Completed during the summer of 2025, the British Veterinary Receptionist Association (BVRA) survey aims to gain a better understanding of how veterinary receptionists feel about their role, including job satisfaction, pay, inter-practice relationships and the availability of CPD.
This year, 98 percent of respondents were female, with 76 percent aged between 35 and 64. The vast majority work in small animal or mixed practice, with 70 percent working for a corporate practice, up 2 percent from last year.
Pay and job satisfaction
In terms of pay and conditions, receptionists’ pay is mainly rising in line with the minimum wage; however, it is not keeping up with inflation or other sectors. Only 15 percent of respondents are satisfied with their level of pay, which is a sharp drop from 34 percent in 2023.
We deserve better than minimum wage for the role we perform
If we drill deeper into the job satisfaction rates, looking particularly at those who identified as “very satisfied” or “satisfied” overall, there is 50% or less satisfaction in several areas including: flexibility of working conditions (49 percent), support (50 percent), level of recognition (36 percent), and opportunities for progression (22 percent) and development (35 percent). The BVRA would like to see all the satisfied responses above 70 percent, as it is disappointing that progress has slowed and, indeed, reversed from last year in some areas.
Communication with central support is poor. Morale within the team is good, but morale related to the company/head office is not
Job role
In many ways, the client is judging the overall veterinary practice on the receptionist’s performance more than any other member of the team
It’s worth noting that on average, 66 percent of a client’s interaction is with a receptionist, critically including the first impressions. In many ways, the client is judging the overall veterinary practice on the receptionist’s performance more than any other member of the team. However, most respondents feel unheard and unrepresented at work.
Reception staff are always left out of the meetings and decisions, and we are always last to know anything
Management never consults receptionists or listens to their concerns
In terms of the type of duties they perform, in addition to the “standard” receptionist duties, the veterinary receptionist role seems to be ever-expanding. The majority of respondents now also handle a range of jobs, including dispensing and managing medications, stock control, selling affiliated products, cleaning, laundry, finance, insurance claims and debt collection. In addition, 94 percent report that they are involved in helping the clinical team restrain animals. It is clear from successive surveys that what was once “the exception to the rule” is now becoming the norm, although from feedback, this increased responsibility and workload is not always reflected in pay conditions.
I do more work and have more duties for the exact same pay
We get taken for granted, much more responsibility, no extra pay and no thanks
Client relationships
Some respondents also mention the ongoing negative impact of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) enquiry, exacerbating client challenges. One respondent summarised:
“The financial issues faced by clients have changed their behaviour towards us. I have faced a lot more backlash on pricing over the last two years. The recent CMA review and resulting media reports have not helped with this, and I feel that those who work in veterinary now, in any role, are judged negatively.”
It must be stressed that the BVRA also received some positive comments, including:
“Now we’re more supported by the practice leadership team – I have a great team around me, so I don’t have to make all the difficult decisions on my own.”
“I really enjoy being a vet receptionist and love being in a face-to-face role.”
Continuing professional development
There is still a large appetite for CPD among veterinary receptionists, with over 63 percent of respondents wanting to have the opportunity to do more. Disappointingly, 33 percent of respondents – up 5 percent on last year – said they do not receive a CPD allowance, while another 18 percent of respondents were unsure if they did have an allowance.
The majority of respondents saw the importance of CPD in keeping up to date and increasing their job knowledge, which they also felt helped to raise overall practice efficiency. Twenty percent of respondents felt CPD was essential to be compliant and meet professional expectations.
Some respondents also felt that there should be some mandatory “basic” training that all receptionists should do when starting the role. One respondent stated:
“Considering how long the clinical team train for, there is still an expectation for reception staff to be fully trained in under four weeks, which is crazy!”
Final thoughts
It still appears that the veterinary industry overall is failing to recognise the importance of the receptionist role.
It still appears that the veterinary industry overall is failing to recognise the importance of the receptionist role. These are loyal and key members of staff, and there is a good business case for supporting them further. Moreover, there are significant competitive advantages to be gained by employers that recognise this and reward staff based on their qualifications, skills, experience and commitment.
With some notable exceptions, the industry at large still sees this as a “minimum wage level role” which fails to reflect the complexity of the receptionist job and the potential return on investment of well-trained, supported and motivated staff. Receptionists are generally very passionate about the role, and perhaps the whole survey could be summed up by one respondent who simply wrote: “Underpaid and undervalued, but I love the job.”
Abbie Wilson, AVR, BVRA president, says, “We at BVRA want to use this survey to support employers in improving the current situation for veterinary receptionists and believe there will be a considerable benefit to those who recognise this, many of whom we are working successfully with already.”
You can find further information about the BVRA and this year’s annual receptionist survey on the BVRA website.
