Dr. Ivan Zak joined the field with a passion for ER medicine, but 6 years of overworking himself led to intense and crippling burnout. Dr. Zak described burnout as a total loss of joy with no escape. No matter what he tried to do, the feeling of disconnection and cynicism plagued him. Now he is motivated to build an organization that will systematically prevent veterinary burnout. 

Galaxy Vets, founded by Dr. Zak is a veterinary healthcare system co-owned by its employees. This system entails at least 6 partner hospitals and an ER with a simple lab at the center. He calls this the “Solar System”. The connection of these hospitals will allow flexibility and fluidity of its employees for the entire system, making room for opportunities to move around positions, work in telehealth, seamless filling for employee leave periods, and more. Additionally, with hospitals and ER connected, patients can be referred to emergency and specialty care as soon as they need it and not before they’ve overspent on basic care at their regular clinic. 

Top-of-the-market salary, No non-competes, No commission-based pay, Equity in the company, and Burnout Prevention are just some of the extrinsic motivators for Galaxy Vets. Their purpose is to prevent and decrease burnout in the veterinary domain and they have defined their two missions as returning veterinary medicine back to veterinary professionals and providing access to care. These cover big problems in the veterinary industry for both employees and clients!

One thing I love about this model and Dr. Zak’s work is just how data-driven every piece is. If you are an employee in a clinical environment, please take the Burnout Survey linked in the show notes to help Dr. Zak’s mission. Galaxy Vets is sure to experience a ton of growth in the next year, so check out their website and follow them on social media. I can’t wait to check back in with Dr. Zak and Galaxy Vets.