but can’t jump through the hoops of the traditional residency pathway.

So, if you are:
- Ambitious, but feeling a bit stuck

- Limited by the realities of life outside the clinic

- Or just curious about your options in veterinary medicine

This one’s for you.

Join us for part 2 of our conversation with Dr. Matt Booth—former ER practice owner and ER practice development lead at Ethos Veterinary Health—as we rethink what’s possible in the future of specialisation.

Topics and Time Stamps

02:04 Alternative Specialisation Routes

03:17 Challenges and Benefits of Non-Traditional Paths

09:17 Exploring the Hybrid Credentialing Path

19:31 Podcast Recommendations

21:54 Pass along question

Join our community of Vet Vault Nerds to lift your clinical game and get your groove back with our up-to-date, easy-to-consume clinical episodes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠vvn.supercast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Get help with your tricky cases in our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Specialist Support Space.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

V⁠⁠isit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thevetvault.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠for show notes and resources related to this episode.

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Most vets believe it’s inevitable—on average, they leave Emergency and Critical Care (ECC) after just 3-5 years. The obvious culprit? Shift work, right?

But what if that’s just scratching the surface?

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Matt Booth, ER Practice Development Lead at Ethos Veterinary Health, to break down surprising findings from his survey of 3,500 emergency veterinarians. Together, we explore the Five Buckets of Retention—the REAL factors that determine whether your career in emergency medicine thrives or fizzles out. Spoiler: It’s not all about night shifts and burnout.

We dig into leadership challenges, the keys to professional growth, and how these insights apply beyond ECC to every role in veterinary medicine.

You’ll also catch highlights from my previous chat with Dr. Matt at IVECCS 2023, where we shared actionable strategies for improving recruitment and building sustainable veterinary careers.

Whether you’re an ER vet looking for longevity or a practice leader aiming to attract and retain top talent, this episode is your guide to rethinking retention and career sustainability in veterinary medicine.

Topics and Timestamps:

00:40 Meet Dr. Matt Booth and the Five Buckets03:47 Recruitment Insights from 202307:36 Survey Findings and Retention Strategies12:07 The Five Buckets of Retention27:07 The Burden of Being a Giver28:23 Creative Solutions for Employee Retention29:04 Leadership and Gender Representation39:59 The Role of paid time off in Retention43:40 Creating a Positive Work Environment46:37 Professional Educational Growth

Join me at JAVECCS Tokyo on 15 and 16 March, and at IVECCS 2025 in San Diego on 4-8 Septembet.

Join our community of Vet Vault Nerds to lift your clinical game and get your groove back with our up-to-date, easy-to-consume clinical episodes, library of show notes and access to our veterinary practice AI Toolbox at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠vvn.supercast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Get help with your tricky cases in our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Specialist Support Space.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

V⁠⁠isit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thevetvault.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠for show notes and resources related to this episode.

⁠Subscribe to our weekly newsletter⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠for Hubert's favourite clinical and non-clinical learnings from the week.

Try our AI Blood Gas Assistant here

Are you wasting hours on outdated study methods like cramming and re-reading—only to forget everything by exam day? You might be studying wrong—and Dr. Matt Hollindale is here to help you fix that so you can learn smarter, not harder.

When preparing for his ECC Membership exams, Dr. Matt became obsessed with the science of study. The result? He achieved the top marks of the 2023 cohort. Now, he’s applying the same methods to his residency training and sharing them with you.

In this episode, we dive into science-backed strategies that transform how you study. Say goodbye to endless highlighting, reading and re-reading, and hello to techniques that actually makes things stick.

Whether you’re a veterinary student building good habits early or preparing for specialist exams, this episode will save you many hours. (And possibly even some tears!)

Here’s what we cover:

• The biggest study mistakes you didn’t know you’re making.
• How active recall and spaced repetition turbocharge your memory.
• The best AI and tech tools to revolutionise your study game.
• Why prioritising your well-being is as critical as your study hours.

Links & Resources
Lift your clinical game with our RACE-approved clinical podcasts at ⁠⁠vvn.supercast.com⁠⁠ for more clinical confidence and better patient outcomes, or check out our Advanced Surgery Podcast at ⁠⁠cutabove.supercast.com⁠⁠.

Get case support from our team of specialists in our ⁠⁠Specialist Support Space⁠⁠.

⁠⁠Subscribe to our weekly newsletter⁠⁠ for Hubert's favourite clinical and non-clinical learnings from the week.

Topics and Time Stamps

04:33 Common Study Mistakes
08:58 Study Techniques That Actually Work
18:11 Making It Practical
20:56 Using Spaced Repetition for Better Long-Term Memory
29:08 Tech and AI Study Tools
31:39 Google Notebook LMS
34:38 Advanced Strategies
38:54 The Importance of Self-Care in Studying

We’d love to hear from you! Email us at ⁠⁠⁠info@thevetvault.com⁠⁠⁠ or reach out via our ⁠⁠⁠contact form⁠⁠⁠.

If you enjoyed this episode, share it with someone who you think could benefit from these game-changing study strategies!