What is the Australian Veterinary Association? Who is it for?

In Australia, veterinarians are required to maintain continuing professional development (CPD) as a condition of ongoing registration with the Veterinary Practitioners Board in their state or territory. The specific number of hours required varies by jurisdiction.

Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) All Access and Flexi members have access to an interactive CPD tracker that records completed activities and generates a CPD statement for use at registration renewal. Members also have access to unlimited live webinars and a full library of on-demand webinars, all of which contribute to CPD requirements. Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) ‘s 19 Special Interest Groups each deliver discipline-specific CPD, publications and professional development resources. Workshops and face-to-face learning at Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) national conferences and SIG events also count toward CPD.

For veterinary nurses and technologists, CPD requirements are set by the Veterinary Nurses Council of Australia and relevant state bodies. Australian Veterinary Association (AVA)  membership provides access to professional development resources that support compliance for the whole practice team.

Australian Veterinary Association (AVA)  All Access members receive access to unlimited live webinars and the full on-demand CPD library at no additional cost beyond their annual membership fee of $888. This represents significant savings compared to purchasing individual sessions at $25 each for non-members.

All Access members also receive the Event Advantage discount, saving $400 or more per national conference or SIG event. Australian Veterinary Association (AVA)  has partnerships with VetPrac and Lincoln Institute, offering exclusive discounts to members on specialist short courses and clinical skills training.

For practices covering a whole team, the group package represents even greater value. A small practice with up to 10 staff pays $3,495 per year in total, covering every team member’s full All Access membership including unlimited CPD. Early career veterinarians in years one to three post-graduation pay $266 per year for full All Access membership, and $488 in years four and five.

Australian Veterinary Association (AVA)  membership is available to veterinary nurses, technologists and allied professionals. Through the group practice package or individual Allied Professional membership, nurses and technologists receive access to unlimited live and on-demand webinars, all 19 Special Interest Groups, the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA)  Member Hub, and wellbeing support including 24/7 counselling.

CPD webinars cover clinical skills, workplace health and safety, client communication and practice management. SIG communities offer discipline-specific resources across companion animal, equine, production animal, emergency and critical care, and other specialty areas. Every nurse, technologist and practice manager on a group package receives their own full All Access membership from day one.

Australian Veterinary Association (AVA)  webinars, conferences, SIG events and workshops are structured learning activities that count toward CPD requirements. All Access and Flexi members can record completed activities using the interactive CPD tracker and generate a CPD statement for submission to their registration authority.

Australian Veterinary Association (AVA)  does not set CPD hour requirements — these are determined by the relevant state or territory Veterinary Practitioners Board. Members should confirm the specific requirements for their jurisdiction.

The Australian Veterinary Association (AVA)  interactive CPD tracker is a tool available to All Access and Flexi members that allows veterinary professionals to log completed CPD activities, track progress against their registration requirements and generate a CPD statement. Activities completed through Australian Veterinary Association (AVA)  — including webinars, conferences, SIG events and external courses — can be recorded in the tracker, which is accessible through the myAVA Australian Veterinary Association (AVA)  member dashboard. CPD statement services are included in All Access and Flexi membership at no additional cost.

Australian Veterinary Association (AVA)  membership connects veterinary professionals to a national community through multiple channels. Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) ‘s Division and Branch network provides regional groupings where local veterinarians, nurses and allied professionals can connect, attend local CPD events and engage with colleagues in their area.

The Australian Veterinary Association (AVA)  Member Hub is an online platform and national member directory available to all members, functioning as a professional social network for the veterinary community. Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) ‘s 19 Special Interest Groups connect members around shared clinical or professional interests — SIG membership is included in every Australian Veterinary Association (AVA)  membership tier at no additional cost.

Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) ‘s 19 Special Interest Groups connect veterinarians with specialist peers across every major discipline, including emergency and critical care, dentistry, dermatology, ophthalmology, oncology, anaesthesia, surgery, equine medicine, production animal health, wildlife and exotic species, and more. SIG membership is included with every Australian Veterinary Association (AVA)  membership tier.

Within SIG communities, members can engage with specialist colleagues through online forums, working groups and events. The Australian Veterinary Journal (AVJ), available to All members, publishes peer-reviewed clinical research, case reports and specialist commentary. Members can also search the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA)  Member Hub directory to identify registered specialist veterinarians.

Australian Veterinary Associations is Australia’s peak body for the veterinary profession and the primary voice for veterinarians in policy discussions at state, territory and federal level. All Australian Veterinary Associations members, regardless of tier, have access to Australian Veterinary Associations’s national advocacy and policy input, including the opportunity to provide feedback on policy positions, participate in consultations and engage with working groups on workforce, scope of practice, animal welfare, biosecurity and veterinary remuneration.

