veterinarian

veterinary technician

customer service representative

veterinary assistant

medical director

I came to Animal Hospital of Woodstock as part of my local college vet assistant training program, and during my internship there I was hired to fill the void left by the previous kennel worker there (an alumni of the same program) under the pretense that, if the stars were aligned, I could continue my education and become a resident vet tech. Looking back, the signs were evident that any skills learned in my program would never be put into practice and all talk of upward mobility was only meant to increase the job appeal. The hospital simply needed a glorified janitor -- what became evident. 

I was made to do the work of three people in what couldn't be sustained nor filled whenever the hospital advertised for recruits. There's a reason why. Few are willing to work for a job that offers only part-time employment for essentially housekeeping and what (regardless of the higher education I took as a potential vet tech) does not require a college degree. 

So why would the pay or benefits reflect that? It must also be said that, any room for promotion does not exist when the facility has vet techs enough, but never so many veterinarians, or kennel staff to keep the place running, nor enough business to keep them employed -- a paradox. It was not to their advantage to see me leave the kennel staff  when I was left an army of one either when I took the shifts of repeat offenders, the kids went off to college, or the tech team routinely disregarded those that kept the hospital running either when the neglected their own duties, failed to hear the concerns of other staff members, or demonstrated double standards.

In a better world where the least desirable and least supported department were supported and staffed completely, the position would be decent, but regardless of the rapport enjoyed between doctor, animal, and client, the tip-top shape of the hospital, and kennel/overnight stay provided it comes at the expense of those lowest on the totem pole, and none can be expected to sustain those extremes when, between kennel staff and management, there's such an attrition. Either the latter are considered disposable, or the other departments can suppose that they're able to do without when that only leaves them without a leg to stand on. Be good to yourselves, and don't be subjected. None should be required to break themselves for those that won't even notice your exhaustion, discouragement, and need for help the same as the animals that pay them visits when your dedication, diligence, and duty will only be noticed once you're gone ... or not?

Believe it or not, corporate seems to care about their employees. However, much of the time, the staff does not feel it unless in a manager role. Many Site managers and regional managers do not relay corporate communications to make the team feel as though they're cared about.  Each NVA clinic is run at a practice level, and I love that. They don't step in and say much about how a manager and medical director run a practice unless the clinic is not making money. Nva has clinic s all over the world and is continuing to acquire clinics. So, transferring can be really easy; however, since they are acquiring a good portion of clinics in the US, if you leave a clinic on bad terms finding clinics that are not NVA is becoming more difficult. 
Ultimately, NVA can be a great company to work for, but it comes down to how each individual practice is run. At a site level, the staff does not see much of corporate and typically barely notice they are corporate unless you are part of the leadership team like Managers or MDVM's. NVA promotes from within frequently. I have found this to be both good and bad. The obvious upside, you're getting promoted, and that's always good, but with a promotion should come a pay increase to reflect ALl of the new tasks and the people you are now responsible for, right? I have found they promote from within to keep the salary of the site managers at a minimum; CSR's are great; they typically have the lowest pay in the clinic, so a 2$ an hour raise put into salary form 33,000 a year seems pretty great. Still, the amount of responsibility a PM has is enormous, and raises are a joke and max out at 4% a year (which is barely a coat of living raise, certainly not a performance-based raise) regardless of how much growth that clinic has had, the client reviews being 5 stars and irrespective of how much work you are doing, both for the clinic and the company. A 4% raise is not enough for me to have NO work life balance and to be under so much stress, especially during COVID 4% shows me how much the hard work and dedication put in is valued.  Chances are as a PM. You will likely give your staff more than 4% when it is deserved.




Mundelein isn't the worst Animal Hospital out there. The coworkers are nice. The managers within the hospital try to take the time to listen to you. The environment there is very fast paced and almost frantic, but the work usually gets done by closing time. Burn out is a problem, but it's like that everywhere in the vet biz. 
My real problem is with the bigger corporation of National Veterinary Association (NVA) which owns the clinic. They hired me during a wage freeze without bothering to tell me. That's right, don't expect any kind of raise while you're working for them. They slashed our health care benefits within a few months of me being there. You have to wait a year before you start accumulating vacation, and they have no sick days besides what the government gave during the pandemic. The employee discount on pet care is laughable. The tarty policy is militaristic. The higher ups from NVA come in from time to time, and its obvious they have no connection to their employees working the front lines. The regional manager comes in every once in a while, and he is very condescending to everyone who isn't a manager. 
Also, the scheduling there is odd. I honestly don't understand why they didn't just figure out a way of having a fixed schedule. Every day the managers were complaining about making the schedule for the next week. They get aggravated when people need to have an afternoon off for an appointment, but they took away assigned days off for employees for reliably schedule appointments. You are going to have odd hours, and they are going to guilt you when you need time off.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Large company with great benefits 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Am required to do three jobs instead of the one I was hired for.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Inverted Pyramid management.  So if you are a support employee you are treated as less than a servant and less than adult with zero autonomy and authority with all the responsibilities.  They don’t understand that the phrase “servant leadership” doesn’t mean that support staff should be treated as servants and not respected for the skills they bring to the table.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Remote work starts at 8 am and ends at 5 pm with clocking in and out for lunch and even 15 minute breaks.  Must be willing to answer all questions immediately and without delay.  You are not allowed to have focus on your work but must be willing to be interrupted a million times a day and not have it affect your work load or expected performance. You are also responsible for your co-workers’ success even though you have no authority whatsoever of them actually doing their job. But you are still responsible and expected to adhere to a 40-hour work week (or more).  You are basically a drone.

