How AI Scribes Can Prevent Burnout for Veterinarians
Dr. Sarah sighed as she glanced at the clock—7:30 PM, and she was still at the clinic. Not tending to an emergency, but hunched over her computer, finishing the day's medical records. As she rubbed her tired eyes, she wondered, "Is this what I spent eight years in school for?"
Does this sound familiar?
The Hidden Crisis in Veterinary Medicine 🩺
Veterinarians are experiencing alarming rates of burnout. A recent study found that 70% of veterinary workplaces reported at least one burnout case in the past year. While many factors contribute to this, one major culprit silently consumes hours of a vet's day: administrative paperwork.
According to research presented at the 2024 Veterinary Meeting and Expo (VMX), vets spend an astonishing 2-4 hours per day on documentation alone. That’s up to half a standard workday lost to typing notes instead of treating patients.
To put it into perspective:
10-20 hours per week spent on clinical documentation
520-1,040 hours per year dedicated to paperwork
That’s equivalent to 13-26 weeks of full-time patient care lost annually
No one dreams of becoming a vet because they love paperwork. Yet, for many, documentation has become an overwhelming burden that's pushing them to the brink of exhaustion.
When Documentation Becomes Detrimental 😔
The consequences of excessive paperwork extend beyond frustration. Researchers at Cornell University estimate that burnout in veterinary medicine costs the industry $2 billion annually—nearly 4% of its entire value.
This creates a dangerous cycle:
Vets spend excessive time on documentation.
Less time is available for patient care and personal recovery.
Stress and burnout increase.
More vets reduce hours or leave the profession entirely.
Remaining vets face heavier workloads.
The cycle worsens.
A Royal Canin survey found burnout is especially high in corporate practices (affecting 80% of workplaces) and university settings (83%), compared to private practices (61%). This suggests that workplace structure and resources significantly impact burnout levels.
With the veterinary profession already facing staffing shortages, burnout forces skilled professionals to cut hours or leave the field entirely. Dr. Clinton Neill of Cornell University describes this as a "vicious circle"—"a greater workforce shortage due to burnout, and more burnout due to increased workload."
Breaking the Cycle with AI Assistance 🤖
The good news? Solving the documentation burden doesn't mean vets need to type faster or work longer hours. Instead, Veterinary AI scribe technology is transforming how medical records are created.
How AI Veterinary Scribes Help
AI scribes can:
✅ Automatically generate comprehensive medical notes
✅ Ensure consistent documentation across the practice
✅ Free up those 2-4 daily hours for patient care or personal recovery
✅ Reduce the mental burden of documentation
Scribvet, one of the first AI veterinary scribes, offers a seamless solution tailored for veterinary practices. By integrating into existing workflows, Scribvet allows vets to focus on what they do best—caring for animals—while the AI handles the paperwork.
How It Works:
Record your exam – Simply record your consultation using the app, just as you would speak to an assistant.
Select a template – Choose from SOAP notes, client callbacks, and more—or create custom templates.
Receive structured notes – Within minutes, receive fully formatted SOAP notes or other structured clinic documentation.
On average, it takes just five minutes to generate a structured SOAP note from a recorded exam.
And it's not just faster—it’s also more accurate. No more trying to remember details from hours ago—Scribvet captures everything for you.
Best of all? It’s more affordable than hiring a human scribe or other costly documentation solutions.
No more staying late to finish paperwork. No more weekends spent catching up on notes. Scribvet takes care of the admin so you can reclaim precious hours every single day.
The Real-World Impact 🚀
When practices implement AI scribing solutions like Scribvet, the impact is transformative:
📌 Reclaimed time – Gain an extra 10-20 hours per week per vet.
📌 Improved wellbeing – Less admin stress means happier, healthier vets.
📌 Enhanced patient care – More time to focus on diagnosis and treatment.
📌 Better work-life balance – Leave the clinic on time with records completed.
📌 Practice profitability – Cornell research suggests burnout costs £13,000-£19,000 per vet annually. An investment in AI scribes offers significant ROI.
The Future of Veterinary Medicine is AI 🌟
The growing crisis of burnout in veterinary medicine is pushing practices to find solutions.
While AI can’t eliminate all workplace stress, it can significantly reduce the administrative burden that fuels burnout. By adopting tools like Scribvet, clinics can take a tangible step toward more sustainable veterinary careers.
Ready to reduce admin workload and combat burnout in your practice? Learn more about how Scribvet can help your team reclaim their time—and their passion for veterinary medicine.
Refrences:
Royal Canin survey on workload and wellbeing (2023). VetFocus. Retrieved from https://vetfocus.royalcanin.com/en/practice-management/a-survey-on-workload-and-wellbeing
From VMX 2024: Vet Administrative Strain is Real (2024). ScribeAmerica. Retrieved from https://www.scribeamerica.com/blog-post/vet-administrative-strain/
Burnout takes a heavy financial toll on veterinary medicine (2022). Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. Retrieved from https://www.vet.cornell.edu/about-us/news/20220829/burnout-takes-heavy-financial-toll-veterinary-medicine