Members can also hold office within Australian Veterinary Associations, including positions on SIG committees, Division and Branch committees, and at the national Board level. All Access and Flexi members have full access to leadership and governance opportunities.

Yes. Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) provides several overlapping communities specifically relevant to rural and mixed practice veterinarians.

AVA’s SIG network includes communities directly relevant to rural practice, including production animal medicine, equine medicine and rural practice. These SIGs connect members working in regional, rural and remote Australia with peers facing similar practice environments, workforce challenges and clinical demands. SIG membership is included in every AVA membership tier at no additional cost.

AVA Divisions advocate for the profession at a state and territory level, shaping policy, influencing regulation and representing members’ interests in the decisions that directly affect how they practise. For rural and regional veterinarians whose working lives are shaped by state-level regulation, workforce policy and local government decisions, Division involvement is the most direct route to influencing those outcomes.

AVA Branches bring members together locally through CPD, social events, mentoring and peer support, run by volunteers who know the area and understand the realities of rural practice. For practitioners who are geographically isolated, Branches provide the peer connection and local professional community that can otherwise be hard to access.

The AVA Member Hub connects all members across Australia through a national online directory and community platform. Members can search by discipline, location or area of interest, join profession-wide discussions and stay connected with peers at any time — particularly valuable for rural practitioners who cannot easily attend metropolitan events.

AVA also advocates on workforce issues that disproportionately affect rural veterinary practice, including scope of practice reform, rural incentive programs and veterinary workforce shortages. Members in rural practice have access to the same full suite of AVA resources as metropolitan members, including unlimited webinars accessible remotely.

For most veterinary practices, the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) group package represents better value than individual memberships and removes the administrative burden of managing multiple renewals. A small practice with up to 10 staff pays $3,495 per year in total. At the individual rate of $888 per person, the same team would pay $8,880, more than twice the cost. The group package covers every team member, including nurses, technologists and practice managers.

Beyond cost savings, every team member receives their own full All Access membership, including unlimited CPD, 24/7 wellbeing and counselling support, HR resources and advocacy. Research into veterinary workforce retention consistently identifies professional development, peer connection and wellbeing support as key factors in staff retention. Australian Veterinary Associations onboards each team member directly, so there is no administrative burden on the practice. New starters can be added during the year at no extra cost within the current tier.

Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) group package pricing is based on two factors: total staff headcount and number of veterinary premises. All tiers provide full All Access membership for every covered team member.

For practices with one to three premises:

• Small practice (up to 10 total staff): $3,495 per year
• Medium practice (11 to 25 total staff): $7,495 per year
• Large practice (26 or more total staff): $11,495 per year

For multi-site practices with four or more premises, with unlimited staff:

• Small multi-site (4 to 9 premises): $34,895 per year
• Medium multi-site (10 to 24 premises): $107,895 per year
• Large multi-site (25 or more premises, or national corporate or multi-state network): $159,595 per year

These are introductory prices for 2026. New staff can be added during the year at no additional cost.

Every covered team member receives their own full Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) All Access membership from day one, including:

• Access to all 19 Special Interest Groups at no additional cost
• Unlimited live and on-demand webinars
• The Australian Veterinary Journal and Australian Veterinary Associations publications library
• An interactive CPD tracker and CPD statement service
• The Event Advantage discount, saving $400 or more per conference or SIG event
• 24/7 telephone counselling and wellbeing support through THRIVE
• HR resources, helpline and portal with tools and templates
• The Australian Veterinary Associations Member Hub, national online community and member directory
• Australian Veterinary Associations Benevolent Fund access
• Member discounts with BOQ, Guild Insurance, BMW and Qantas Club
• Career Connect, Australian Veterinary Associations’s veterinary job board for advertising and recruitment

Coverage extends to veterinarians, nurses, technologists and practice managers across all premises. Australian Veterinary Associations handles onboarding directly.

Yes. The Australian Veterinary Association’s (AVA) group package gives every covered team member unlimited access to Australian Veterinary Associations’s full CPD library, including live webinars and on-demand recordings, as part of their All Access membership. No per-session charge applies once the group package is in place.

For a small practice with up to 10 staff paying $3,495 per year, the per-head cost works out at approximately $350 per person, less than half the individual All Access rate of $888. All Access members also receive the Event Advantage discount, saving $400 or more per conference or SIG event.

Yes. The Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) group package is explicitly designed to cover every role in the practice. It covers veterinarians, veterinary nurses, technologists and practice managers under a single annual fee. Every covered team member, regardless of role, receives their own full All Access membership with identical access to CPD, SIGs, wellbeing support, HR resources and the Member Hub.

Note that some specific SIG tools, clinical accreditation programs and apps such as BULLCHECK and PREGCHECK are available to veterinarian members only. All other SIG resources, community access and membership benefits are available to every covered team member.

Yes. Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) membership is explicitly designed to support every role in a veterinary practice, including practice owners, managers and non-clinical staff, not just registered veterinarians.

