Frequently asked questions

Roo helps Veterinarians find great hospitals to work at, matching skilled doctors with shifts in need of coverage. As a Relief Veterinarian with Roo, you'll start by creating a profile, which only takes a few minutes.

Then, you can conveniently browse available relief shifts in your area and choose shifts when and where you want to work. After working a shift, review your experience to let other Relief Veterinarians know how it went. Then, you'll then get paid just a few days.

Roo aims to provide full transparency of all our hospitals to ensure the best possible matching and make every shift a success. Relief Veterinarians and hospitals have profiles that provide key information and reviews from previous shifts. Hospitals are not able to see Vet profiles until they request a shift.

Our website and app let you to search hospital shift opportunities by location/distance, shift/appointment type, support staff availability, and skill sets required.

It's easy, quick, and convenient. Your time is valuable, and Roo is here to give you your time back.

Relief Veterinarians are veterinary professionals who work as independent contractors, supporting hospitals when they need additional coverage or want to expand access to care.

Relief Veterinarians enjoy more freedom over their careers, financial goals, and work-life balance. Some work relief shifts alongside a full-time role to supplement their income while others make relief their primary source of income. Relief is also a great way to diversify experience and perspectives by picking up new skills at a variety of clinics.

The joy of Roo is that it helps Veterinarians build the careers they want with the flexibility to create their own schedules and choose which hospitals they support.

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Roo puts you in control of your schedule, giving you the freedom to create a flexible schedule with work-life balance that's best for you. Our website and app provide a variety of relief shift opportunities at over 10,000 hospitals, allowing you to work where you want, when you want.

Additionally, the nature of relief work allows you to explore new clinics and specialties without committing long-term for a unique learning experience, to keep your skills sharp, or just to break out of your routine. If you end up finding a hospital you love, Roo can help you get hired full-time.

Ultimately, we aim to empower Veterinarians to have more flexible careers, a community full of other professionals to learn from and network with, free continuing education, and other support resources that will improve your quality of life.

Roo offers a variety of shifts, specialties, and appointment types, all of which will be visible on the shift post and hospital profile before you book your shifts.

Some of our most common shift types include general practice, urgent care, and emergency. We also offer the occasional shelter/non-profit shift as well as shifts at mobile clinics.

The shift card always makes it really clear what to expect. In addition to transparent pay, you’ll see an estimated number of appointments, whether surgery will be required and what types, if other doctors will be in office to lend a hand, and more.

Yes! Even if you're employed full-time, you can always pick up relief shifts to supplement your income whenever it fits your schedule. Relief work is also a great way to try new hospitals and learn from other doctors. Roo is free to join with no membership fees and no penalties for inactivity so you have nothing to lose!

Signing up to become a Roo Relief Veterinarian is as easy as clicking this link and creating a profile. Join now and start finding relief shifts near you!

Roo currently provides veterinary relief services in these states and metro areas, and we are constantly expanding.

Don't see your area covered? Let us know we should bring Roo to you by signing up.

Roo is completely free for Veterinarians. There's absolutely no cost to join, and there are no monthly fees. You'll only make money with Roo.

All Roo Relief Veterinarians must hold an active license in good standing in any states in which they intend to pick up relief shifts and must have previous veterinary experience.

Getting started with Roo is fast and easy. Once you sign up, we’ll verify your license in any states where you’ve let us know you’d like to pick up shifts. This process may just take a few minutes or could take up to three business days depending on the sate, but you’ll be able to search for and request shifts right away. Your licensing info will need to be confirmed before you work your first shift.

You’ll have the option to hop on a quick onboarding call with one of our amazing team members who can walk you through how to get the most out of Roo’s platform and achieve your goals, whether that’s earning more with relief work, finding a part or full-time role that’s a perfect culture fit, or enjoying free CE.

While Roo doesn’t require personal liability insurance, we highly recommend getting your own coverage as you won’t be covered under the hospital’s policy as an independent contractor. Roo has teamed with the AVMA PLIT to offer liability and license defense plans that are affordable and convenient.

