Join our mission to provide compassionate, high-quality, affordable veterinary care that removes financial barriers and ensures that owned pets, community cats, and animals in need receive the care they deserve.
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Salem’s Sanctuary Veterinary Hospital | Waynesville, NC
$125/hour Part-Time, Relief, or Full-Time Options Available
Would you like to practice medicine in a place where patient welfare comes before production goals?
Salem’s Sanctuary Veterinary Hospital is seeking a compassionate veterinarian to provide scheduled clinical care in our nonprofit, low-cost hospital. We are open to creating a part-time, recurring relief, or full-time position around the right veterinarian’s interests and availability.
Our hospital serves cats and dogs throughout Western North Carolina, including families, animal rescuers, and community-cat caretakers who may otherwise struggle to access veterinary care.
What Makes This Position Different
$125 per hour for part-time and relief clinical work
Flexible daytime scheduling
No production-based compensation or pressure to upsell
No emergency or on-call responsibilities
Surgery is not required
The ability to work anything from recurring half-day shifts to a larger weekly schedule
Meaningful work with animals and families who genuinely need help
A voice in shaping a growing nonprofit hospital
A feral-cat-friendly, rescue-minded environment
The opportunity to focus on practical medicine and patient outcomes
Full-time compensation and scheduling can be structured based on experience, availability, and the scope of the position.
The Role
This position can focus entirely on scheduled outpatient appointments. Depending on the veterinarian’s interests, visits may include:
Wellness and preventive-care examinations
Vaccinations and microchipping
Flea, tick, heartworm, and intestinal-parasite prevention
Heartworm and FIV/FeLV testing
Fecal testing and other routine diagnostics
Diagnosis and treatment of common outpatient illnesses & injuries
Care for rescue animals and community cats
Practical treatment planning for clients with limited resources
Client education and follow-up care
Complete and accurate medical records
Surgical, dental, shelter-medicine, and community-outreach opportunities are also available, but participation is not required for this clinical position.
Who We’re Looking For
The right veterinarian will:
Hold a DVM or VMD degree
Be licensed—or eligible for licensure—in North Carolina
Practice thoughtful, responsible, evidence-based medicine
Communicate respectfully with clients and team members
Be comfortable developing realistic care plans within a client’s available resources
Support the mission of expanding access to veterinary care
Experience with nonprofit clinics, rescue medicine, community cats, or low-cost veterinary care is helpful but not required.
About Salem’s Sanctuary
Salem’s Sanctuary is a nonprofit animal-welfare organization providing rescue and adoption, TNR, community-cat support, low-cost spay/neuter services, and accessible veterinary care.
Our hospital was created to help close the gap between families who love their animals and the veterinary care they can realistically afford. We believe high-quality medicine can also be compassionate, practical, and accessible.
If you miss practicing medicine for the reasons you entered the profession—or you want a flexible clinical role where your work has an immediate impact—we would love to meet you.
Apply
Please send your résumé or a brief introduction to Kat@SalemsSanctuary.org Tell us what type of schedule would work best for you.
Salem’s Sanctuary Veterinary Hospital
321 Town Center Loop
Waynesville, NC 28786
(Located in the back of PetSmart)
Salem’s Sanctuary considers qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, national origin, or veteran status.
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Salem’s Sanctuary Veterinary Hospital | Waynesville, NC
Flexible Volunteer Opportunity—Even One Half-Day a Month Can Help
A few hours of your time can give animals access to care they might not otherwise receive.
Salem’s Sanctuary Veterinary Hospital is seeking licensed veterinarians who would like to donate occasional clinical or surgical time in our nonprofit, low-cost hospital. Volunteer for a recurring shift, help with an occasional clinic or surgery day, or contribute whenever your schedule permits.
Our hospital serves cats and dogs throughout Western North Carolina, with a special commitment to families with limited resources, animal rescuers, and community-cat caretakers.
How You Can Help
Volunteer opportunities can be tailored to your experience, interests, and comfort level.
Clinical Care
Wellness and preventive-care examinations
Vaccinations and microchipping
Parasite prevention and treatment
Heartworm and FIV/FeLV testing
Routine diagnostics
Treatment of common outpatient illnesses
Care for rescue animals and community cats
Client education and practical treatment planning
Surgical Care
Veterinarians interested in surgery may assist with:
Cat and dog spay/neuter procedures
High-quality, high-volume spay/neuter days
Dental procedures
Routine soft-tissue surgeries
Selected procedures for rescue and community animals
Veterinarians may volunteer for clinical visits, surgery, or a combination of both. Surgery is welcomed but not required.
We provide the hospital, equipment, supplies, support team, and scheduled patients. You provide your medical expertise, compassion, and whatever amount of time you are comfortable giving.