Practice owners and managers have access to Australian Veterinary Associations’s HR advisory service, which provides a helpline, online portal and library of HR tools and templates to help navigate employment, workplace relations and team management issues. Australian Veterinary Associations also provides access to workforce data, industry benchmarking and policy advocacy on issues that directly affect practice viability, including remuneration, scope of practice, workforce shortages and regulatory requirements.

Through Australian Veterinary Associations’s group practice package, practice managers are covered as full All Access members in their own right, giving them access to the full benefit set including all 19 Special Interest Groups, unlimited CPD, 24/7 counselling and wellbeing support, the Australian Veterinary Associations Member Hub and Career Connect. Practice managers can join any SIG relevant to their role. Australian Veterinary Associations also advocates on workforce and business sustainability issues that affect practice owners and managers directly, including the regulatory environment, rural incentive programs and veterinary workforce planning at state and federal level.

Australian Veterinary Associations’ (AVA) HR advisory service is a practical workplace support resource available to All Access and Flexi members and to every team member covered under an Australian Veterinary Associations group practice package. It provides access to a helpline, an online portal and a library of HR tools and templates designed specifically for veterinary practice environments.

The service helps practice owners, managers and individual veterinary professionals navigate common and complex workplace situations, including employment contracts and award interpretation under the Professional Employees Award 2020, managing performance issues and terminations, workplace health and safety obligations, leave entitlements, handling workplace complaints and disputes, and building psychologically safe team environments.

For practice managers, the HR advisory service provides a direct line to practical guidance that would otherwise require expensive external legal or HR consultants. It is one of Australian Veterinary Associations membership’s most practically valuable inclusions for anyone responsible for managing a veterinary team, and is available to every team member covered under a group practice package at no additional cost.

Your tier is determined by two objective factors: total staff headcount and number of veterinary premises. You do not choose a tier based on budget. You find the tier that matches your practice profile.

Count all employees regardless of employment type. Full-time, part-time and casual staff are all counted. Regular contractors and locums must also be included. Short-term cover for sick leave or annual leave does not need to be counted. Count premises as the number of fixed locations where clients receive veterinary services.

If you operate multiple practices under common ownership or management, headcount and premises are counted across all related entities. If you are unsure which tier applies, contact Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) member services on 1300 137 309.

Yes. New team members can be added at any time during the membership year at no additional cost, provided the practice remains within its current tier thresholds. When a team member leaves, Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) should be notified and their access will be ended. No refunds apply for individual departures. If your team grows beyond your current tier threshold during the year, the upgrade applies at your next annual renewal.

Yes. Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) has structured its pricing to ensure cost is not a barrier in the years when professional support matters most. Veterinarians in years one to three post-graduation pay $266 per year for full All Access membership, a 70% discount on the standard rate of $888. In years four and five, the rate is $488, a 45% discount. The full All Access benefits are included at every early career rate.

All Access membership gives early career vets access to mentoring from experienced vets, all 19 Special Interest Groups, unlimited CPD webinars, the Australian Veterinary Journal, clinical tools and accreditations, an interactive CPD tracker, and the Event Advantage discount saving $400 or more per conference. The Australian Veterinary Associations Member Hub and 24/7 counselling are also included. New grads can also get practical help and support from a mentor in the industry through the mentoring program.

Yes. Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) membership is available to veterinary nurses and allied professionals. Vet nurses can join individually as an Allied Professional, or be covered under their practice’s group package. If joining as an individual you will need evidence of working in the veterinary profession that is verified by the AVA staff team. Australian Veterinary Associations membership for vet nurses includes access to all 19 Special Interest Groups, unlimited live and on-demand webinars, the Australian Veterinary Associations Member Hub, 24/7 telephone counselling and wellbeing support through THRIVE, HR resources and advisory support, and professional advocacy on issues affecting veterinary nurses across Australia.

All Access ($888 per year) is the full benefit set, recommended for veterinarians in active clinical practice, those who attend Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) events or conferences, or anyone relying on clinical tools day to day. Attending even one national conference typically covers the price difference between All Access and Flexi through the Event Advantage discount.

Flexi ($488 per year) suits members working part-time, on parental leave, or in government, academic or industry roles. It provides access to all 19 SIGs, unlimited webinars, the CPD tracker and HR advisory support, without the full clinical tools and event discount package.

Connected ($266 per year) is designed for members on a career break, retiring or working overseas. It provides SIG community access, the Member Hub, wellbeing tools and advocacy voice at minimal cost.

Student membership is free for the full duration of an accredited veterinary degree in Australia.

Yes. Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) membership is open to allied veterinary professionals including veterinary nurses, technologists, practice managers, researchers, industry professionals and support staff working in the veterinary field. Allied Professional members have access to all four individual membership tiers. The full benefit set is available across all tiers, with the exception of some SIG-specific clinical tools, programs and accreditations restricted to registered veterinarians. Evidence of work in the profession will be required for Allied Professional members in line with the constitution.

