Leavers cited health and wellbeing reasons, with some RVNs leaving the profession entirely.

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) has published the results of its Exit Survey for 2022-2024.

The report provides a valuable insight into the reasons that veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses are voluntarily leaving their respective registers.

Exit Surveys for veterinary surgeons were first launched in April 2022, with the survey for veterinary nurses following in September 2023. The results are separated into two categories: those leaving the Register altogether, and those leaving the Register to go overseas or join non-practising categories.

The report reveals that 643 of veterinary surgeon respondents left the UK-practising category, while 306 left the register entirely.

The most common reason that veterinary surgeons left the UK-practising category was to move or remain overseas, with 40 per cent choosing this reason. Those which had qualified overseas said they wanted to be closer to family and friends, while those who qualified in the UK talked about ‘new challenges’.

Meanwhile, 23 per cent of respondents said that they were leaving the UK-practising category to retire. The majority of these leavers were retiring before state pension age, with a third citing health and wellbeing reasons.

In a free text box at the end of the survey, those leaving the UK-practising category were most likely to mention health and wellbeing issues, such as the demands of clinical practice.

Meanwhile a third of those leaving the Register altogether mentioned issues with RCVS regulation.

The report also highlights 202 veterinary nurses which completed the Exit Survey. The majority of these respondents said that they were planning to leave the profession entirely.

When asked why they had chosen to leave the profession, most veterinary nurses chose pay and stress. In the free text box, they also mentioned burn-out and a high level of responsibility for RVNs.

Vicki Bolton, RCVS research manager, said: “The reasons given don’t always make for easy reading, especially when they are to do with dissatisfaction over the direction the professions are taking, physical and mental health and wellbeing, financial pressures and concerns about regulation and its costs. 

“However, it is important to remember that, overall, relatively few veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses leave the professions each year. There is no mass exodus from the professions and the numbers joining the UK Register annually well exceed those leaving, as demonstrated by consistent year-on-year increases in the number of veterinary surgeon and veterinary nurse registrants.”

The full report can be found on the RCVS website.