Medical Director Veterinarian – Chico Creek Animal Hospital

VeterinarianFull-Time

Listed compensation

$145k-$200k

Listing transparency3 of 6 stated

Ask the employer about call expectations, weekend coverage and nights and shift pattern.

Employment & setting
Full-Time · on-site
Call expectations
Not specified
Weekends
Not specified
Posted 1h ago · Verified live

Job Description

Medical Director Veterinarian – Chico Creek Animal Hospital | Chico, CA

Full-time or Part-time DVM | Small Animal GP | Urgent Care | Surgery & Dentistry

Chico Creek Animal Hospital is looking for an experienced veterinarian to join our multi-doctor team in Chico, CA. We’re a busy, well-established hospital with a strong focus on quality medicine, teamwork, and long-term relationships with our clients. We’re looking for a team-oriented doctor who is ready to jump in, collaborate with colleagues, and help support our growing caseload.

Get to know us

The hospital has an experienced support team and an efficient doctor workflow.

The Team

  • 4-doctor team, typically with 3 doctors scheduled per day
  • 3 RVTs + 5 veterinary assistants, with most team members having 2+ years of experience

Dedicated support teams help doctors throughout the day, generally with an RVT and assistant assigned to each doctor

Highly collaborative environment where doctors regularly consult on cases, rechecks, diagnostics, and treatment plans

Hospital Manager Jocelyn is an experienced RVT and has been with the practice for 4+ years, with a strong focus on communication, team morale, and staff development

  • Long-standing team with a reputation for being kind, welcoming, and supportive
  • Facility & Equiptment

3 exam rooms, with plans to add 2 additional exam rooms and additional treatment space during an upcoming remodel

  • Dedicated surgery suite
  • Dental area with 2 wet tables, including a dedicated dental table
  • Digital radiology and digital dental radiology
  • Full IDEXX in-house laboratory
  • Ultrasound
  • Therapeutic laser
  • Modern dental equipment
  • In-house pharmacy plus online pharmacy options
  • Bright, welcoming facility with an open floor plan
  • Our Services
  • Small animal general practice
  • Wellness, preventative care, and diagnostics
  • Same-day urgent care, walk-ins, and drop-offs when possible
  • Soft tissue surgery

Advanced soft tissue procedures, including foreign bodies, cystotomies, splenectomies, amputations, FHO, anal gland removals, and more

  • Dentistry, including dental radiographs and extractions
  • Some orthopedic procedures
  • Acupuncture and therapeutic laser
  • Doctors with special interests in internal medicine, surgery, dentistry, and more
  • Fear-Free principles and low-stress handling encouraged
  • What We’re Looking For

We’re looking for a kind, collaborative veterinarian leader who is comfortable in a team-based hospital and committed to low-stress patient care. We’re open to doctors with existing clinical interests or those looking to develop new skills, especially surgery or dentistry. Most of our doctors are seeing 30-minute appointments, have dedicated surgery days. We are happy to work around your ideal scheduling preferences as well.

Qualifications

  • DVM or equivalent from an accredited veterinary school
  • 4+ years of DVM experience, ideally with leadership qualities or experience
  • Active California veterinary license or ability to obtain one
  • Strong communication and teamwork skills

Qualifications

Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM or equivalent) from an accredited veterinary school.

Active veterinary license (or ability to obtain licensure in California and other applicable states within the region).

Location

Chico offers a friendly, community-oriented lifestyle with a more relaxed, country feel while still providing plenty of restaurants, outdoor recreation, and local amenities. Chico is home to California State University, Chico, and is surrounded by opportunities for hiking, biking, fishing, and exploring the outdoors.

Compensation & Benefits

  • Full-time or part-time schedules available to support work-life balance.
  • Competitive base salary + production (no negative accrual)
  • Bonuses
  • PTO and holidays
  • CE allowance + CE PTO days
  • Professional organization dues, state license, DEA, PLIT, AVMA, and VIN membership
  • Medical, dental, and vision insurance, including HSA and FSA options
  • International medical and emergency coverage
  • Student loan options
  • 401(k)
  • Paid parental leave

Next Steps

If you’re an experienced veterinarian looking for a collaborative team, strong mentorship, and the opportunity to practice excellent medicine in a busy, well-established hospital, Chico Creek Animal Hospital would love to meet you.

APPLY TODAY and join a team that values teamwork, quality medicine, and long-term relationships with pets and their families.

This is a good-faith estimate based on the role's requirements at the time of posting. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. The Company offers a comprehensive benefits package that may include medical, dental, and vision benefits, vacation, sick leave, 401(k), and other benefits depending on role and location. A complete description of benefits available for this position will be provided during the hiring process. Where required under applicable law, Company provides eligible employees with paid sick leave, health emergency leave, and other legally mandated benefits programs, all in accordance with the requirements of applicable state and local law depending on the location of the practice you support.

  • California Pay Range
  • $145,000—$200,000 USD

Western Veterinary Partners is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, pregnancy, childbirth or related conditions, veteran or military status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. Western Veterinary Partners is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in the job application process. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact hr@westernvetpartners.com. Hiring decisions will be based on merit, qualifications and the legitimate needs of the business.

Candidate Privacy Notice

Key Responsibilities

The Medical Director Veterinarian will lead a multi-doctor team to provide high-quality medical care, including surgery, dentistry, and urgent care services. They are responsible for collaborating with colleagues to support a growing caseload while maintaining strong client relationships.

Qualifications

Education
Doctoral or professional degree (postgraduate degree)
Experience
5+ years of experience

Certifications

DEA License

Key Skills

Small animal medicineTeam collaborationClient communicationDiagnostic imagingFear-free handling

Veterinary Medicine Career Context

In California, the Veterinary Medicine weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$153k (36 salary observations; 109 listings), vs ~$137k nationally (273 salary observations; 1,508 listings). Monthly aggregates cover 2026-03-01 through 2026-09-01; these are not the modal's selected comparable-job medians.

Of the 40 active Veterinary Medicine listings this role was benchmarked against, 3% are remote, 63% have no call, 53% require no weekends.

Veterinary Medicine pay on WeekdayDoc is down 3.7% vs. the prior quarter (through Aug 2026).

The cost-of-living index for California is 110.7 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$173k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $156k in an average-cost state. 63.6% of California clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

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Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks23 jobs · 22 employers

401k / retirement match
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CME allowance
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Sign-on bonus
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Relocation assistance
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Loan repayment
13% this job

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Work-life snapshot

2.8/ 10
Listing-based score
  • On-site

Living in Chico

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$451k
Typical market rent
$1,544/mo
Residents’ average commute
18 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
101.2
State income tax
Up to 13.3%
Sources & methodology

Sources: Zillow home values (Aug 2026), Zillow market rents (Aug 2026), U.S. Census ACS 2024 five-year.

BEA 2024 · Chico, CA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

City-level figures. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.

Western Veterinary Partners logo

About Western Veterinary Partners

Veterinary Services
Denver
201-500 employees

Benefits & Perks

Competitive base salary + production (no negative accrual)
Bonuses
PTO and holidays
CE allowance + CE PTO days
Professional organization dues, state license, DEA, PLIT, AVMA, and VIN membership
Medical, dental, and vision insurance, including HSA and FSA options
International medical and emergency coverage
Student loan options