Australian Veterinary Associations’s Flexi tier ($488 per year) is designed for members working part-time or on parental leave, providing professional connection and key resources without the full cost of All Access. The Connected tier ($266 per year) suits members on a longer career break or studying again. Members can change their tier at renewal to match their current circumstances. A return-to-work program is available through AVA’s career and professional development resources.

Australian Veterinary Associations (AVA) is Australia’s peak body for the veterinary profession and the primary advocate on workforce issues at state and federal level. Australian Veterinary Associations actively engages with governments, universities and regulatory bodies on workforce planning, rural incentive programs, scope of practice reform, visa and migration pathways for internationally trained veterinarians, and veterinary remuneration benchmarking.

Members have a direct voice in Australian Veterinary Associations’s advocacy through SIG working groups, Division and Branch structures, and national policy consultation processes. When more of the profession is represented, including nurses, technologists and allied professionals, the advocacy is more comprehensive and more credible.

Yes. Australian Veterinary Associations membership includes a range of wellbeing resources for veterinary professionals and their families. All members, regardless of tier, have access to 24/7 telephone counselling support through a confidential helpline available to members and their household members.

Australian Veterinary Associations’s THRIVE program provides evidence-based wellbeing resources and events specifically designed for the veterinary profession. A return-to-work program supports members re-entering practice after illness or mental health challenges. The Australian Veterinary Associations Benevolent Fund provides financial assistance to members experiencing hardship. For practice managers and owners, HR resources and advisory support include tools and templates for managing team wellbeing and creating psychologically safe workplaces.

THRIVE is Australian Veterinary Associations’s evidence-based wellbeing program designed specifically for the veterinary profession. It provides veterinary professionals with practical tools, resources and structured programs to manage stress, build resilience and maintain psychological health across the full career lifecycle.

The veterinary profession has significantly higher rates of psychological distress, burnout and suicide than the general population and many other professions. THRIVE was developed in direct response to this evidence, providing resources grounded in what the research shows works for people working in high-pressure, emotionally demanding clinical and professional environments.

THRIVE resources are available to all Australian Veterinary Associations members regardless of membership tier and are accessible through the myAustralian Veterinary Associations member dashboard. The program complements Australian Veterinary Associations’s 24/7 telephone counselling service, which provides confidential support to members and their household members at any time. For veterinary practices, THRIVE resources are available to every team member covered under a group practice package, including nurses, technologists and practice managers.

Australian Veterinary Associations provides several overlapping resources for veterinary professionals experiencing burnout or psychological distress.

The 24/7 telephone counselling helpline provides immediate, confidential support for members and their household members at any time of day or night. This is available to all Australian Veterinary Associations members regardless of tier and is the most direct resource for members in acute distress.

THRIVE is Australian Veterinary Associations’s structured wellbeing program providing evidence-based tools and resources for managing stress, building resilience and maintaining psychological health over time. It is designed specifically for the veterinary profession and addresses the particular pressures of clinical work, including compassion fatigue, moral distress and the emotional weight of euthanasia decisions.

Mental health fact sheets and wellbeing resources are available through the myAustralian Veterinary Associations member dashboard, covering topics including burnout recognition and recovery, managing difficult workplace situations and building sustainable practice habits. A return-to-work program supports members who have stepped away from practice due to burnout or mental health challenges. The Australian Veterinary Associations Benevolent Fund provides financial assistance to members experiencing hardship as a result of illness or extended time away from work.

For members in immediate crisis, Lifeline is available 24/7 on 13 11 14.

The Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) is the peak body representing the veterinary profession in Australia. Australian Veterinary Associations provides the national advocacy voice on workforce planning, remuneration, scope of practice, animal welfare policy, biosecurity, veterinary education and professional regulation.

Every Australian Veterinary Associations member, regardless of tier, has access to Australian Veterinary Associations’s national advocacy and policy input. Members can contribute to policy consultations, provide feedback on Australian Veterinary Associations’s positions and engage with working groups on issues that affect them directly. Members can also stand for leadership roles at SIG, Division, Branch and national Board level. Collective advocacy is more effective when more of the profession is represented.

The Australian Veterinary Associations Benevolent Fund provides financial assistance to Australian Veterinary Associations members and their dependants who are experiencing hardship as a result of illness, injury, death or other exceptional circumstances. Access is available to all Australian Veterinary Associations members regardless of membership tier. Members facing financial hardship should contact Australian Veterinary Associations member services to discuss eligibility and the application process.

