• $6,000 medical/dental stipend, • 4% matched 401(k), • CE allowance (flexible, based on your interests), • One month PTO — take it however you want (not all at once unless you want to)
• Pet care at cost +10%
Preferred Education:
DVM or equivalent
Additional Information:
2 openings available.
Mendocino County, Northern California
East Hill Veterinary Clinic
If you’re a veterinarian, newly graduated or experienced, who wants to practice great medicine without burning out, keep reading.
East Hill Veterinary Clinic is a privately owned, long-established small animal practice in Mendocino County. We’re looking for an associate who values quality medicine, a functional team, and a life outside of work. We are currently a 1.5 DVM practice but things are much better when we have 2.5 DVMs.
What the job actually looks like:
• 4-day work week
• 30-minute appointments
• No weekends
• No on-call, no emergency
• Mentorship that starts on day one and continues as needed (not performative, not hierarchical)
Compensation & benefits:
• $175,000 salary
• $6,000 medical/dental stipend
• 4% matched 401(k)
• CE allowance (flexible, based on your interests)
• One month PTO — take it however you want (not all at once unless you want to)
• Pet care at cost +10%
• No non-compete
• Buy-in/buy out opportunity
The practice:
We work in a 4,800 sq ft, well-equipped facility with:
• Digital and dental radiology
• Ultrasound with live consult support
• Endoscopy (rigid and flexible; we can get into any orifice)
We provide medical, surgical, and dental care for the Humane Society for Inland Mendocino County, and we love the mix of private general practice plus the soul quenching shelter medicine and surgery.
The team:
• Experienced, stable staff (many here 10–15+ years)
• 2 RVTs, 3 assistants (including 2 RVTs in training), 4 receptionists, a manager, a groomer, and a dedicated cleaner
• Cross-trained staff so people can take breaks and time off without everything falling apart
• Competent, direct, and low-drama
The clients:
We have a fantastic long term clientele. And, a clear policy: if a client is disrespectful to staff, they are no longer a client. This is enforced consistently. It makes a great difference to our mental health.
The location: Mendocino County offers a mix of rural life and access:
• Redwoods, hiking, and open space
• Wineries and a strong local food scene
• The Skunk Train runs through town
• About an hour to the coast
• One hour to Santa Rosa, 20 minutes to Ukiah for shopping and restaurants
Who this works for:
• A veterinarian who wants to practice thoughtfully, not rush through cases
• Someone who values a stable, experienced team
• Someone who prefers straightforward communication over corporate messaging
• Someone who plans to stay, and potentially own
If you’re looking for a high-functioning practice with realistic expectations and room to grow, we should talk.
East Hill Veterinary Clinic is seeking an associate veterinarian and or regular relief veterinarian. My wife and I are the private sole owners of this long established small animal practice in a beautiful 8 year old 4800 square foot building in the heart of Mendocino County, Northern California, about 3 hours north of the Bay Area, 1.5 hours north of Santa Rosa, and about 1 hour inland from Fort Bragg. We are currently a two DVM practice, and we would be delighted to welcome a third. I am a 2004 Ross grad and my associate is a 2020 UCD grad.Here’s the good stuff:
· Non-corporate. We are set up as an “S corp” for tax purposes, but we alone own and manage the practice; there is no outside corporate entity that controls any aspect of the practice.· 4 day work week. We are open M-F 8:30am to 5:30pm and DVM’s work a 4 day work week.· No weekends!· No on-call or after hours emergencies. Closest ER is 80 miles away (Santa Rosa).· Adding a 3rd DVM will ensure that we always have 2+ doctors on each day which promotes a better work day and allows collaboration.· 30 minute appointments.· We observe (are closed and paid) for all federal holidays plus some holidays we just made up to ensure th...at there is a long weekend for everyone at least once a month.· Associate salary is $130,000 base, plus 20% of your production with no negative accrual.· We provide medical/dental by giving you $6,000 a year to choose a policy that fits your needs. We have great medical and dental care in this area and a local hospital and physicians with excellent reputations.· Matched 401-k· CE allowance tailored to meet your needs.· Unlimited pet veterinary discounts (our cost + 10%).· PTO: we will tailor your PTO to meet your needs and priorities; minimum 14 days (not 2 weeks) of PTO per year, more negotiable.· No non-compete or anything similar to a non-compete.· Care and product discounts would be offered to a short or long term relief veterinarian just the same as to an associate.· We do not accept walk-ins unless they are in extremis; but we do accept same day urgent/emergent fit-ins, when possible, after consulting with the receiving DVM· Buy in and buy out is negotiable.· Associate will have their own office which they can have painted and personalized as they choose. This also allows you to bring your dog/s to work with you and have them stay in your office.· We are committed to diversity and inclusion on every level
We currently have one surgery day per week for scheduled elective client surgery and one day per week for shelter surgery.
