Associate Veterinarian

Location Peoria, United States Sector Other Salary $100,000.00 to $120,000.00 per annum

Atlas is excited to be working with a small-animal hospital in Peoria, Illinois, that is hiring an Associate Veterinarian to be a part of high-volume spay and neuter surgery through its partnership with the county’s animal protection services.

This role is built around surgery. Most of your time will be spent aboard a mobile surgical unit, performing canine and feline sterilization procedures for shelter animals and the wider community. The work has a clear purpose: every procedure helps reduce pet overpopulation across the county, and the results show up in the shelter’s intake numbers over time.

Once the day’s surgical list is complete, the focus shifts to shelter medicine. You’ll evaluate and treat sick or injured animals in the shelter’s care, which keeps your medical skills in regular use and gives the role more variety than a surgery-only position. Many of these animals have no other access to a veterinarian, so the care you provide makes a real difference to their chances of adoption.

The schedule is Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, from 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM, with no emergency or on-call responsibilities. That leaves four days a week entirely your own. Surgical days follow a set routine, and the team on the unit is organized around keeping workflow efficient without compromising patient safety.

Veterinarians with strong high-volume experience will be trusted to run their surgical days independently. If you have solid foundations and want to build speed and confidence, structured mentorship is available to help you get there.

Key highlights

• Surgery-focused role performing high-volume canine and feline spays and neuters
• Partnership between a local small-animal hospital and the county animal protection agency
• Procedures performed on a dedicated mobile surgical unit
• Shelter medicine cases after each surgical list, adding clinical variety to the day
• Three-day working week: Monday, Tuesday and Thursday
• Set hours of 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM
• No emergency or on-call responsibilities
• Direct, measurable impact on pet overpopulation across the county
• Structured mentorship available for developing surgical skills

About you

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) or equivalent degree
• Illinois veterinary license, or eligibility to obtain one
• Experience in high-volume surgery and shelter medicine, or a strong surgical foundation and a clear interest in building proficiency
• Organized and efficient in a surgical setting, with patient safety as the priority
• Confident making independent clinical decisions on shelter cases
• Works well alongside hospital and shelter staff
• Motivated by community medicine and improving animal welfare

Benefits

• Base salary plus quarterly production with no negative accrual
• Sign-on bonus
• Medical, dental and vision insurance
• Generous PTO with rollover
• Paid parental leave
• Annual CE allowance plus dedicated CE daysProfessional development assistance
• Professional dues and PLIT paid
• Structured mentorship
• 401(k) options
• Personal pet discounts