Roo - Veterinary Relief

New callout policy is absurd and has contributed to our personal staff members getting sick because relief workers can’t callout with severe repercussions so they show up hoping to get sent home.

I was really excited when I found this app. I am currently in school to get my LVT and to become a licensed tech. When I was reading about Roo it looked like there were relief shifts available for veterinary technicians as well as veterinary assistants. When I went to sign up and create my account, the Roo app wouldn’t let me move forward without selecting one of the credentials. I do not have my LVT/CVT/RVT yet, nor am I a VTS. In Texas you can be a veterinary technician without being licensed or credentialed. I think it would be great if there was an option for students to select that they don’t have their credentials yet. I’m also confused how Roo can say that there are veterinary assistant shifts available when veterinary assistants have their own set of credentials (if they have obtained any at all), all of which were not listed as options to choose. Please make this app more accessible to every veterinary professional.

Across the board, you’ll often see relief rates on Roo that are below what’s standard for many local markets. It’s also widely reported that Roo charges hospitals roughly 18–22% (or more) on top of what the clinician ultimately takes home—meaning a significant cut is taken from the value of your work while also increasing the cost burden on the hospitals you’re helping. Among many veterinarians, the platform is viewed less as a partner and more as a middleman extracting margin from an already strained industry. The silver lining is that competing relief platforms are reportedly entering the space with more clinician-friendly models—lower or flat fees, and even added support like business guidance (for example, S-corp setup) and retirement planning options (such as SEP IRAs)—so clinicians can keep more of what they earn while hospitals can afford to use relief staff more consistently. For now, the tradeoff Roo offers is speed and convenience in exchange for lower net pay and restrictive terms that can function like a non-compete. In practice, if you work a shift through Roo at a hospital owned by a large corporate group (for example, BluePearl, VCA, Banfield, Mission, PetVet, etc.), the fine print may limit your ability to take direct employment with that organization for a set period (often around a year—check the exact timeframe in the contract). It’s worth understanding these constraints up front so you’re not surprised later. One additional downside: many clinicians report that communication from Roo staff can feel unprofessional or overly patronizing—more like being spoken to as a child than as a licensed medical professional. Bottom line: Roo may be useful for quick cash and rapid scheduling, but there are real costs—lower take-home rates, added strain on hospitals, and contract terms that can complicate future job options. Know the pros and cons before relying on it. And to Roo’s founders: enjoy the margin while it lasts. This app is exactly the kind of product AI makes trivial to reproduce—and competitors that don’t siphon off 20%+ are already lining up. If you keep acting like the gatekeeper instead of the partner, the market will replace you faster than you can update your terms of service.