Proposed class action by veterinary interns brought against veterinary schools, hospitals alleging antitrust conspiracy

A federal antitrust lawsuit brought initially by two former veterinary interns alleges conspiracy among a professional association, veterinary schools, and animal hospitals to suppress wages and competition for veterinary interns and residents, court documents show.

Riley Amore and Caroline Parker alleged the defendants “collectively designed and agreed to participate in a scheme that intentionally suppresses competition by forcing all such individuals to apply for employment through a system called the Veterinary Internship and Residency Matching Program” (VIRMP). That’s according to a proposed class action suit filed April 2 in the U.S. District Court Western District of Virginia.

Those named as defendants in the suit are the American Association of Veterinary Clinicians (AAVC), which sponsors the annual VIRMP; Animal Medical Center in New York City; BluePearl Operations; MedVet Associates; Pathway Vet Alliance; Red Bank Veterinary Hospital; Solution Innovations; Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine; the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (PennVet); and VCA Animal Hospitals.

The complaint is being brought on behalf of all U.S. citizens who were veterinary interns or residents any time between April 2, 2021, and the date of class certification who obtained their position through the VIRMP. The estimated number of eligible plaintiffs is 5,000; these individuals may be notified of the case by email or mail.

Match program

The VIRMP is meant to facilitate the selection of interns and residents across the country, similar to the National Resident Matching Program for human medical doctors.

This process begins annually in September when the training program coordinators from individual residency and internship training programs, either at academic institutions or private practices, enter their program information into the matching program’s website.

Program coordinators then review the applications and rank the applicants. Proprietary software used by the VIRMP determines the best matches based on the rankings and notifies the applicants and the program coordinators, according to the VIRMP website.

The number of positions offered in the United States through the VIRMP for the 2024-25 training year was 2,043—1,522 internships and 521 residencies.

In total, 917 programs participated in the match. Among the 517 internship programs, 183 were offered at institutions and 334 at private practices. Among the 400 residency programs, 330 were offered at institutions and 70 at private practices.

Fewer than 350 veterinary internship positions and 125 veterinary residency positions were available outside the VIRMP from 2021-25, according to the compliant. That means 70%-75% of all veterinary internships and residencies in the U.S. were offered through the match.

Specifically, the plaintiffs take issue with the following program rules:

• Requiring applicants to accept employment with the program where they are matched.
• Not allowing applicants to negotiate or accept a position with a program participating in the VIRMP or a similar program at the same institution or private practice before the release of the match results.
• Prohibiting employers from making commitments or contracts with applicants prior to the notification of the selections made through the VIRMP.
• Prohibiting employers from pursuing or offering employment to an applicant who was matched elsewhere by the VIRMP unless that applicant has a written release from the institution or private practice to which they were matched.
• Requiring participating employers to offer all veterinary and residency positions available through the VIRMP.
• Requiring employers and applicants to adhere to a standardized and uniform application and hiring schedule.
• Prohibiting veterinary interns and residents from transferring between programs participating in the VIRMP.
• Imposing penalties on applicants and employers who breach the terms of their agreement outlined in the VIRMP’s terms of service.

Intern salaries

The lawsuit also accuses employers and institutions participating in the VIRMP of sharing salary and benefit information and, as a result, standardizing and artificially suppressing wages and benefits for veterinary interns and residents.

Internship stipends in 2024 averaged $56,705 among respondents—well below the mean starting salary of $106,963 for all 2024 veterinary graduates who secured full-time employment, according to data from the 2025 AVMA Report on the Economic State of the Veterinary Profession.

“For most graduates with federal student loan debt, interest will continue to accrue while they pursue this education. In deciding whether to choose an internship, it is important to weigh the value of the experience an internship brings against the cost, especially for those with high debt,” the report states.

In another survey, this one by the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC), the average salary was $39,354 in 2023 for all interns in training programs in the U.S.

“Interns are offered salaries less than half the national average earned by new graduates; however, there is a notable range of salaries within those offered. Finally, salaries are influenced by numerous things including location, practice area, and whether the position is offered by an academic institution or a private practice,” according to the conclusion of the AAVMC report, “2024 Academic Internship Salaries Offered through the VIRMP.”

Amore, of Vinton, Virginia, worked as a veterinary intern at the Dallas Veterinary Surgical Center from July 2020 to July 2021, earning an annual salary of $30,000, according to the complaint. Parker, of Mason, Ohio, was a veterinary intern at Texas Equine Hospital from July 2021 to July 2022, earning an annual salary of about $50,000.

Advanced education benefits

Proponents of the VIRMP have argued that residencies and internships are different from other types of employment, and that veterinary colleges offer many nonsalary benefits, such as free tuition and experienced mentorship, often resulting in a master’s degree or PhD for applicants who complete a residency.

Well-structured internships and residencies involve mentorship, formal classroom training, and travel for participating in scientific meetings, which is why these positions traditionally have been at the lower end of the pay scale, said Dr. Andrew Maccabe, former AAVMC CEO, in a previous JAVMA News article.

Responding to the anticompetitive allegations, lawyer Andrew Connors of Darkhorse Law representing AAVC told AVMA News: “Nothing could be further from the truth.”

“As Congress has specifically recognized, matching programs like the VIRMP are pro-competitive, serving the interests of both graduates and internship/residency programs by removing the pressure and chaotic nature that would exist absent this program,” Connors said, adding it is similar to the National Resident Matching Program for human doctors. “We are confident the court will agree, and we intend to vigorously defend this lawsuit.”

Representatives for Mars, which owns VCA and BluePearl, and UPenn and Tufts veterinary schools, declined to comment, citing the pending litigation.

Patrick McGahan, partner at Scott and Scott, which is jointly representing both plaintiffs, told AVMA News, “It’s important that veterinary graduates have access to fair and open competition for their labor and skills. We look forward to working on this important case with our co-counsel, Hedin LLP.”

The suit demands a jury trial, but class action lawsuits rarely go to trial. Most cases are decided at the class certification stage, according to the International Association of Defense Counsel. If a class is not certified, the case ends or can be appealed. If a class is certified, typically a settlement is reached.