2009 Survey of Compensation and Benefits For Veterinary Managers

2009 Survey of Compensation and Benefits For Veterinary Managers Veterinary Hospital Managers Association, Inc. P.O. Box 2280 Alachua, Florida 32616-2280 Tel: (518) 433-8911 or (877) 599-2707 E-mail: admin@vhma.org

Table of Contents INTRODUCTION 1 Survey Design 1 PROFESSIONAL CHARACTERISTICS 2 Credentials 2 Duties and Responsibilities 2 GENERAL COMPENSATION RESULTS 5 COMPENSATION CHARACTERISTICS 8 Type of Practice 8 Years Experience 9 Years At Current Location 10 Credentials 11 Number of Hospitals 12 Number of Staff 12 Split Shifts 13 Job Description 14 Location 15 TYPES OF COMPENSATION 17 Compensation Statistics 17 BENEFITS 19 Vacation Time 19 Employee Benefits 20 CONCLUSION 24 2009 Veterinary Hospital Managers Association All rights reserved. No part of this work covered by the publisher s copyright may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means (graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, recording taping, or information and retrieval systems) without the written permission of the publisher.

INTRODUCTION The 2009 Survey of Compensation and Benefits for Veterinary Managers is a member service provided by the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association (VHMA). The survey was designed to examine the level of compensation and benefits provided to Veterinary Managers. Survey Design The survey was distributed to all 1,454 VHMA member hospitals. A total of 164 completed questionnaires were returned. The vast majority of responses (88%) were from the United States and 12% were from Canada. Unless noted, all figures are in U.S. dollars. Information in the survey is generally accurate to +/- 5.1%, 19 times out of 20. The response to the 2009 survey was down from 2007 and 2005. Responses from office managers stabalized but continued to remain the weakest response. Both practice manager and hospital administrator responses were weaker than past years but still provided sufficient data to allow detailed analysis. Office Manager Practice Manager Hospital Administrator 2005 Response 8 107 68 2007 Response 16 132 84 2009 Response 16 102 46 Hospital Managers were asked to complete the questionnaire based on their compensation and benefits in 2009. The survey examined several characteristics (type of practice, years in practice, location, etc.) and evaluated their effect on the level of compensation and benefits for office managers, practice managers and hospital administrators. Not every question was answered by all respondents, so the number of responses for characteristic groups is varied. The number of responses is shown for all characteristic groups. To maintain confidentiality, characteristic groups with less than three observations are shown as n/a. Survey information was submitted anonymously. Since individual responses could not be cross referenced, the survey reports the median figures. The median is obtained by ranking all the responses from smallest to largest and then taking the mid-point. The advantage of using the median for anonymous surveys is that the results are not influenced by extreme responses. Salary data is presented throughout the report along with annual hours worked and calculated hourly wage. In many cases, the hourly wage does not match the calculation of median salary divided by median hours worked. Some surveys were incomplete, and there were different numbers of responses for related statistics (e.g. salary and hours worked).

2009 VHMA Survey of Compensation and Benefits for Veterinary Managers PROFESSIONAL CHARACTERISTICS TABLE 1 Credentials Survey respondents classified themselves and their managerial role based on the VHMA job descriptions provided with the survey. Table 1 shows individual credentials for each type of manager. For example, 20% of all hospital administrators were certified veterinary practice managers (held a CVPM) while 11% of practice managers held a CVPM. No office managers reported a CVPM. Credentials by Job Description Office Practice Manager Manager Hospital Administrator CVPM 0% 11% 20% DVM 0% 0% 2% Post Graduate Degree 0% 4% 11% University Degree 19% 28% 28% College Diploma 19% 38% 41% Specialized Credentialed Techjnician 0% 1% 4% Credentialed Technician 0% 20% 13% Technician 25% 11% 22% None 31% 17% 9% Duties and Responsibilities VHMA job classifications were based on duties and responsibilities in the hospital. Tables 2 and 3 shows the percentage of hospital managers that reported they often performed tasks in their role as a hospital manager. The tasks were broken down into human resources, marketing and public relations, client services, financial and accounting, law and ethics and organization of practice. There was cross-over in many tasks but generally, office managers performed many tasks relating to human resources, marketing, public relations and client services while practice managers and administrators performed more tasks related to law and ethics, financial and organizational. In many categories, practice managers reported performing tasks more often than administrators. This paradox may be due to staffing resources. Veterinary hospitals with administrators will often have an office manager, or a hospital manager providing an opportunity to delegate many tasks. In contrast, smaller hospitals that have a single practice manager have less opportunity to delegate requiring the manager to perform most tasks. 2

