Communication and transparency are key when heading into a salary negotiation. We sat down to map the real landscape of equine veterinary compensation—what each pay model actually means, how the math works, and where the friction hides. From straight salary to ProSal to base plus production, we break down risk, reward, and the psychology that drives your choices.

You’ll hear the practical benchmarks owners use to keep a practice healthy—like total compensation packages landing around 25–35% of an associate’s billed revenue—and why your production percentage only matters if you know what’s included. We push hard on negative accrual and explain why tying base stability to short-term production shortfalls is a morale and retention killer.

We try our best to address the “true paid time off” concept by clarifying what you are paid (your base and benefits) versus what changes (bonus opportunity), and why prorating thresholds effectively shifts risk back to the practice. Then we turn to benefits and culture: why a capable technician is an efficiency engine, how pre-tax benefits stretch dollars farther than payroll, and which creative perks actually improve your day-to-day—AI transcription, on-the-road meals, student loan stipends, even rural med-evac memberships.

If you’re negotiating a new role or a renewal, you’ll walk away with the right questions: What revenue is realistic in year one and year three? What’s counted in production? Is this role replacing demand or creating it? How will the practice fill my book? And if you’re already near the top of the compensation-to-production range, consider schedule design, support staff, and pricing before chasing another point of percentage.

Let’s make compensation clearer, fairer, and more sustainable—for associates and practices. If this helped, share it with a colleague, and then tell us: what part of all of this still feels confusing to you? What perspective or ideas did we miss?

RESOURCES:

-Understanding Associate Compensation Webinar

-Some other great compensation podcast episodes from Veterinary Financial Podcast

-AAEP Compensation Resources (Compensation Study, Fee Survey, Benefits Calculator)

-The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel

-AAEP Practice Culture Resources (Benefits survey, Reward and Recognition Survey)

-"How Much Practice Financial Information Should I Share With My Team?" from Care Credit and Dr. Andy Cameron

Send a text and let me know what you think about the episode!

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