We have two RVTs, four veterinary assistants, one manager, three CSRs, a groomer, and one person dedicated entirely to cleaning. We will hire more support staff if needed after new associate arrives; we want to ensure that we have sufficient support staff for doctors and patients.
We use Cornerstone and are paper light.
We have all the usual bells and whistles: digital radiology, digital dental radiology, endoscopes (rigid, flexible; we can get into any orifice!), all the monitoring equipment (Dopplers, pulse oximeters, ECG, etc. We have a full diagnostic lab with digital cytology, telemedicine, diagnostic ultrasound with live assistance, and TonoVet. We have four treatment tables in a spacious open floor plan treatment room. We do a ton of dentistry. We have two surgical suites; we use Hot Doggers, IV fluid warmers.
We have four exam rooms, all with phones and PCs, we are still modified curbside so we spend little time in exam rooms (which I hope never changes). And we have a full service grooming salon inside the clinic. We use only PureVax vaccines for cats, and we tailor preventive care to our clients’ lifestyle with their pets. We have a zero tolerance policy for bad client behavior: if clients are rude to our staff, we fire them.
We are dedicated to our wonderful clientele; we practice high quality medicine and surgery in a beautiful, comfortable setting with a fantastic, skilled, professional and highly irreverent staff, many of whom have been with us for a decade.
I am not an owner who studies reports and pressures associates to produce or implement sales tactics to increase revenue. I believe that if you do the right thing for your patients and your clients, the money will follow, and that has been true for my entire tenure here. For that reason, I eschew reports and sales gimmicks of any kind. I make time to mentor newer graduates and ensure that the clinic is a safe and comfortable environment to learn and practice and grow.Hesitation to working with a married set of owners can be assuaged by the fact that I’m the DVM owner and I work full time at the practice. My wife is a full time ER nurse at the local hospital and her role includes payroll and accounts payable, which she does from home, so there’s no bickering or weird relationship stuff that can occur when there are owners who are also spouses.
The most important characteristics we are seeking in an associate include good communication skills, a sense of humor, empathy, an understanding and appreciation of the human animal bond, and the importance of developing and maintaining relationships with clients and staff.
Our rural small town is bustling with artists and ranch folks, a delightful mix of wineries, redwoods, hundreds of miles of hiking trails, the world famous Skunk Train, lots of small town charm, and we are just an hour away from the most breathtaking coast in the west, three hours north of the Bay Area and an hour from Santa Rosa which has all the things like Trader Joes, Target, etc. Ukiah, 20 minutes to the south has all features of a larger city, a variety of eateries and boutique shopping.
We have two clinic cats, Bella and Lisbeth. Lisbeth, named for the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo came from a shelter in the Bay Area and has been our clinic greeter, dog tormentor and human comforter for 12 years. She recently had I-131 treatment for her hyperthyroidism and is now in early renal failure, though she is still up for engaging in her hobbies which include ripping open bags of dog and cat food just for fun and tormenting the local swallow population. Our other clinic cat, Bella was run over by her owners as a young cat, and was surrendered to us. She allows the swallows to torment her.
Check out our website: www.easthillvet.com and visit us