2009 VHMA Survey of Compensation and Benefits for Veterinary Managers TABLE 2 Task Frequency by Job Description "Often Perform Response as Percentage of Total Responses Office Manager Practice Manager Adminstrator A. Human Resources 1. Recruit, interview, and hire 69% 78% 76% 76% 2. Scheduling 75% 66% 67% 67% 3. Manage training and development (including safety training) 63% 72% 67% 69% 4. Manage daily work assignments 69% 50% 48% 51% 5. Conduct staff meetings 63% 82% 76% 78% 6. Conduct employee performance reviews 63% 72% 71% 71% 7. Discipline/discharge employees 50% 79% 71% 74% 8. Create/update manuals and job descriptions 63% 85% 60% 75% 9. Mediate internal disputes 56% 81% 69% 75% 10. Manage employee benefits 31% 70% 78% 68% 11. Maintain confidential employee records and personnel files 75% 91% 80% 86% B. Marketing and Public Relations 1. Create/manage educational brochure production, distribution 13% 47% 31% 39% 2. Place ads in publications 25% 47% 47% 45% 3. Manage website 19% 56% 50% 51% C. Client Services 1. Monitor client retention 50% 62% 56% 59% 2. Set up/maintain new client program 38% 52% 39% 47% 3. Handle client complaints 75% 77% 60% 72% 4. Obtain and report client feedback on service 50% 57% 47% 54% 5. Respond to client questions 75% 68% 53% 64% 6. Manage vaccine/check-up reminder routine 53% 42% 23% 38% D. Finance and Accounting 1. Manage accounts receivable 63% 69% 49% 63% 2. Manage accounts payable 44% 56% 64% 57% 3. Establish and enforce customer credit policies 50% 78% 73% 74% 4. Maintain petty cash account 63% 67% 56% 63% 5. Maintain chart of accounts 25% 66% 69% 63% 6. Analyze practice and financial reports 13% 62% 82% 63% 7. Oversee daily and monthly banking procedures 63% 68% 67% 67% 8. Budgeting and long-range planning 6% 45% 76% 50% 9. Fee analysis 13% 55% 71% 55% 10. Manage payroll 64% 73% 76% 73% Total 3

2009 VHMA Survey of Compensation and Benefits for Veterinary Managers TABLE 3 Task Frequency by Job Description "Often Perform Response as Percentage of Total Responses 4 Office Manager Practice Manager Adminstrator Total E. Law and Ethics 1. File reports with regulatory agencies (e.g., OSHA/OSHA Right to Know, DEA, FDA) 25% 37% 40% 36% 2. Verify that hospital practices are conducted in accordance with federal, state, and local regulation 25% 61% 60% 57% 3. Document/report accidents and file appropriate reports 44% 70% 62% 65% 4. Update your knowledge of state, local regulatory agencies 19% 54% 49% 49% 5. Monitor hospital for safety violations and dangerous situations 31% 71% 49% 61% 6. Maintain knowledge of state safety regulations 25% 61% 56% 56% 7. Obtain informed consent from clients 69% 57% 45% 55% 8. Establish valid contracts with clients for services rendered 56% 57% 43% 53% 9. Establish legal contracts for staff and associates 25% 43% 66% 48% 10. Ensure compliance of employment law (e.g., Fair Labor Standards, Civil Rights Act, ADA) related to hiring, compensation, promotion, etc. 50% 76% 73% 73% 11..Verify that employee benefits and insurance coverage comply with federal law (e.g., COBRA, HIPPA, Employment Retirement Income Security Act) 31% 63% 73% 62% 12. Update knowledge of worker s compensation and unemployment tax codes 25% 57% 60% 55% 13. Update your own knowledge of employment and labor laws 27% 58% 62% 57% 14. Protect confidentiality & privacy of patient, staff, & client data 63% 85% 82% 82% 15. Develop safeguards to protect the practice s client lists 38% 65% 58% 60% 16. Verify that hospital practices are conducted in accordance with the federal Privacy Act 38% 64% 60% 60% 17. Verify compliance with codes of ethics (e.g., AVMA, CVPM) 31% 63% 49% 56% F. Organization of Practice (Inventory, Equipment, Medical Records, Hospital Policies, Risk Management) 1..Develop/monitor protocols for daily facility maintenance 56% 64% 60% 62% 2. Contract for repair/maintenance of equipment, building, grounds 44% 64% 60% 61% 3. Assure insurance coverage of hospital and equipment 13% 46% 66% 48% 4. Maintain appropriate inventory system including controlled substance ordering, tracking, security, and destruction 56% 59% 49% 56% 5. Place and track purchase orders for drugs, uniforms, equipment 31% 58% 47% 52% 6. Create/update Risk Management system 13% 31% 38% 31% 7. Liaison to professional services (e.g., contract with attorneys, CPAs, insurance companies) 13% 48% 64% 49% 8. Create/update policy/procedures manual 50% 81% 60% 72% 9. Install/maintain computer and technology systems and policies 38% 59% 62% 58% 10. Maintain medical record standards and ensure compliance 56% 66% 49% 60%