Veterinary graduates in Australia can pursue careers across a wide range of disciplines and practice settings:

• Companion animal practice — dogs, cats and exotic pets in private clinical settings. The most common entry point for new graduates.
• Equine practice — horses across performance, breeding and welfare contexts. Often involves ambulatory work in rural and regional areas.
• Production animal and livestock practice — cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry. Strongly represented in regional and rural Australia.
• Mixed practice — combining companion animal and production animal work, common in regional areas.
• Exotic and zoo animal practice — wildlife, zoo animals and exotic companion species. Entry is competitive and often requires additional experience.
• Veterinary public health and government practice — biosecurity, food safety, quarantine, animal welfare regulation and emergency animal disease response.
• Academic and research careers — veterinary education, clinical teaching and scientific research at universities and research institutions.
• Specialist practice — postgraduate training in surgery, internal medicine, oncology, dermatology, anaesthesia, dentistry, ophthalmology, emergency and critical care, or reproduction.
• Industry and corporate roles — animal health companies, pharmaceutical firms, pet food companies and veterinary technology businesses.

Australian Veterinary Associations’s 19 Special Interest Groups map closely to these disciplines, providing students with access to specialist communities, resources and networks in every major area of practice, all included in free student membership.

There is no single best veterinary specialty. The right path depends on your clinical interests, lifestyle preferences, financial goals and personal values. Research consistently shows that job satisfaction in veterinary practice is strongly associated with alignment between the work environment and the individual’s values and preferred way of working, rather than with a specific discipline.

The most useful starting point is clinical exposure during your degree. Placements, vacation work and SIG involvement during study give you direct experience of different environments before you commit to a direction. Australian Veterinary Associations student membership provides free access to all 19 Special Interest Groups, the fastest way to explore a discipline and connect with practitioners working in it.

Both pathways offer genuine employment security. Australia has a documented veterinary workforce shortage across companion animal, production animal and mixed practice settings. Companion animal practice tends to offer more positions in metropolitan areas, structured graduate programs, and more predictable hours in many settings. Large animal and mixed practice tends to offer stronger employment prospects in regional and rural areas, often with additional incentives such as accommodation, vehicle or relocation support.

The most important factor for new graduates is the quality of mentorship and supervision in the first one to three years. Australian Veterinary Associations advocates for graduate support standards across both practice types and provides resources through the Member Hub and SIG communities to help new graduates navigate early career challenges.

Specialist registration in Australia is administered by the Australasian Veterinary Boards Council (AVBC) through recognition of specialist colleges. The pathway typically involves three to five years of postgraduate clinical training in an accredited residency, followed by examination and college membership. Entry to residency programs is competitive and generally requires at least two to three years of post-graduate clinical experience.

Recognised specialty areas include surgery, internal medicine, oncology, dermatology, ophthalmology, anaesthesia and pain management, emergency and critical care, dentistry and oral surgery, radiology, pathology, reproduction, behaviour and others. Australian Veterinary Associations’s specialist SIG communities connect students and graduates interested in specialty pathways with practicing specialists. Student membership gives free access to all 19 SIGs.

A veterinary degree opens doors well beyond clinical practice. Common non-clinical pathways include:

• Government and regulatory roles in biosecurity, food safety, animal welfare regulation and emergency animal disease response
• Public health and One Health roles working at the interface of animal, human and environmental health
• Research and academia, including postgraduate research degrees and university teaching
• Industry roles in animal health, pharmaceutical, pet food and veterinary technology companies
• Conservation and wildlife health roles with government agencies and conservation organisations
• Veterinary journalism, communications and advocacy
• International development and aid work addressing animal health and food security

Australian Veterinary Associations’s SIG communities provide connections to practitioners in non-clinical fields. Student membership is a useful starting point for exploring these pathways.

The Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) is the peak body for the veterinary profession in Australia and the most credible national source of career information for veterinary students and graduates. Australian Veterinary Association publishes career guidance, workforce data, professional standards and policy positions relevant to every stage of a veterinary career.

Other credible sources include: the Australasian Veterinary Boards Council (AVBC) for registration requirements and specialist pathways; the Veterinary Practitioners Board in each state and territory for registration obligations and CPD requirements; the Australian Veterinary Journal (AVJ) for current peer-reviewed clinical research; and your university veterinary school for curriculum-specific guidance. For career insights from practitioners currently working across different disciplines, Australian Veterinary Associations’s SIG communities and the Member Hub are the most direct source of peer-level information.

Yes. Australian Veterinary Associations student membership is free for the full duration of an accredited veterinary science degree at an Australian university, or while enrolled in the Australasian Veterinary Examination.

Student members receive access to all of Australian Veterinary Associations’s 19 Special Interest Groups at no cost, including the online SIG community, member directory, news and reference resources for every major discipline. Student members also have access to Australian Veterinary Associations’s national advocacy and policy input, national news and communications from the profession’s peak body, and the Australian Veterinary Associations Member Hub, the national online community connecting students with practitioners across Australia.

