SPVS Salary Survey

Re: SPVS Salary Survey

Bob Russell — Fri, 27 Jun 2014 13:14:39 GMT

Eddie Straiton got himself in very hot water when he discussed spay races on Jimmy Youngs radio programme on Radio 2. Mid 1980's from memory!

Re: SPVS Salary Survey

Hannah Wynne Richards — Fri, 27 Jun 2014 09:37:49 GMT

Eddie Straiton also created a stir with his claims for mileage driven in a year - there was no time left to actually do any work!

Wynne

Re: SPVS Salary Survey

Anthony Todd — Fri, 27 Jun 2014 08:29:12 GMT

[quote user="J G Wray"]For that you would need to approach VR direct and ask them for a copy,[/quote]

I'll try; it was a good incendiary!

Re: SPVS Salary Survey

J G Wray — Fri, 27 Jun 2014 07:26:14 GMT

[quote user="Anthony Todd"]Yes, a good obit is easy to find by a google, but the legendary letter to the Vet Rec which, I recall, was about his surgical speed created such a stir it would be worth quoting in these days of the 60 minute [so I'm told] cat spay .[/quote]

For that you would need to approach VR direct and ask them for a copy, which is not so easy, so I leave that to you. WHat is available through the VR is references to Straiton's writings on

Veterinary remuneration from 1989 - irony huh?

Dangerous Dogs from 1992

Manpower and Education from 1994

Veterinary Manpower and 24 hour service from 1995

With every new generation the same issues crop up with the same sense of injustice when it comes to remuneration, with the same sense of wonder how clients have dogs deemed socially unacceptable, with the same worries about quality of education and job competition and the same worries about 24/7.

Hand in hand goes the certanty of some younger MsRCVS that all before them now is clear and all older are stoopiiduh, have never put the time in and are now morally and ethically corrupt. The mistake of younger MsRCVS is believing that all older Ms RCVS have these traits.

JGW

Re: SPVS Salary Survey

Anthony Todd — Thu, 26 Jun 2014 23:47:37 GMT

[quote user="J G Wray"]try this[/quote]

Yes, a good obit is easy to find by a google, but the legendary letter to the Vet Rec which, I recall, was about his surgical speed created such a stir it would be worth quoting in these days of the 60 minute [so I'm told] cat spay .

Re: SPVS Salary Survey

J G Wray — Thu, 26 Jun 2014 20:17:46 GMT

[quote user="Anthony Todd"]Can someone find the infamous letter in the Vet. Rec. from one Eddie Straiton about numbers and speed of spaying cats in the 50s or 60s which created a unique maelstrom of letters in that august organ never even equalled in the next 50 years.....[/quote]

try this

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/eddie-straiton-6158318.html

It might surprise some here that there was a TV Vet in 1957.

Re: SPVS Salary Survey

Anthony Todd — Thu, 26 Jun 2014 18:20:06 GMT

Can someone find the infamous letter in the Vet. Rec. from one Eddie Straiton about numbers and speed of spaying cats in the 50s or 60s which created a unique maelstrom of letters in that august organ never even equalled in the next 50 years.....

Re: SPVS Salary Survey

Anthony Dennison — Thu, 26 Jun 2014 17:51:53 GMT

[quote user="Anthony Todd"]Teehee, [smirk] how about how long, in 2014, you take to do a cat spay and or a bitch spay from clip-up to back in the cage?[/quote]

Depends on how much I'm daydreaming.

Re: SPVS Salary Survey

Anthony Todd — Thu, 26 Jun 2014 17:41:37 GMT

[quote user="Arlo Guthrie"]Apart from salaries and fees, is there any other aspect of veterinary life that you'd find it really interesting to know where you stand in relation to the rest of the profession?[/quote]

Teehee, [smirk] how about how long, in 2014, you take to do a cat spay and or a bitch spay from clip-up to back in the cage?

Re: SPVS Salary Survey

Rob Loxley — Thu, 26 Jun 2014 16:43:28 GMT

[quote user="Arlo Guthrie"]Is there anything else which it would really be helpful to survey everyone in the profession on an annual basis? Could be a business survey, a lifestyle one, or perhaps a (very general) clinical one.[/quote]

I was surprised at so little comment anywhere on the RCVS survey result that 54% of vets would not choose their career again: should we not be asking why?

Re: SPVS Salary Survey

J G Wray — Thu, 26 Jun 2014 15:25:04 GMT

There's the obvious one, missed by RCVS. How are vets employed in practice as in who (demographic stuff) does what full time, part time - and break that down - and where do they see their future employment?

