Associate Veterinarian
Compensation
Pay not listed
The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed
Ask the employer about the pay range, the work setting, weekend coverage and time off.
Job Description
Associate Veterinarian | Coastal Wine Country | Santa Maria, CA
Love wine country, coastal living, and practicing excellent medicine? Animal Clinic of Santa Maria is a thriving, multi-doctor small animal practice on California's Central Coast — and we're looking for a full-time or part-time DVM to join our collaborative team.
About Us
- Multi-DVM GP practice in sunny Santa Barbara County
- Welcomes avian, exotic, dog, and cat patients
- Modern, spacious facility with digital x-ray, dental suite with digital rads, ultrasound, and in-house labs
- Supportive culture with positive vibes, mentorship, and room to grow
- Located near Santa Barbara, Pismo, and Avila Beaches — plus world-class wine country
What You'll Do
- Deliver compassionate, high-quality care to companion animals
- Collaborate with a friendly, skilled team in a relaxed, collegial environment
- Explore your interests — whether that's surgery, diagnostics, holistic medicine, or exotics
- Enjoy work-life balance: no after-hours or on-call duties
Requirements
Ideal Candidate
- Licensed DVM (or ability to become licensed) in California
- Experienced or new graduate DVM – we'll support your growth
- Committed to patient care and client communication
- Team player with a great attitude and curiosity to learn
- Open to exotics or other niche interests (but not required!)
Benefits & Compensation
What We Offer
- Signing bonus and relocation assistance
- Medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and short-term disability
- 401(k) with employer match
- CE stipend, PTO, and reimbursement of licensure, DEA, and professional dues
- AVMA PLIT coverage, EAP, and personal pet discounts
- In-house mentorship programs and EAP wellness initiatives
Key Responsibilities
Deliver compassionate, high-quality medical care to companion animals including dogs, cats, and exotics. Collaborate with a skilled team in a collegial environment while exploring professional interests like surgery or diagnostics.
Qualifications
- Education
- Doctoral or professional degree (postgraduate degree)
Certifications
Key Skills
Veterinary Medicine Career Context
The cost-of-living index for California is 110.7 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 63.6% of California clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).
Of the 50 active Veterinary Medicine listings this role was benchmarked against, 2% are remote, 72% have no call, 50% require no weekends.
Veterinary Medicine pay on WeekdayDoc is down 2.8% vs. the prior quarter (through Sep 2026).
Work-Life Balance Analysis
WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Associate Veterinarian at Bigfork Animal Hospital a 6.9 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as good. This places the position in the Above average in Veterinary Medicine — ranked against 3,067 active Veterinary Medicine listings on WeekdayDoc. Contributing factors include no on-call duties, no night shifts.
Top Veterinarian Jobs
37 matches · ranked by paySalary Distribution33 jobs · 21 employers
Annual compensation range
Benefits & Perks33 jobs · 21 employers
Share of similar jobs offering each benefit
Feline-Only Veterinarian – Full-Time or Part-Time
Confidential Employer · New Orleans, Louisiana
Feline-Only Veterinarian – Full-Time or Part-Time
Veterinary Practice Partners · New Orleans, Louisiana
Senior Shelter Veterinarian (2293) - Animal Care and Control, Office of the City Administrator
$177k–$227k2293-Senior Shelter Veterinarian
$177k-$227kWork-life snapshot
Listing-based score, 0–10, across 3,067 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.
- No call
- No nights
Living in Santa Maria
- Typical 3-bedroom home value
- $644k
- Typical market rent
- $2,537/mo
- Residents’ average commute
- 22 min
- Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
- 108.8
- 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 · Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.
City-level figures. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.