Toxic work culture, incompetent management - Associate Veterinarian VCA Employee Review

2.0
9 Mar 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Pay and benefits are competitive

Cons

Toxic, catty work environment. The managers are bullies who will retaliate if you so much as try to assert a boundary. Chronically understaffed by design: management knows there aren't enough support staff, but also isn't hiring. Deeply unsupportive and toxic

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VCA Response
1mo
Thank you for sharing this feedback. We take concerns about leadership behavior, respect, and psychological safety seriously, and we recognize that feeling unable to assert boundaries can be deeply discouraging. At VCA, we continue to invest in leadership development and ongoing training to help create thoughtful, compassionate leadership across our hospitals. Just as importantly, we work to build strong care teams by prioritizing a healthy support‑staff‑to‑doctor ratio and by growing, developing, and fully using the skills of our technicians so everyone feels valued and supported in their role. Our goal is always to create workplaces where people feel comfortable speaking up, confident in the care they provide, and supported by the team around them. Feedback like this matters to us as we continue strengthening the Associate experience and caring for those who care for pets.

Explore other reviews about VCA

5.0
15 Apr 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Perfect team for learning and mentorsip

Cons

New manager made 13 of us leave for the best

4.0
12 June 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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