Re: SPVS Salary Survey

Rob Loxley — Thu, 26 Jun 2014 15:09:13 GMT

[quote user="Arlo Guthrie"]By the same logic, if SPVS want Anthony to give up his time replying to the survey, it should release the full results to him, and not instead require him to pay for it [/quote]

He can get 3 months free membership after filling in the survey - but will have to cancel before then to avoid having to pay the full year's direct debit

Re: SPVS Salary Survey

Arlo Guthrie — Thu, 26 Jun 2014 12:41:07 GMT

[quote user="Malcolm Ness"]How about a Cameron-style "Happiness" poll??[/quote]

You're a genius. That is a BRILLIANT idea.

[quote user="Malcolm Ness"] there will have to be options extending well down into the grumpy zone.[/quote]

Laughed out loud.

[quote user="Marie Kubiak"]Could it be more of a survey than a poll and correlate happiness/job satisfaction with factors (hours worked per week/OOH committments/practice type/years since graduation etc)?[/quote]

If by more of a survey, you mean more questions than just:

Are you:

a) Deliriously happy
b) Content
c) Mildly irritated with life
d) Grumpy as hell about everything

Then yes, I agree entirely. In fact, I think this should be a really all encompassing look at not just your personal circumstances, but how happy you are with all sorts of different aspects of YOUR profession.

It's brilliant.

Thank you Malcolm.

Re: SPVS Salary Survey

Marie Kubiak — Thu, 26 Jun 2014 11:53:43 GMT

[quote user="Malcolm Ness"]

How about a Cameron-style "Happiness" poll??

Bear in mind though that if it is going to be all-inclusive the veterinary profession, there will have to be options extending well down into the grumpy zone.

[/quote]

Could it be more of a survey than a poll and correlate happiness/job satisfaction with factors (hours worked per week/OOH committments/practice type/years since graduation etc)?

Marie

Re: SPVS Salary Survey

Malcolm Ness — Thu, 26 Jun 2014 11:34:33 GMT

How about a Cameron-style "Happiness" poll??

Bear in mind though that if it is going to be all-inclusive the veterinary profession, there will have to be options extending well down into the grumpy zone.

Re: SPVS Salary Survey

Arlo Guthrie — Thu, 26 Jun 2014 11:29:07 GMT

[quote user="Malcolm Ness"]Asking non-members to collect data means, to my thinking, that they should have access to the reports[/quote]

Agree.

[quote user="Malcolm Ness"]but then if anyone can have access to the reports it devalues membership.[/quote]

A question of degree, but I suspect you are right, it is seen as a key benefit of membership.

I guess if I was marketing SPVS, I'd take the middle ground and

Put all or nearly all the results in the public domain as a means to keep awareness of SPVS high (and drive membership, although perhaps slightly less effectively)
Offer other, related added value benefits of joining. For example, have the data analysed by a business consultant (they may already do this, I don't know), and make the raw results available to all, but the analysis only to members.

I'm a bit torn on this one. I'm sorely tempted to run a VetSurgeon Salaries Survey and make it available to everyone. But I guess that would annoy a lot of people and I genuinely don't want to piss on their parade!

Still, got me thinking. Is there anything else which it would really be helpful to survey everyone in the profession on an annual basis? Could be a business survey, a lifestyle one, or perhaps a (very general) clinical one.

Apart from salaries and fees, is there any other aspect of veterinary life that you'd find it really interesting to know where you stand in relation to the rest of the profession?

Re: SPVS Salary Survey

Malcolm Ness — Thu, 26 Jun 2014 10:56:03 GMT

[quote user="Anthony Dennison"] Please don't shoot the messenger![/quote]

Nothing personal.

Two sides to this - when I was involved with SPVS, I argued that the salary survey (and the fee survey) should first be distributed only to members but also that data should be collected only from members in order to avoid the scenario that has arisen here. Asking non-members to collect data means, to my thinking, that they should have access to the reports but then if anyone can have access to the reports it devalues membership.

Re: SPVS Salary Survey

Anthony Dennison — Thu, 26 Jun 2014 09:12:09 GMT

[quote user="Malcolm Ness"]

[quote user="Anthony Dennison"] would it be cheeky of me to ask for a copy please?[/quote]

Yes!

If you want the benefit then join SPVS you tightwads.

[/quote]

It's not me that wants it, it's my practice. Please don't shoot the messenger!

Re: SPVS Salary Survey

Arlo Guthrie — Thu, 26 Jun 2014 09:08:16 GMT

[quote user="Malcolm Ness"]If you want the benefit then join SPVS you tightwads.[/quote]

By the same logic, if SPVS want Anthony to give up his time replying to the survey, it should release the full results to him, and not instead require him to pay for it

Re: SPVS Salary Survey

Malcolm Ness — Thu, 26 Jun 2014 07:21:24 GMT

[quote user="Anthony Dennison"] would it be cheeky of me to ask for a copy please?[/quote]

Yes!

If you want the benefit then join SPVS you tightwads.