Paid bare minimum wage, promise advancement opportunities in interview but don't follow through, corporate environment. - Veterinary Technician VCA Employee Review

1.0
Apr 17, 2017
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Work with animals, but that's about it. Offer benefits, but not good health or dental insurance plans (basically offer only catastrophic plans with high premiums).

Cons

Very corporate based and seem to only care about money, don't care about losing customers or working with low income clients. Need to follow speeches and selling spiels for every appoinyment about their care club, which basically tries to get clients to sign up for monthly payments as a way of helping them but DVMs get commission from it and thats why they push it on every client that walks through the door. Boarding conditions unacceptable; as a veterinary assistant working in the hospital I would notice Animals sitting in cages soaked in urine or feces for hours at a time but I was told I wasn't allowed to clean the kennels because that was the kennel assistants jobs. There are thousands of veterinary practices that focus all their energy on genuinely helping patients and clients, this is not one of them. They told me they'd train me in doing dentals (the reason why I took the job) and then after I was hired I asked when I'd start training and they said it wouldn't be for at least one year. I was told I'd have every other weekend off (another selling point of taking the job) and I was scheduled every single weekend for 3 months straight because they were understaffed. I also was offered bare minimum wage and was told by employees that had been there over two years they'd never gotten a raise. The ones that had gotten raises threatened to quit and finally the employer gave in.

Explore other reviews about VCA

5.0
May 8, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Small animal, exotics, free care to wildlife, opportunities to work with zoo animals. Internal promotions to change all management has made the work environment very positive. Boarding facilities. Opportunity for certifying for internal crematory.

Cons

Pay rate less than expected for experience level. Corporate in California has increased prices every year that is causing all of my friends and family to change vets. With our rural area and low average income, pets are getting euthanized instead of having testing and treatment. Staff should have more discounts for employee pets.

4.0
Jun 12, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

This company offers many opportunities for doctors and techs to grow in their careers. They provide tons of support and they've been making HUGE changes to veterinary medicine on a whole. I have never known another company to offer so many benefits and perks for staff (especially techs), and they're even making lots of effort to invest in the veterinary receptionists-the front line associates of the hospital. They're also making great strides to acknowledge some of the feedback we've had for many years. They're savvy and smart, making business decisions that build on a company that will be around a long time (and has.)

Cons

There have been times where transparency and communication are lacking, and sometimes to the point where hospital-level employees feel left out or unheard. Some bigger topics like onboarding and navigating what support comes from where could be more clear. It feels like they've been fusing on new concepts/policies/features to the company, making it feel like a clunky machine rather than building something new and streamlined. Maybe it's in the works, but how do we know down here?

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VCA Response
3d
Thank you for sharing such thoughtful feedback. We’re glad to hear you’ve experienced strong support, growth opportunities, and benefits across our teams. We also recognize how important clear communication and connection are, especially as we continue to evolve. We’re creating more opportunities for open dialogue through listening sessions and bringing leaders closer to our hospital teams to better understand their day‑to‑day experiences and offer meaningful support. We’re also continuing to invest in leadership and communication training to strengthen consistency across our hospitals. Your insights help guide this work, and we appreciate all that you do for your teams and patients.
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