A Schedule That Works for You
We welcome:
One half-day each month
Occasional vaccine or wellness clinics
Individual spay/neuter or surgery days
Recurring weekly or monthly shifts
Short-term help during periods of increased need
Semi-retired or retired veterinarians who would like to remain involved
Veterinarians currently working elsewhere who want an additional way to serve the community
There are no production requirements, sales expectations, emergency shifts, or on-call responsibilities.
Qualifications
Volunteer veterinarians must:
Hold a DVM or VMD degree
Maintain an active North Carolina veterinary license
Be in good professional standing
Practice compassionate, responsible medicine
Support our mission of making veterinary care more accessible
Experience with rescue medicine, community cats, spay/neuter, shelter medicine, or low-cost veterinary care is appreciated but not required.
Why Volunteer With Salem’s Sanctuary?
Your time will directly help animals receive preventive care, treatment, sterilization surgery, dental care, and other essential services. It will also help families keep beloved pets healthy and reduce the number of animals surrendered because their owners cannot afford traditional veterinary care.
Even one recurring clinic or surgery shift can create a meaningful amount of additional access for the Western North Carolina community.
ApplyPlease send your résumé or a brief introduction to Kat@SalemsSanctuary.org Tell us what type of schedule would work best for you.
Salem’s Sanctuary Veterinary Hospital
321 Town Center Loop
Waynesville, NC 28786
(Located in the back of PetSmart)
Salem’s Sanctuary considers qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, national origin, or veteran status.
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Salem’s Sanctuary Veterinary Hospital | Waynesville, NC
Flexible Cat, Dog, or Mixed Spay/Neuter Surgery Days
One well-run surgery day can prevent generations of unwanted litters and help dozens of animals remain safely with the people who care for them.
Salem’s Sanctuary Veterinary Hospital is seeking experienced veterinarians who would like to volunteer for high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter surgery days in our nonprofit hospital.
Volunteer for one day a month, establish a recurring schedule, or help when your availability allows. Veterinarians may choose cat-only, dog-only, or mixed surgery days based on their experience and preferences.
The Opportunity
Our HQHVSN program provides affordable sterilization services for:
Owned cats and dogs
Community and feral cats
Rescue and foster animals
Colony caretakers
Families facing financial barriers to veterinary care
Surgery days are scheduled in advance and supported by a dedicated team responsible for patient intake, preparation, anesthesia support, monitoring, recovery, discharge, and cleaning.
Our hospital is equipped with modern anesthesia and monitoring equipment, oxygen support, infusion pumps, an autoclave, and two surgical tables.
Responsibilities
The volunteer veterinarian will:
Review patient histories and perform preoperative assessments
Confirm that patients are appropriate surgical candidates
Perform cat and/or dog spay and neuter procedures
Help guide anesthesia, analgesia, and surgical protocols
Address complications or unexpected findings
Oversee patient safety during anesthesia and recovery
Complete accurate medical and surgical records
Work collaboratively with the surgical support team
Veterinarians may also perform procedures such as cryptorchid neuters, pregnant spays, or other appropriate soft-tissue surgeries based on their experience and comfort level.
High Quality Comes First
For us, HQHVSN means efficient systems, strong teamwork, consistent protocols, excellent pain control, and careful patient monitoring. It never means compromising safety or rushing a veterinarian beyond their comfort level.
Surgical volume will be planned around the veterinarian’s experience, preferred pace, available staffing, and patient mix.
Scheduling
We welcome:
One surgery day per month
Recurring weekly or monthly surgery days
Occasional assistance during periods of high demand
Cat-only surgery days
Dog-only surgery days
Mixed cat and dog surgery days
Semi-retired or retired veterinarians who want to continue operating
Veterinarians currently employed elsewhere who want to support accessible care
All surgery is scheduled during daytime hours. There are no emergency, overnight, or on-call responsibilities.
Qualifications
Applicants must:
Hold a DVM or VMD degree
Maintain an active North Carolina veterinary license
Be in good professional standing
Be proficient in routine cat or dog spay/neuter surgery
Practice safe, compassionate, high-quality medicine
Work collaboratively with veterinary assistants and support staff
Support our mission of making spay/neuter services accessible throughout Western North Carolina
Previous HQHVSN experience is strongly preferred, but veterinarians with solid surgical experience who are interested in developing greater speed and efficiency are also encouraged to contact us.
ApplyPlease send your résumé or a brief introduction to Kat@SalemsSanctuary.org Tell us what type of schedule would work best for you.
Salem’s Sanctuary Veterinary Hospital
321 Town Center Loop
Waynesville, NC 28786
(Located in the back of PetSmart)
Salem’s Sanctuary considers qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, national origin, or veteran status.