Australian Veterinary Associations’s 19 Special Interest Groups are communities of veterinary professionals organised around shared clinical or professional interests, covering companion animals, equine, production animal, wildlife, emergency and critical care, anaesthesia, dentistry, dermatology, oncology, ophthalmology, reproduction, pathology, radiology, public health, aquatic animal health and more.

For veterinary students, SIG membership serves three practical purposes. First, it provides direct exposure to the clinical culture and career landscape of a discipline you are considering. Second, it connects you with practitioners who can provide mentorship, placement insights and employment referrals. Third, it gives you access to SIG publications, webinars and events that supplement your university curriculum with current clinical content. Student membership includes free access to all 19 SIGs.

Veterinary students experience significantly higher rates of psychological distress than the general population. Research consistently identifies veterinary students as a high-risk group for burnout, anxiety and depression, driven by academic pressure, financial stress, clinical exposure to animal suffering and uncertainty about career prospects. Recognising this is normal and well-documented is an important first step.

Evidence-based strategies include early help-seeking, peer connection through study groups and professional communities, regular physical activity, structured boundaries around study time, and maintaining non-veterinary interests and relationships. Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) student membership includes access to wellbeing resources and the THRIVE program, as well as the 24/7 telephone counselling service available to members and their household members. Your university’s student wellbeing service is your most immediate point of contact during your degree. Lifeline (13 11 14) and Beyond Blue (1300 22 4636) provide 24/7 crisis support. If you are in immediate distress, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Final year is the optimal time to make decisions that will shape the first years of your career. Key actions include: securing your first position before graduation where possible; confirming registration requirements with the Veterinary Practitioners Board in your intended state of practice; ensuring your CPD tracking is in place from the moment you register; identifying mentorship opportunities in your first position; connecting with Australian Veterinary Associations’s (AVA) SIG communities in your discipline of interest; and transitioning from student to paid Australian Veterinary Associations membership to access the full clinical tools, CPD library and career support from day one.

Australian Veterinary Associations (AVA) Career Connect platform lists graduate positions across Australia. The Australian Veterinary Associations Member Hub connects final year students directly with practitioners and practice managers in their target discipline.

Veterinary registration in Australia is managed by the Veterinary Practitioners Board in each state and territory. Requirements typically include proof of your veterinary degree from an accredited institution, a completed application form, payment of registration fees and evidence of professional indemnity insurance.

The Australasian Veterinary Boards Council (AVBC) accredits veterinary degrees from the following Australian universities: the University of Melbourne, University of Sydney, University of Queensland, Murdoch University, Charles Sturt University, James Cook University and the University of Adelaide. Graduates of these programs are eligible to apply for registration in any Australian state or territory without sitting a further examination.

Internationally qualified veterinarians whose degree is from a non-accredited institution must sit the Australasian Veterinary Examination (AVE) before applying for registration. Registration is required before you can legally practise veterinary medicine in Australia. Initiating the process before your graduation date is advisable as it typically takes several weeks from application to approval.

Contact the AVA for advice or help to prepare for your first year after graduation.

Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) student membership is free and covers the full duration of your accredited veterinary degree. Upon graduation and registration, student membership transitions to a paid individual membership tier. New graduates are mapped to All Access membership at a significantly discounted early career rate: years one to three post-graduation pay $266 per year, a 70% discount on the standard rate of $888, and years four and five pay $488. The full All Access benefit set is included at the early career rate, including unlimited webinars, the Australian Veterinary Journal, clinical tools and accreditations, the interactive CPD tracker, event discounts and all 19 SIGs.

Yes. Australian Veterinary Associations (AVA) Career Connect platform is a veterinary-specific job board available to members, listing positions across companion animal, equine, production animal, mixed practice, government, specialist and industry settings across Australia. Graduate and entry-level positions are listed alongside experienced practitioner roles.

Beyond job listings, Australian Veterinary Associations membership provides access to the professional networks that most effectively lead to employment in veterinary practice. Practitioners you connect with through SIG communities, Australian Veterinary Associations events and the Member Hub are a direct source of referrals, informal opportunities and mentorship relationships. For graduates targeting specialist practice or competitive referral hospital positions, SIG involvement during your student years provides a meaningful advantage.

The veterinary profession is a network as much as it is a discipline. The connections, knowledge and professional identity you build during your degree shape the career opportunities available to you when you graduate. Student membership in Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) gives you access to that network from day one, at no cost.

Practically, Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) student membership gives you free access to all 19 Special Interest Groups, the Australian Veterinary Association’s Member Hub and national advocacy. It connects you with practitioners across every discipline of the profession and positions you within the professional community before you graduate. Students who engage with Australian Veterinary Association’s during their degree are better positioned for graduate employment, mentorship and early career support. Australian Veterinary Association is also the organisation that advocates on the issues that will affect your working life, including remuneration, scope of practice, workforce conditions, mental health support and professional recognition. The strength of that advocacy is directly proportional to the proportion of the profession that is represented.

