Western Veterinary Partners logo
Western Veterinary Partners
Fort Smith, Arkansas

Associate Veterinarian- Ar

VeterinarianNo callFull-Time

Compensation

Pay not listed

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about the pay range, weekend coverage, nights and shift pattern and time off.

Posted 1mo ago

Job Description

  • Associate Veterinarian
  • Arkansas Veterinary Clinic | Fort Smith, Arkansas
  • Come find your people at Arkansas Veterinary Clinic!

Arkansas Veterinary Clinic, located in the heart of Fort Smith, Arkansas, is looking for a compassionate and enthusiastic Associate Veterinarian (DVM) to join our close-knit team!

If you’re looking for more than just another job—if you want to become part of a family-oriented practice where your voice matters, your relationships matter, and you can genuinely enjoy coming to work—we’d love to meet you.

We’re open to both experienced veterinarians and early-career DVMs, and we’re committed to creating an environment where you can continue to grow while practicing high-quality medicine.

  • This Could Be the Perfect Fit If You…
  • Have a few years of experience under your belt or are an early-career veterinarian ready to grow
  • Are looking for a long-term veterinary home
  • Have a strong work ethic and take pride in providing excellent patient care
  • Enjoy building genuine, personal relationships with clients and their families
  • Believe in the importance of client education and communication
  • Communicate with compassion, kindness, and respect
  • Enjoy being part of a small, collaborative team
  • Want to practice medicine alongside people who genuinely care about one another
  • And, honestly… would much rather wear scrubs than a suit!

Your Veterinary Home Away From Home

At Arkansas Veterinary Clinic, we believe the best veterinary medicine happens when you know your team, know your clients, and genuinely care about the community you serve.

Led by Dr. Rick Hittner, our small but talented team takes pride in creating a family-like atmosphere for our staff and clients. We’re fortunate to have an experienced support team, including a Certified Veterinary Technician, who understands the importance of teamwork and providing our doctors with the support they need.

Our team works hard, takes veterinary medicine seriously, and holds ourselves to a high standard—but we also know when it's time to laugh.

  • We believe humor, camaraderie, and enjoying the people you work with are pretty important, too.
  • Our goal has always been simple: provide the pets of Fort Smith with exceptional veterinary care in a compassionate, welcoming, family-oriented environment.
  • What You’ll Have the Opportunity to Do
  • As an Associate Veterinarian, you’ll have the opportunity to:
  • Provide comprehensive small animal medical care
  • Build lasting relationships with clients and their pets
  • Perform wellness and preventive care
  • Diagnose and manage a variety of medical conditions
  • Perform soft tissue surgery
  • Develop your interests in orthopedics and specialty procedures
  • Educate clients on preventive care and long-term health
  • Collaborate closely with an experienced veterinary support team
  • Develop your clinical skills through mentorship and continuing education
  • Contribute to a positive, team-focused hospital culture
  • Veterinarians with an interest in soft tissue surgery, orthopedics, and/or specialty procedures are especially encouraged to apply!
  • We Welcome New Graduates!
  • If you're an early-career veterinarian, you don't have to have everything figured out on day one.

We understand that building confidence takes time, experience, and the right people around you. Our experienced team is here to help you grow, ask questions, develop your skills, and become the veterinarian you want to be.

And if you’re an experienced DVM looking for a practice where you can bring your knowledge and continue developing your interests, we want to hear from you, too!

Our Investment in YOU

We believe taking care of our team is just as important as taking care of our patients.

Your Benefits Include

  • Competitive base salary + production
  • No negative accrual
  • Generous bonus package / relocation assistance
  • NO on-call or emergency hours
  • Medical, dental, and vision insurance for you and your dependents, with HSA option
  • 401(k) options annual PTO with rollover
  • Annual CE allowance + paid days to attend
  • Paid parental leave / bonding time
  • Professional development assistance
  • Personal pet discounts
  • Paid license renewal fees and professional membership dues
  • AVMA PLIT coverage
  • And plenty more!

Life in Fort Smith

If you haven't experienced Fort Smith yet, you're in for a treat!

Located along the Arkansas River, Fort Smith combines rich history, a welcoming community, and plenty of opportunities to get outside and enjoy life. The city is known for its Wild West heritage, historic districts, local restaurants and breweries, and family-friendly community events.

And when you're ready to unplug, there are plenty of ways to enjoy the outdoors—whether that's fishing, hiking, golfing, kayaking, camping, swimming, or exploring one of the area's many parks and lakes.

Fort Smith also offers excellent schools, an affordable cost of living, and a strong sense of community, making it a wonderful place to put down roots.

Ready to Find Your Veterinary Family?

If you're looking for a practice where you can practice great medicine, build meaningful relationships, laugh with your coworkers, and feel like part of something bigger, Arkansas Veterinary Clinic may be the place for you.

Come see what makes our team special. We’d love to meet you!

Interested? Apply Today!

Salary ranges are primarily determined by role, level, and location. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

Western Veterinary Partners offers competitive compensation along with a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, and vision benefits, vacation, sick leave, 401(k), and more depending on location and eligibility.

More detailed compensation and benefits information will be provided for the specific hospital and position.

LI-LZ1

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 Associate Veterinarian will provide comprehensive small animal medical care, including wellness exams, soft tissue surgeries, and diagnostic management. They will also focus on building lasting client relationships and educating pet owners on preventive health measures.

Requirements

The role is open to both early-career veterinarians and experienced DVMs who possess a strong work ethic and a commitment to high-quality medicine. Candidates must demonstrate excellent communication skills and a desire to work collaboratively within a team-oriented environment.

Qualifications

Education
Doctoral or professional degree (postgraduate degree)

Key Skills

Small animal medicineClinical diagnosisTeam collaboration

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Associate Veterinarian- Arkansas Veterinary Clinic at Western Veterinary Partners a 6.4 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as good. This places the position in the Above average in Veterinary — ranked against 4,526 active Veterinary listings on WeekdayDoc. Contributing factors include no on-call duties.

General Veterinary Medicine Career Context

Of the 50 active Veterinarian listings this role was benchmarked against, 94% have no call, 92% require no weekends.

Veterinarian pay on WeekdayDoc is down 1.8% vs. the prior quarter (through Oct 2026).

Veterinarian by the numbers
MeasureThis jobMarket
Work-life score6.4 / 10 · above average in veterinaryranked against 4,526 Veterinary listingslisting-based score, 0–10
Listed paynot listedVeterinarian median $138k (middle half $123k–$158k)465 comparable listings, Nov 2026
Cost of livingArkansas index 86.9US average = 100BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Veterinarian listings in Arkansas51 active4,574 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 94% no call · 92% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentsign-on bonusUS healthcare professional listings: 49% state a sign-on bonus (median $50k) · 10% offer loan repayment1,000 active listings, Nov 2026
Veterinarian pay trend−1.8% vs prior quarter—through Oct 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index (4,526 Veterinary listings), BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Nov 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

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Work-life snapshot

median 3.9this job 6.4
Better work-life than 70% of Veterinary listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 4,526 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • No call
  • On-site
Western Veterinary Partners logo

About Western Veterinary Partners

Veterinary Services
Denver
201-500 employees

Benefits & Perks

Competitive base salary + production
No negative accrual
Generous bonus package / relocation assistance
No on-call or emergency hours
Medical, dental, and vision insurance with HSA option
401(k) options
Annual PTO with rollover
Annual CE allowance + paid days to attend

Living in Fort Smith

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$208k
Typical market rent
$1,063/mo
Residents’ average commute
17 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
85.9
State income tax
Up to 4.9%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Fort Smith, AR-OK metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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