Rates and Policies
It's important to understand that as an independent contractor, I handle my own share of taxes, including Medicare and Social Security (self-employment tax). Additionally, I cover expenses such as workers' compensation, malpractice insurance, general liability insurance, and health insurance. I also manage my own continuing education, office supplies, and travel / accommodation expenses. These rates reflect not only these expenditures but also my extensive experience in the field of veterinary medicine and the unique skillsets I offer from completing advanced training above what is required of the average practitioner.
My fee for veterinary relief services in 2025 is $150 per hour on weekdays ($155 hourly for 2026) and 50% higher per hour on weekends or any time exceeding 10 hours for a given shift. Holiday rates are double the general weekday rate. My hourly rate is not negotiable. The rate may differ depending on the types of services I am asked and consent to provide (eg surgery, mobile ultrasonography services, etc).
For most routine surgical services, my hourly rate is $15 per hour higher than my general relief rate. This number is subject to change based on open ended conversation and agreement between both parties depending on the extent of expertise required for certain procedures and services. For ultrasonography my rate includes over a decade of experience with providing referral ultrasonography scanning, interpretation, and report generation as well as provision of my mobile ultrasonography equipment +/- ultrasound guided biopsy instrumentation.
In Summary:
General relief services: 2025 - $150/hour, 2026 - $155/hour (not including overtime, holiday rates, etc)
Routine surgical services: general relief rate + $15 additional per hour
Advanced surgical services: Arranged in advance on case-by-case basis
Mobile ultrasonography services
Pricing for imaging and guided procedures coming soon…
Injectable sedation is required for both diagnostic imaging services as well as ultrasound guided procedures.
Minimum bloodwork required prior to ultrasound guided organ biopsy procedures includes CBC and coagulation panel showing adequate Hct, Plt, PT, and PTT values within 30 days of the procedure date. Ultrasound guided FNA does not require these prior bloodwork tests unless it involves fine needle aspiration of the spleen.
Rates
Shift locations within 15 miles of Avondale, Chicago may book shifts that are 4-6 hours in length. Otherwise, the minimum booking is 8 hours unless otherwise discussed and agreed upon. One hour of paid lunch break time is included in all bookings that are 8 or more hours in length. There is an additional charge for shift locations that are 30 or more miles from Avondale, Chicago.
Minimum Booking
I acknowledge that there are instances where scheduled work may need to be canceled. If a cancellation is made more than 30 days prior to the scheduled date, no fee will be incurred. However, cancellations made within the a certain time window of the agreed-upon schedule will result in a percentage of the contracted fee being charged as indicated below.
Cancellation Policy
Cancellation Fees:
100% of fees for less than 7 days notice
75% of fees for 1-2 weeks notice
50% of fees for 2-4 weeks notice
No fee for cancellations greater than 30 days notice.
This fee may be waived in special circumstances only.
You will typically receive an invoice within 24-48 hours of work being completed. Invoices are due within 2 weeks of receiving the invoice. This can also be timed with your payroll.