2009 VHMA Survey of Compensation and Benefits for Veterinary Managers GENERAL COMPENSATION RESULTS Table 4 shows the annual salary figures for veterinary managers in North America for 2009. This table reports the mean annual salary, median annual salary, number of observations and figure representing the 25 th and 75 th percentile. The percentiles show the ranges in the data. Twenty-five percent of the data falls below the 25 th percentile. Half the data falls above and below the median and 25% of the data falls above the 75 th percentile. TABLE 4 Salary ($) Mean 25 th % ile Median 75 th % ile Number Office Manager 35,651 28,000 36,000 40,000 16 Practice Manager 46,817 40,000 45,000 52,250 102 Hospital Administrator 67,486 50,000 60,000 79,250 46 Tables 5 and 6 show the same statistics for annual hours worked in 2009 and the average hourly salary. TABLE 5 Annual Hours Mean 25 th % ile Median 75 th % ile Number Office Manager 1,746 1,606 1,886 1,947 16 Practice Manager 1,973 1,874 1,954 2,196 102 Hospital Administrator 2,004 1,852 1,984 2,353 46 TABLE 6 Hourly Wage ($) Mean 25 th % ile Median 75 th % ile Number Office Manager 19.88 15.98 18.91 22.11 16 Practice Manager 23.92 19.51 22.41 27.40 102 Hospital Administrator 34.00 25.60 29.66 39.91 46 5

Comparing Reports 2009 VHMA Survey of Compensation and Benefits for Veterinary Managers VHMA runs salary surveys for practice managers alongside the VHMA non-dvm survey which captures wage and benefit information but does not go into detail on factors affecting compensation. When comparing reported hourly wage, the median results from the two surveys are within four percent for practice managers and administrators. The results for office managers (with the weakest response rate) differed by $3.06 or 16%. TABLE 7 Non-DVM Wages and Benefits Survey Survey Differences Office Manager Practice Manager Hospital Administrator Number of Responses 90 116 55 Median Response $15.85 $21.64 $29.86 Practice Managers Survey Number of Responses 16 102 46 Median Response $18.91 $22.41 $29.66 Compensation Trends Comparing the most recent wage information to data from the 2007 report shows that annual salaries increased for all but administrators. Hours decreased and wages increased for all other groups. Nationally, the consumer price index for wage earners has increased 4% since 2007. After accounting for the drop in annual hours worked, wages increased by three to five times the rate of inflation. Office managers have seen median salaries increase 14% since 2007 and with a decrease in the number of hours worked, their hourly wages have increased 21%. Practice managers have seen very little change in hours worked (down 2%). Annual salaries increased 9% while median hourly wages increased 11%. Hospital administrators were the only group that did not see any real gains in salaries. Salaries for administrators stagnated since 2007 however; the 10% drop in hours worked created a gain in hourly wages of 11%. 6