Overall, I enjoyed working for NVA for the time I was there which was from 4/18 to 9/19. I was hired as a temp initially but then got hired permanently for part-time. The training was fun and I enjoyed working with my management. However, my rating reflects the summer of 2019. I had been going through some mental challenges and working with my doctor for the right medication. Management was aware of it and were very supportive of me at first even giving me a week off to gather my thoughts. Now mind you, I'm not giving excuses as I was going through a rough part of my life mentally and probably should have taken more time off. I made a bad choice by drinking one day before coming to work. I didn't feel right about it so I immediately informed my supervisor. I volunteered to do a drug test and even made sure the clinic did a alcohol test. I of course was not allowed back to work until the results were reviewed. I waited almost 2 weeks for them to give me a phone call, not even the courtesy of bringing me in, that I was being terminated. All the understanding, compassion, support out the window even when I was honest about what I did. I never got my results from test either. Shame on the staff who made this decision.

I was hired on with NVA right after the first year of its origination.  I was promoted up to the Executive Assistant/Office Manager within the first year of my working there in the Accounts Payable department after proving my dedication and hard work when I filled in for the Accounts Payable Supervisor while she was absent on maternity leave all while covering my desk as well.  I was the Executive Assistant to the CEO, CFO and CDO and also managed the office.  I also managed the corporate office move to Westlake Village from Santa Monica which included the Santa Monica office sublet and eventual move out and storage of sublet tenants office furniture and equipment when they folded and abandonded their business.

The company was growing very quickly, had a number of doctors and  professionals that were traveling constantly while acquiring new veterinary hospitals nationwide.  Board Members flew in from several locations for quarterly board meetings which were held in the corporate offices.  I handled all travel arrangements and amenities for the visiting board members as I handled all the travel for the CEO.

I eventually became the Accounts Payable Supervisor in my last year there.

I worked at the practice for seven years. Could not get a  day off unless I traded with someone for their day, which is not a day off, it’s a trade. I was reprimanded for offering clients treatment options that weren’t gold standard. If they could not afford gold standard, I was told that euthanasia was the only other option I could offer. This may work for specialty referral cases but I was an emergency vet with people who did not plan on spending $5000 to $7000 for a CT scan and fluoroscopy or the like to get more information. Treating a patient based on history and physical exam skills was not allowed. The required minimum database was full bloodwork, abdominal ultrasound,  3 view chest rads and referrals to every specialist that could become involved so they could do more testing. All that had to be paid up front, before the patient could come in the building. It’s a heartbreaking place to work and management doesn’t care about their employees unless they’re fully on board with their only real goal. I was treated poorly by management and senior veterinary staff. On the other hand, the technicians were on the whole - awesome.

I’ve had the opportunity to grow my career at NVA, moving up within the IT department. Through hard work and consistency, I do feel the company rewards those who put in the effort and take initiative.

There are strong teams and great people across the organization, and when things are running well, the flexibility and work-life balance are solid.

Like any growing company, there are areas for improvement. Cross-department processes can at times create inefficiencies, and more consistent leadership and communication would help improve overall efficiency.

Overall, NVA has a strong foundation and can be a great place to grow your career, especially for those willing to put in the work.


I really believed that this was going to be a great place to work with a great work/life balance after interviewing here but i couldn’t have been more wrong! 
Most of the staff are only nice to people they’ve known for years, not welcoming to newer people and lazy, constantly passing work off to others so they can stand in the back and watch TV on their phones. 
There’s no chance for a decent wage, even though they promise at the interview that after 90 days there would be a pay increase, only for this to never be acknowledged and told that the company is thousands of dollars in debt so it would never happen. However they constantly expect more and more from their employees and if you ever have any health issues or have a family emergency…don’t expect any support; they will complain about you taking anytime off, gaslight you and then make you feel guilty about it. 
There’s no such thing as teamwork and you rarely get lunch breaks but they will complain about paying you for any overtime. 
Seriously, it’s not worth your mental health working here! 


This hospital seems like a fun and exciting job on the outside, but it's not. Be prepared for taking care of 80+ dogs with only 2 people on staff, dealing with the worst management possible, and working at a job with no policies or structure, all for barely above minimum wage. I was there for 5 months and saw over 12 people get fired/quit in that time. The turnover rate is ridiculous because the management does not treat their employees right, and does little on their end to make things better. There is a lot of drama here as well, lots of employees in other people's business and actual drama within the hospital practice. You also have to pay $50+ for your scrubs, none are provided to you. 

This place will break your heart, make you feel like nothing you do is good enough, and leave you feeling guilty that you couldn't do a better job, even though you did the best you could with what you had. I speak from my own point of view, along with a few others, some that still work there. 

Oswego Animal Hospital is a disaster, and I would not recommend being an employee.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Veterinarian 536 salaries reported	$136,738 per year
Veterinary technician 207 salaries reported	$23.90 per hour
Customer service representative 54 salaries reported	$18.11 per hour
Veterinary assistant 53 salaries reported	$19.29 per hour
Medical director 58 salaries reported	$166,466 per year

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