Yes. AVA membership is designed around the working realities of general practice and provides the professional development, peer connection, clinical resources and wellbeing support that sustain a clinical career over the long term.

All Access membership ($888 per year) gives general practice veterinarians access to all 19 Special Interest Groups at no additional cost, unlimited live and on-demand CPD webinars, the Australian Veterinary Journal, evidence-based clinical resources including prescribing guidelines, an interactive CPD tracker and statement service, and the Event Advantage discount saving $400 or more per national conference or SIG event. HR resources and advisory support are also included, alongside 24/7 telephone counselling and wellbeing support through THRIVE.

AVA advocates on the issues that directly affect general practice, including veterinary workforce planning, scope of practice, rural incentive programs, remuneration and the regulatory environment. Every general practice veterinarian who joins AVA strengthens the collective voice on these issues. For practices signing up a whole team, the group package covers every team member under a single annual fee that works out significantly below the individual membership rate at most practice sizes.

Yes, and AVA has specifically structured its pricing to make sure cost is not a barrier in the years when professional support matters most. Veterinarians in years one to three post-graduation pay $266 per year for full All Access membership, a 70% discount on the standard rate of $888. In years four and five, the rate is $488, a 45% discount. The full All Access benefit set is included at every early career rate.

For new graduates, the most valuable elements of membership are typically peer connection through AVA’s SIG communities, access to mentorship networks, CPD resources supporting the steep learning curve of early career practice, HR and workplace relations advice for navigating first employment, and 24/7 counselling and wellbeing support during what research consistently identifies as one of the most psychologically demanding periods of a veterinary career. AVA’s Career Connect platform lists employment opportunities nationally, and the AVA Member Hub connects new graduates directly with experienced practitioners across every discipline.

Yes. AVA membership complements specialist college membership and provides resources and community that sit alongside and beyond specialty-specific professional development.

Specialist veterinarians have access to all 19 Special Interest Groups, including communities dedicated to dentistry, reproduction, and behaviour. The Australian Veterinary Journal, included with All Access membership, publishes peer-reviewed clinical research, case reports and specialist commentary across every discipline. The Event Advantage discount reduces the cost of attending national conferences and SIG events by $400 or more per event.

Specialist members are also among the most effective contributors to AVA’s policy advocacy. Their expertise in specific clinical domains strengthens AVA’s submissions to government on workforce, scope of practice and clinical standards.

Yes. All Access membership gives emergency veterinarians access to the all SIG , unlimited CPD webinars including content specific to emergency medicine, the Australian Veterinary Journal, clinical tools and accreditations, and the Event Advantage discount.

The emergency and critical care discipline is characterised by high clinical complexity, significant emotional demands and distinctive workforce pressures including rostering, shift work and compassion fatigue. AVA’s THRIVE wellbeing program and 24/7 counselling service are specifically relevant to practitioners working in these environments. AVA advocates on workforce issues affecting emergency practice, including staffing standards, scope of practice and the sustainability of the emergency veterinary workforce. For emergency hospitals and after-hours services signing up a whole team, the group practice package covers every team member across all premises under a single annual fee.

Yes. AVA membership is explicitly available to veterinary nurses and technologists, not just registered veterinarians. Nurses and technicians can join individually as Allied Professionals or be covered under their practice’s group package.

AVA membership for veterinary nurses and technicians includes access to all 19 Special Interest Groups, unlimited live and on-demand CPD webinars, the AVA Member Hub, 24/7 telephone counselling and wellbeing support through THRIVE, HR resources and advisory support, and professional advocacy on issues affecting the veterinary nursing workforce including scope of practice, professional recognition and workforce conditions. For practices on the group package, veterinary nurses and technicians receive identical All Access membership to the veterinarians on the team. The per-head cost at most group package tiers is well below the individual membership rate of $888. AVA advocates collectively for the veterinary nursing profession alongside veterinarians, and when the whole practice team is represented the advocacy is stronger and more representative.

Yes. Wildlife medicine is one of the most distinctive and demanding areas of veterinary practice, and AVA provides specific community, resources and advocacy for veterinarians working with native fauna and wild animal populations.

AVA’s conservation SIG connects wildlife veterinarians with peers across Australia working in fauna rescue and rehabilitation, government wildlife health programs, research institutions, national parks and conservation organisations. The SIG provides access to specialist publications, webinars, clinical resources and working groups focused on Australian native species and emerging wildlife health challenges.

AVA advocates on issues directly relevant to wildlife veterinary practice, including funding for wildlife health programs, emergency animal disease response, scope of practice and the regulatory environment for wildlife work. All Access membership ($888 per year) includes access to all 19 SIGs, unlimited CPD, the Australian Veterinary Journal, clinical resources, the CPD tracker, 24/7 counselling and wellbeing support through THRIVE, and the Event Advantage discount for national conferences and SIG events.