2009 VHMA Survey of Compensation and Benefits for Veterinary Managers TABLE 8 TABLE 9 TABLE 10 Office Manager Annual Salary Annual Hours Hourly Wage Number 2007 30,992 1,998 15.57 15 2009 36,000 1,886 18.91 16 Change 14% -6% 21% Practice Manager Annual Salary Annual Hours Hourly Wage Number 2007 41,124 1,998 20.23 129 2009 45,000 1,954 22.41 102 Change 9% -2% 11% Hospital Administrator Annual Salary Annual Hours Hourly Wage Number 2007 60,000 2,198 26.84 83 2009 60,000 1,984 29.66 46 Change 0% -10% 11% 7

2009 VHMA Survey of Compensation and Benefits for Veterinary Managers COMPENSATION CHARACTERISTICS Type of Practice Table 11 shows compensation for veterinary managers by type of practice for groups with sufficient responses. There were not sufficient responses from equine, or exclusively large animal veterinary managers to calculate statistics specific to those practice types. For office managers, there were only enough responses from mixed and 100% small practices to warrant separate reporting. TABLE 11 Office Manager Practice Manager Hospital Administrator Type Of Practice Practice Type Salary Hours Hourly Wage Number 100% Small 32,000 1,886 19.35 8 Mixed 31,100 1,808 17.00 4 100% Small 45,000 1,958 22.41 83 Mixed 41,000 1,952 19.50 5 Specialty 68,200 2,151 34.15 3 Emergency 55,000 1,835 29.52 4 100% Small 47,500 1,952 23.73 36 Specialty 58,000 2,151 30.33 3 Emergency 61,360 1,920 30.23 3 Office managers in 100% small practices earned higher annual salaries than those in a mixed practice. Although they worked similar hours, those in 100% small animal practices earned a 14% higher hourly wage. Practice managers in a specialty practice earned the highest salary, worked the most hours and earned the highest hourly wage in that category. Hospital administrators in emergency practices earned the highest, but had similar hourly wages compared to administrators in specialty hospitals. 8

Years Experience 2009 VHMA Survey of Compensation and Benefits for Veterinary Managers Table 12 outlines the median salary, hours and hourly wage for hospital managers based on years of experience. Experience was not a significant factor in determining incomes for office managers or practice managers. Salaries and hourly wages for office managers dropped after the first year; then increased again after 6-10 years. Practice managers with 1-2 years experience received the same salary as those with greater than 10 years experience and salaries peaked at 6-10 years experience at $48,000. Hospital administrator s compensation was affected by experience. Salaries and hours dropped after two years, resulting in a higher hourly wage. After two years, annual hours worked held steady, while salary and hourly wage increased consistently with gains in experience. TABLE 12 Office Manager Practice Manager Hospital Administrator Years Experience Salary Hours Hourly Wage Number <1 year 33,208 1,918 17.32 4 1-2 years 31,200 1,872 15.98 3 3-5 years n/a n/a n/a 1 6-10 years 36,498 1,800 20.47 4 > 10 years n/a n/a n/a 2 <1 year n/a n/a n/a n/a 1-2 years 45,000 1,956 22.37 16 3-5 years 42,850 1,944 22.10 22 6-10 years 48,000 1,956 21.86 33 > 10 years 45,210 1,960 24.74 25 <1 year n/a n/a n/a n/a 1-2 years 52,000 2,385 21.49 8 3-5 years 50,000 1,952 27.83 4 6-10 years 60,000 1,920 30.33 15 > 10 years 80,000 1,920 36.39 17 9

