There is a perception across the industry that retention is a key issue, due to a variety of barriers including low remuneration and lack of a visible career path.

There are several issues in Veterinary Nursing which may be influencing how long employees stay in the industry. While veterinarians are required to be registered in Aotearoa, it is not currently compulsory for veterinary nurses to be registered. There is an industry push to change this with a view to improving professionalism. The industry is also looking to change from the current workforce model of one veterinary nurse to one veterinarian to a ratio of three veterinary nurses to one veterinarian, which may improve on the job support for veterinary nurses.