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JAMAICA PLAIN, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Industry experts are concerned about the "crisis" level staffing shortages at animal hospitals in Massachusetts and around the country.
"We have never seen this much of a shortage of our veterinary technicians ever," MSPCA-Angell CEO Neal Litvack said.
According to Litvack, there was an increase in Boston area pet owners during the COVID-19 pandemic, while at the same time many veterinary technicians left the field to pursue other work.
"A lot of people have left the industry," said Litvack.
At Angell Animal Medical Center in Jamaica Plain, the shortage is up to 20 percent. This has resulted in people and their pets waiting long hours to be seen, and in some cases turned away.
"Sometimes we’re one nurse away from going on diversion, so we can only see the sickest pets," said Chief Medical Officer Megan Whelan.
There is an aggressive recruitment program underway at local colleges to alleviate the problem, although Litvack noted it is going to take several years to turn the concerning trend around.
"It's not a quick fix," Litvack said. "[It] probably will take between five and ten years to turn around. It is a long term action plan."
WBZ's Shari Small (@ShariSmallNews) reports.
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