Years at Current Location 2009 VHMA Survey of Compensation and Benefits for Veterinary Managers Seniority has little to do with determining salaries for office managers and practice managers but it did affect hourly wages. Hours worked decreased as seniority increased creating hourly wages that increased with experience. Hospital administrators saw a dip in salaries from 1-2 to 3-5 years experience but increases in salary were consistent with seniority after 5 years. Hourly wages increased consistently over the range of seniority. TABLE 13 Years At Current Location Salary Hours Hourly Wage Number Office < 1 year 32,240 1,926 16.79 2 Manager 1-2 years 31,000 1,721 18.01 3 3-5 years n/a n/a n/a 1 6-10 years 38,998 1,892 20.62 4 > 10 years 28,000 1,566 21.16 3 Practice < 1 year 47,000 2,250 20.89 3 Manager 1-2 years 45,000 2,049 21.61 25 3-5 years 46,000 2,000 23.00 20 6-10 years 46,000 1,916 23.43 22 > 10 years 44,750 1,920 25.93 25 Hospital < 1 year n/a n/a n/a n/a Administrator 1-2 years 55,000 2,273 26.43 10 3-5 years 50,000 1,912 27.46 7 6-10 years 66,800 2,078 33.08 12 > 10 years 75,600 1,912 35.32 15 10

2009 VHMA Survey of Compensation and Benefits for Veterinary Managers Credentials Predictably, office managers with post secondary education earned significantly higher salaries than those with no formal credentials. For practice managers and hospital administrators, credentials did not necessarily provide higher salaries. The highest salaries went to managers with post graduate degrees, and practice managers and administrators with technician credentials earned higher than average salaries equivalent to post graduate degrees. Credentials that provided higher than average salaries for practice managers and hospitals administrators included: CVPM designation, post graduate degree and credentialed technician. TABLE 14 Credentials Salary Hours Hourly Wage Number Office College 40,000 1,872 22.11 3 Manager University 37,440 1,892 19.78 3 None 31,200 1,932 18.55 5 Practice CVPM 49,000 2,049 23.02 11 Manager Post Graduate 52,460 2,002 20.70 4 University 44,000 1,960 21.53 24 College 45,000 1,956 22.81 23 Credentialed Tech 53,500 1,880 31.43 7 Technician 42,000 1,952 21.86 9 None 44,000 1,952 19.44 19 Hospital CVPM 61,291 1,912 31.84 9 Administrator Post Graduate 80,300 2,450 37.34 5 University 53,250 2,115 25.53 9 College 58,000 1,920 28.77 9 Credentialed Tech 80,000 1,856 36.39 3 Technician 57,000 1,968 28.24 4 None 62,054 1,793 34.61 6 11

Number of Hospitals 2009 VHMA Survey of Compensation and Benefits for Veterinary Managers The number of hospitals managed by practice managers or administrators had little to do with compensation. Practice managers who managed more than one hospital had the same salaries as managers working in one hospital. Hospital administrators working in more than three locations earned the highest salaries, worked the most hours and earned the highest hourly wages. Administrators who worked in one hospital earned higher annual salaries and hourly wages than those working in two hospitals. TABLE 15 Practice Manager Hospital Administrator Number of Hospitals Hospitals Annual Hourly Number of Salary Managed Hours Wage Observations 1 45,000 1,952 22.41 85 2 45,000 2,053 23.68 11 More than 3 n/a n/a n/a 2 1 59,900 1,920 30.07 31 2 55,000 1,980 27.06 7 More than 3 82,500 2,283 38.64 6 Number of Staff Table 16 shows the compensation characteristics based on the number of staff managed. There was little difference in compensation or hours worked for office managers depending on how many staff were managed but there were conspicuous increases in salary for practice managers and hospital administrators after the number staff exceeded 40. Practice managers with more than 40 staff earned salaries 36% higher than the median while administrators earned 43% more than the median. There was not a considerable difference in the number of hours worked. 12

2009 VHMA Survey of Compensation and Benefits for Veterinary Managers TABLE 16 Office Manager Practice Manager Hospital Administrator Number of Staff Staff Managed Salary Annual Hourly Number of Hours Wage Observations 1-10 34,320 1,892 17.88 6 11-20 33,760 1,844 21.51 6 1-10 40,000 2,095 19.33 17 11-20 45,250 1,940 22.56 46 21-30 45,000 1,952 21.61 15 31-40 46,000 1,940 23.71 8 More than 40 61,500 2,053 29.44 11 1-10 n/a n/a n/a 2 11-20 54,500 1,920 27.92 12 21-30 64,000 1,920 29.02 13 31-40 61,291 2,257 29.24 7 More than 40 86,250 2,031 40.37 10 Split Shifts Only 6% of hospital managers operated on split shifts in 2009. A split shift is a shift that is divided into two or more parts of the same day. The interval between the splits must be two or more hours. For example, working from 8:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. and then from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. on the same day. Only practice managers had enough data to analyse the effect split shifts had on income. Practice managers with split shifts had lower salaries, worked fewer hours and earned slightly less than managers not on split shifts. TABLE 17 Split Shifts Annual Hourly Split Shifts Salary Hours Wage Number Office Yes n/a n/a n/a 1 Manager No n/a n/a n/a 14 Practice Yes 41,600 1.912 21.37 7 Manager No 45,250 1.956 22.56 90 Hospital Yes n/a n/a n/a 2 Administrator No n/a n/a n/a 42 13