Learn more about Roo's Partnership with AVMA PLIT

With Roo you get paid fast and never have to chase down payments! You’ll link your bank account during a quick, one-time set-up. After that, any payments will be direct deposited into your account in just a few days!

Relief Veterinarians are in high demand and often earn more than two-times the hourly rate of the average full-time veterinarian, averaging $140 an hour nationwide*.

We pride ourselves on our transparent payments: What you see listed on each shift card is exactly what you’ll make!

Taxes are not taken out of your pay, so the full amount will hop straight into your bank account just a few days after you work a shift. That said, you’ll still be responsible for paying taxes on that income later, so we recommend setting some money aside to take care of future you.

Head over to our Relief Veterinarian Salary Calculator to run the numbers on what you could make in a year.

*_{"Roo Vet hourly earnings" calculated for completed Roo shifts from 01/01/25 - 12/31/25. “Avg. hourly Vet rate” is an estimated hourly equivalent calculated from avg. professional income and avg. hours worked per week in the 2026 AVMA Report on the Economic State of the Veterinary Profession (based on 2025 survey data). Actual earnings vary by location, shift type, date of coverage, and other shift details.}

Roo offers a number of ways for you to earn even more, including through Boosted Shifts, which provide higher pay for shifts that need to be filled urgently.

We also offer various promotional rewards to Relief Vets who are active on our platform. Details for specific promotions and other offers will be emailed to Roo users.

Roo Relief Vets are independent contractors, and taxes are not taken out of your income, so you’ll get paid every cent you see listed on the shift card. However, you’ll still be responsible for paying taxes on this income later, so we recommend setting some of your Roo earnings aside for tax payments.

Roo's platform automatically keeps track of your hours and earnings to help you file your taxes each year. When you first sign up, our tax center will automatically issue a W-9. If your earnings add up to over $600 in a single year, Roo will provide a single 1099 form that covers all relief income you earned through our platform for the calendar year. We e

ven track your mileage for you, which can be applied as a tax write-off.

We provide a number of resources to make this easy for you in our Tax Center.

We’ve gone to great lengths to help you find exactly what you’re looking for cheetah-fast in the nation’s largest relief network! Log into our website or mobile app and click on the “Shifts” tab to see everything that’s available near you.

You can filter your search by pay, distance, shift type, and more to find exactly what you’re looking for. You can also enter a date range to find shifts that fit your schedule.

Once you see a shift that looks like a match, smash that "Request” button. This lets the hospital know you're interested. If the hospital Confirms your shift request, we’ll send you an email to let you know it’s official.

Then, all that’s left is to do what you do best: provide great care for pets!

No! As a Roo Vet, you’ll have complete control over your schedule. Work when you want, where you want, period.

Roo has no penalties of any kind for inactivity or taking time off. In fact, we encourage it. Work as much or as little as you like. Take a vacation or just some personal time, enjoy a long parental leave if you're welcoming a new child into the world, or simply take a break from it all. Whenever you're ready to return, Roo will be right here waiting for you.

Every Roo shift will indicate what kind of work you'll be doing, if surgery will be required, and if there will be another doctor on site for full transparency before you request anything. We'll let you know what types of surgery might be included, even how many appointments you can expect to fulfill during your shift.

You can even filter shifts by specific types of work you wish to perform. We want every shift to be a perfect fit for both the Vet and the hospital, and this starts with letting you know what to expect.

You can call out of shifts quickly and easily using the Roo platform, and we’ll notify the hospital. To call out from a shift, please find the shift in the Roo mobile app or online platform and use the “call out” link.

You can use the Roo app or online platform to send messages to hospitals ahead of shifts once a shift is confirmed. This is a great way to ask any questions like what practice management software they use, where to park, and more.

You're welcome to contact Roo at any time by email at [email protected], or you can call us at 1-833-Roo-Vets. You can also use this link to reach out to our amazing Customer Support team.

You can also use the Support Chat feature in our app to contact us directly as well. We look forward to speaking with you.