14 Apr 2026
Bethany Weinheimer looks at understanding why different age groups clash in practice and practical ways to find some common ground.
Bethany Weinheimer
Job Title
Few topics create as much quiet tension in veterinary practice as generational differences. Senior colleagues may feel newer veterinarians “don’t want to work as hard”. Younger professionals may feel dismissed, unsupported or told to “pay their dues”. Practice owners often feel caught in the middle, trying to maintain standards while navigating rapidly changing expectations.
But here’s what the evidence tells us: this isn’t a character problem, it’s a generational difference on world views.
Veterinary medicine is experiencing a generational collision at the same time as unprecedented workforce strain, burnout and cultural change. Understanding why each generation works the way it does is the first step towards finding common ground.
For the first time in history, four distinct generations are working side by side in veterinary practices. Each brings different expectations, communication styles and definitions of success, shaped by the world they grew up in.
Baby Boomers entered veterinary medicine when the profession was smaller, more relationship based and offered clearer paths to practice ownership. They were trained in a culture emphasising endurance, hierarchy and personal sacrifice. Long hours and an on-call lifestyle were expected.
Emotional suppression was normalised. Loyalty was rewarded with stability and, often, equity in the practice. For some of their typical characteristics in practice, they may:
Gen X veterinarians often serve as the bridge between older and younger colleagues. They entered practice during the early waves of corporate consolidation and rising educational debt.
Many witnessed their Boomer predecessors burn out or sacrifice family life for the profession.
For some of their typical characteristics in practice, they may be:
Millennials represent the largest generational cohort currently in veterinary practice. They graduated into a profession transformed by corporate ownership, social media scrutiny, Google reviews and unprecedented client expectations, while carrying record levels of educational debt.
They have gone through a wave of trying to live like the previous generations, but see early on in their careers that they are more than being “just a vet” and value the things that make them special outside of veterinary medicine.
For some of their typical characteristics in practice, they may:
Gen Z is entering veterinary practice amid widespread conversations about mental health, equity and sustainability. They grew up watching older generations burn out and are determined not to repeat the pattern.
For some of their typical characteristics in practice, they may:
Not one of these perspectives is wrong. They are adaptive responses to different realities.
Who knows? Maybe, just maybe, each generation becoming more aware of boundaries and protecting their sustainability might actually be the thing that saves our profession in the long term. Instead of vets leaving after five to seven years in practice, perhaps this is the answer to getting them to stay, while having an aligned life and living balanced both inside and outside of work.
Much of any generational tension stems not from fundamental disagreements about patient care, but from differing communication styles and unspoken assumptions.
Boomers and older Gen X often grew up with the belief that silence meant satisfactory performance. Millennials and Gen Z expect regular check ins and specific feedback.
What feels like “hand holding” to one generation feels like “basic professionalism” to another.
Older generations may view being available outside scheduled hours as part of the job. Younger generations may view unpaid overtime as exploitation.
Neither is entirely wrong, but without explicit conversation, resentment builds on both sides.
A Baby Boomer practice owner who values walking over to someone’s desk for a conversation may find it disrespectful when a Millennial colleague sends a message instead.
The Millennial may find the interruption inefficient. Both believe they are communicating appropriately.
Boomers often expect deference to experience and seniority. Gen Z expects their input to be valued regardless of tenure.
When a new graduate questions an established protocol, older colleagues may perceive disrespect while the new graduate believes they’re demonstrating critical thinking.
Older generations often equate commitment with hours worked and personal sacrifice. They stayed late, came in on days off and rarely complained. Younger generations tend to equate commitment with quality of care delivered and sustainable practice, working efficiently during scheduled hours rather than performatively staying late or being available for an on-call schedule.
Without dialogue, each side interprets the other as lacking dedication, when in reality both care deeply about the profession and their patients.
Many senior veterinarians learned their craft through observation and trial by fire: “Watch one, do one, teach one.” Newer generations expect structured on-boarding, explicit expectations, and active mentorship. This creates frustration on both sides.
Senior veterinarians may feel younger colleagues should “figure it out” as they did. Younger vets may feel abandoned or set up to fail when asked to “sink or swim”.
Younger veterinarians often embrace new technology, protocols, and workflows enthusiastically. Older colleagues may resist changes to systems that have “worked fine for 20 years”.
This isn’t stubbornness versus innovation, it’s different relationships with change shaped by career stage and experience.
Perhaps no issue creates more intergenerational tension than boundaries. When a Gen Z veterinarian declines to check emails outside work hours, older colleagues may view this as lacking dedication. The Gen Z veterinarian may view constant availability as a path to burnout they’ve watched others travel.
Studies across health care and organisational psychology consistently demonstrate that generational conflict intensifies during periods of rapid systemic change – precisely where veterinary medicine finds itself now.
Research published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science (Steffey et al, 2023) and the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (McKay and Vaisman, 2023) reveals that:
Crucially, intergenerational teams actually perform better when differences are explicitly acknowledged rather than ignored (Wang and Duan, 2025).
Most generational friction comes from unspoken expectations. Practices that explicitly discuss communication preferences, feedback styles, and boundary expectations see fewer conflicts. (Freeman et al, 2009).
At team meetings, try openly discussing how different team members prefer to receive feedback, communicate urgent issues, and handle scheduling requests. Document agreements so everyone is working from the same playbook.
Instead of asking: “Why don’t they work like we did?”, ask: “What conditions help each colleague do their best work?”. Curiosity lowers defensiveness and opens genuine dialogue.
Rather than expecting informal mentorship to happen naturally, build deliberate opportunities for experienced veterinarians to share clinical wisdom with newer colleagues and for newer veterinarians to share technological skills and fresh perspectives with senior colleagues.
Both directions of learning matter.
Practices thrive when expectations around scheduling, communication and boundaries are explicit and collectively agreed on, rather than inherited by default. Research on team performance shows co-created norms increase buy-in (Edmondson, 2019).
Experienced veterinarians bring clinical wisdom, pattern recognition and perspective that cannot be rushed or replaced.
Younger veterinarians bring adaptability, technological fluency and cultural awareness that the profession needs to meet evolving expectations.
The future of veterinary medicine depends on integration, not replacement.
Retention improves when veterinary professionals feel heard, supported and aligned with their workplace values, regardless of their generation (Charles and Farnsworth, 2021; Ryan et al, 2022).
If the profession continues framing generational differences as personal failings, burnout and attrition will accelerate. If it treats them as signals indicating where evolution is needed, veterinary medicine can stabilise and grow.
The goal is not to return to the past or abandon its lessons, but to build something better together.
Every generation in veterinary medicine wants the same thing at its core: to be the best veterinarian they can be by providing excellent care, feel respected, and return home with sufficient energy to live their lives.
Finding the middle ground isn’t about lowering standards; it’s about taking the great parts from each and evolving them, together.
When we do this, veterinary medicine becomes not merely survivable, but sustainable.