Job Description 2009 VHMA Survey of Compensation and Benefits for Veterinary Managers Almost three quarters (73%) of managers had a job description outlining responsibilities and obligations. Office managers and practice managers with job descriptions enjoyed higher salaries, worked similar hours and enjoyed higher hourly wages than their counterparts without a job description. There was very little difference between administrators with and without job descriptions. TABLE 18 Job Description Job Annual Hourly Description Salary Hours Wage Number Office Yes 36,720 1,898 19.35 12 Manager No 31,200 1,720 15.98 3 Practice Yes 45,880 1,960 23.37 68 Manager No 42,500 1,952 19.84 29 Hospital Yes 60,000 1,952 29.66 34 Administrator No 61,000 2,040 29.92 10 14

2009 VHMA Survey of Compensation and Benefits for Veterinary Managers Location Practice managers in Massachusetts and Minnesota earned the highest annual salary at $60,000 and $58,370 respectively. Annual hours worked were consistent in most states resulting in hourly wages that matched salaries. The two states with the highest hourly wages were the top salary states Minnesota and Massachusetts. TABLE 19 Location - Practice Manager Salary Hours Hourly Wage Number Median 45,000 1,954 22.41 102 California 50,560 2,196 23.68 7 Florida 35,000 1,912 18.31 11 Illinois 52,000 1,944 26.75 3 Maryland 47,000 1,912 24.28 5 Illinois 52,000 1,944 26.75 3 Maryland 47,000 1,912 24.28 5 Massachusetts 60,000 2,199 29.56 3 Minnesota 58,370 1,936 30.11 4 North Carolina 50,000 2,229 20.62 4 Ohio 40,000 1,958 21.56 6 Pennsylvania 45,960 2,106 21.19 8 Texas 48,568 1,960 24.74 7 Ontario (CAD$) 42,478 1,891 19.56 5 15

TABLE 20 2009 VHMA Survey of Compensation and Benefits for Veterinary Managers Location - Hospital Administrator Hourly Number Salary Hours Wage Median 60,000 1,984 29.66 46 California 60,000 2,151 27.46 5 Florida 76,044 2,143 39.69 4 New York 52,000 2,420 21.49 3 Pennsylvania 59,800 2,040 30.33 3 Tennessee 59,250 2,106 28.77 4 Table 20 shows compensation by location for Hospital Administrators. There were insufficient responses (3 or more) for most states. Of states reporting, Florida had the highest salaries and hourly wages and was the only state to have both annual salary and hourly wages above the median. 16

TYPES OF COMPENSATION Compensation Statistics 2009 VHMA Survey of Compensation and Benefits for Veterinary Managers Table 21 outlines the different median salary, hours and hourly wage attributed to the different methods of compensation. Veterinary managers compensated on the basis of salary and profit sharing experienced the highest annual earnings and the highest hourly compensation. Those compensated hourly received the lowest annual earnings. TABLE 21 Method of Payment Annual Hourly How Paid Salary Hours Wage Number Office Hourly 31,000 1,876 18.59 11 Manager Salary 40,000 1,904 22.21 4 Practice Hourly 40,000 1,920 19.65 26 Manager Salary 45,750 1,985 23.02 63 Salary + Profit Sharing 48,000 2,105 23.74 6 Hospital Hourly 38,352 1,693 29.65 4 Administrator Salary 57,500 2,115 28.65 31 Salary + Profit Sharing 73,588 2,040 38.49 7 TABLE 22 Annual Salary ($) Mean 25 th % ile Median 75 th % ile Number Office Manager 44,500 37,000 40,000 56,500 4 Practice Manager 49,447 40,850 46,250 56,715 63 Hospital Administrator 66,457 50,000 57,500 78,900 31 Tables 22 and 23 show the statistics for managers compensated by annual salary and hourly wage. The mean is shown along with the 25 th percentile, median and 75 th percentile. 17