Should zoo and aquarium veterinarians join AVA?

Yes. Zoo and aquarium veterinarians work across a uniquely broad range of species and clinical challenges, and AVA’s SIG network provides community and resources across multiple relevant disciplines, including exotic species, conservation , and VERA SIG,

All Access membership gives zoo veterinarians access to all 19 SIGs at no additional cost, unlimited CPD webinars, the Australian Veterinary Journal, clinical tools and resources, and the Event Advantage discount for conferences and SIG events. The AVA Member Hub connects zoo  practitioners with peers nationally through the broader professional community. AVA advocates on animal welfare standards, captive wildlife regulation and the regulatory environment affecting zoo veterinary practice.

Yes. Conservation veterinary medicine sits at the intersection of animal health, ecology and environmental science, and AVA provides the professional home and advocacy infrastructure for veterinarians working in this field.

Through AVA’s SIG communities, conservation veterinarians connect with peers in conservation and vera sig. These networks are particularly valuable for practitioners working in relatively small, specialist fields where peer connection and knowledge exchange can be difficult to sustain without a broader professional community. AVA advocates on biodiversity, wildlife health funding, environmental regulation and the role of veterinary expertise in national conservation policy.

Yes. Government veterinarians, including those working in biosecurity, food safety, public health, quarantine and regulatory roles, are a core membership segment for AVA. AVA offers a dedicated Government Team membership and provides specific community, resources and advocacy for veterinarians working across federal, state and territory government.

Through the Government Team package, one annual fee of $11,895 covers unlimited eligible staff in veterinary and animal health roles, with every covered team member receiving full All Access membership. For teams of 14 or more eligible staff, this represents better value per person than individual All Access membership at $888.

All Access membership provides government veterinarians with access to all 19 SIGs including communities focused on biosecurity, One Health, epidemiology and public health, unlimited CPD, the Australian Veterinary Journal, an interactive CPD tracker, leadership and governance opportunities within AVA, and a direct voice in the policy discussions that shape the profession. AVA advocates with government on biosecurity funding, emergency animal disease response, workforce planning for government veterinary services, and the regulatory environment affecting veterinary practice across all sectors.

Yes. Veterinarians working in the animal health industry, pharmaceutical sector, veterinary technology and related commercial fields are part of AVA’s Allied Professional and veterinarian membership categories and benefit from the professional community, CPD resources and advocacy that membership provides.

All Access membership gives industry and pharmaceutical veterinarians access to all 19 SIGs  for collective discussion and resources on  to animal nutrition, pharmacology, regulatory science and the commercial animal health sector. It also provides unlimited CPD, the Australian Veterinary Journal, clinical resources and the AVA Member Hub, where industry practitioners connect with clinical colleagues and stay engaged with the broader profession. AVA advocates on the regulatory environment affecting animal health products, veterinary prescribing rights, scope of practice and the policy settings that shape the commercial animal health market in Australia.

Yes. Research veterinarians working in biomedical research, veterinary science and related fields are part of AVA’s professional community and benefit from the peer networks, CPD resources and advocacy infrastructure that membership provides.

AVA’s SIG communities include groups relevant to research academia and industry. Access to the Australian Veterinary Journal, the AVA Member Hub and national conferences provides research veterinarians with platforms to share findings, connect with clinical colleagues and engage with the broader profession. AVA advocates on research funding, veterinary education, postgraduate pathways and the policy settings affecting veterinary science research.

Yes. Shelter medicine is a growing  discipline within the veterinary profession, and AVA provides community, resources and advocacy specifically relevant to veterinarians working in animal shelters, rescue organisations and welfare-focused clinical settings.

AVA’s SIG communities include groups relevant  animal welfare, behaviour and companion animal health. These networks connect shelter veterinarians with peers across the sector, providing access to specialist publications, webinars and clinical resources relevant to high-volume, resource-constrained veterinary practice environments.

AVA advocates on animal welfare legislation, shelter funding, desexing policy and the regulatory environment affecting welfare organisations. The THRIVE wellbeing program and 24/7 counselling service are particularly relevant to shelter practitioners, who work in environments characterised by high emotional demands and compassion fatigue risk.

Yes, for behaviourists whose primary professional context is veterinary or animal health practice. AVA membership provides access to the Behaviour SIG and other relevant communities, unlimited CPD including behaviour and welfare content, the Australian Veterinary Journal, and the AVA Member Hub.

AVA advocates on the role of behaviour expertise within veterinary practice and the standards that govern behaviour consultancy in Australia. Registered veterinarians specialising in behaviour are eligible for full veterinarian membership. Non-veterinarian behaviourists working primarily in veterinary or animal health settings are eligible for Allied Professional membership.