TABLE 23 2009 VHMA Survey of Compensation and Benefits for Veterinary Managers Hourly Wage ($) Mean 25 th % ile Median 75 th % ile Number Office Manager 17.07 14.77 17.15 19.08 11 Practice Manager 20.01 16.00 19.00 23.38 26 Hospital Administrator 26.58 23.50 26.67 29.58 4 TABLE 24 Salary Plus Profit Sharing Mean 25 th % ile Median 75 th % ile Number Office Manager Salary na na na na 0 Profit Share na na na na 0 Practice Manager Salary 44,452 38,250 45,760 50,000 6 Profit Share na na Na na 2 Hospital Salary 73,333 59,500 72,250 85,625 7 Administrator Profit Share 5,000 1,750 4,500 8,750 7 Practice managers working in veterinary hospitals paying salary plus profit share earned salaries that were very close to the average. The median salary for practice managers was $760 above the average. There was not a sufficient response from practice managers to provide information on profit share. Hospital administrators who were paid salary plus profit share earned a median salary of $72,500, $12,000 more than the median of $60,000 and earned an additional $4,500 from profit sharing. 18

2009 VHMA Survey of Compensation and Benefits for Veterinary Managers BENEFITS Vacation Time Tables 25 shows all types of hospital managers received a median of three week s vacation per year. TABLE 25 Weeks Vacation Number Office Manager 3.0 16 Practice Manager 3.0 102 Hospital Administrator 3.0 46 Vacation allotment increased with seniority for all types of managers. Office managers and practice managers received two weeks vacation at the lowest seniority levels while administrators received 2.5 weeks vacation. This increased consistently with seniority, topping out at 4.5 weeks for office managers, 3 weeks for practice managers and 4 weeks for hospital administrators. TABLE 26 Vacation Weeks by Seniority Weeks Vacation Number Office Manager < 1 year n/a 2 1-2 years 2.0 3 3-5 years n/a 1 6-10 years 3.0 4 > 10 years 4.5 4 Practice Manager < 1 year 2.0 3 1-2 years 2.0 25 3-5 years 2.5 21 6-10 years 3.0 22 > 10 years 3.0 29 Hospital Administrator < 1 year n/a n/a 1-2 years 2.5 10 3-5 years 3.0 8 6-10 years 3.0 12 > 10 years 4.0 15 19

Employee Benefits 2009 VHMA Survey of Compensation and Benefits for Veterinary Managers Table 27 shows the percentage of employee benefits for veterinary managers. For each type of manager, the columns show the percentage of managers receiving each benefit. For example, 69% of office managers, 86% of practice managers and 93% of hospital administrators received some amount of continuing education fee benefits. Generally, more hospital managers received benefits than practice managers and the least amount of benefits were received by office managers. TABLE 27 Benefit Percentage Receiving Benefits by Job Description Office Manager Practice Manager Hospital Administrator Continuing Education (annual fees) 69% 86% 93% Continuing Education (annual days) 50% 63% 78% Vehicle Allowance (per mile) 13% 15% 22% Health Insurance 81% 83% 83% Un-reimbursed Medical Expense 0% 10% 20% Dental Insurance 50% 59% 72% Child Care 0% 3% 7% Pet Insurance 0% 6% 13% Veterinary Care Discounts 94% 90% 96% Veterinary Product Discounts 94% 91% 91% Dues (voluntary association) 44% 68% 85% License 0% 25% 17% Malpractice Insurance 0% 4% 13% Disability Insurance 6% 22% 43% Employee Pension Plan 38% 38% 67% Uniforms 31% 56% 41% Cell Phone 0% 15% 52% 20

2009 VHMA Survey of Compensation and Benefits for Veterinary Managers Table 28 shows the average amount and percentage of contribution paid by a hospital for veterinary managers receiving each benefit. When calculating the amount the hospital pays, only hospitals reporting that they paid the benefit were included. For example, 89% of practice managers received health insurance (Table 22) and the average contribution from the hospitals paying any amount for this benefit was 75%. In this example the cost of the benefit to the Practice Manager was 25%. TABLE 28 Hospital Contributions to Benefits Benefit Office Manager Practice Manager Hospital Administrator Continuing Education (annual fees) $650 $1,000 $1,500 Continuing Education (annual days) 2.5 4.0 5.0 Vehicle Allowance (per mile) n/a $.55 $.55 Health Insurance 75% 75% 100% Un-reimbursed Medical Expense n/a n/a n/a Dental Insurance 77.5% 50% 75% Child Care n/a n/a n/a Pet Insurance n/a 100% 90% Veterinary Care Discounts 50% 50% 50% Veterinary Product Discounts 45% 50% 50% Dues (voluntary association) 100% 100% 100% Certification/Registration n/a 100% 100% Malpractice Insurance n/a 100% 100% Disability Insurance n/a 75% 100% Employee Pension Plan 3% 3% 3% Uniforms 100% 100% 100% Cell Phone n/a 100% 100% The only benefits that increased conspicuously were the annual continuing education fees and paid days for continuing education. Hospitals paid similar contribution to all other benefits regardless of management status. 21

Frequency 2009 VHMA Survey of Compensation and Benefits for Veterinary Managers Employee Benefits Contributions GRAPH 1 40 30 20 10 0 0 20 40 60 80 100 Dental Insurance - Hospital Share % For most benefits listed in the report, the median share paid by the hospital accurately represents the co-payment. Dental insurance and health insurance have unique distributions and vary around the median. For example, the hospital share paid for dental insurance, shown for all hospital managers in Chart 1, has a peak at 50% and another peak at 100%. The most notable share paid is 100% but all the medians listed are below that level. A more accurate way to report the share paid for dental insurance is to say the majority of hospitals pay 100% of dental insurance, with a significant share of hospitals offering the benefit but paying 0%; requiring the employee to pay 100% of the premium. 22

Frequency 2009 VHMA Survey of Compensation and Benefits for Veterinary Managers The median co-payment for health insurance runs from 75% to 100% for various types of managers but the graph below shows two distinct types of co-payment. The most popular co-payment is for the hospital to pay 100% of the health insurance. The second most popular method is for the hospital to pay half and the employee to pay half. GRAPH 2 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 0 20 40 60 80 100 Health Insurance - Hosptial Share % 23

2009 VHMA Survey of Compensation and Benefits for Veterinary Managers CONCLUSION The 2009 VHMA Survey of Compensation and Benefits for Hospital Managers was sent to all 1,454 member hospitals. Information from 164 veterinary managers was received providing a response rate of 11%. Veterinary managers were self classified as office managers, practice managers or hospital administrators based on the VHMA job descriptions. The response from practice managers and hospital administrators was the strongest while the response from office managers was weakest with only 16 responses. Hospital managers were asked to provide information representing compensation and benefits for 2009. Since 2007, salaries were up for office managers and practice managers while an administrator s salary stayed the same. Annual hours for all types of managers increased and the resulting hourly wages saw double digit growth in the last two years. Nationally, wage rates have gone up 4% over the same period suggesting rates of pay for hospital managers have exceeded inflationary expectations. New for 2009, the task frequency by job description table shows there was cross-over in many tasks. In general, office managers performed tasks related to human resources, marketing, public relations and client services while practice managers and hospital administrators performed more tasks related to law ethics, financial and organizational. For several tasks, practice managers reported performing tasks more frequently than hospital administrators. Significant determinants of compensation for veterinary managers were CVPM certification, post graduate degree and credentialed technician working in specialty and emergency practices years of experience compensation based on salary plus profit sharing clear job descriptions (office manager and practice manager) number of staff number of hospitals (hospital administrators only) Hospital administrators and practice managers received more benefits than office managers. With the exception of continuing education and dental insurance, there was little difference between contributions to benefits by type of manager. 24