The VVCA recently conducted a survey of our readers and website visitors to better understand who makes up our audience, the roles they hold, and the resources they expect to need in the coming years.
The feedback was incredibly encouraging. It’s inspiring to see our work being engaged by such a wide range of practitioners across the virtual care landscape. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share your insights, aspirations, and challenges.
In this post, we’ll take a closer look at what we learned from the survey, what these findings suggest, and how they’ll guide the content we create as we move toward 2026. Let’s dive in.
Who Subscribes to the VVCA?
Short answer: Vets.
58% of respondents are veterinarians or nurse practitioners. This is fantastic news—we’re thrilled that our content is reaching frontline clinicians who work directly with animals every day. You are the tip of the spear in advancing virtual care.
20% of respondents are corporate or industry professionals—either representing our valued sponsors or building companies actively shaping the future of veterinary virtual care. These are the innovators turning technical possibilities into real-world, life-saving tools for practitioners.
Around 10% of respondents are technicians or support staff. While this number is smaller than we’d like, it reinforces a priority for us in the coming year: reaching more of the people who often serve as the primary end-users of the technologies we champion.
Finally, 5% of readers are students or in academic training. This is expected to ebb and flow as students enter and leave the profession, but their presence is vital. Students represent the future of our field, and we want them to feel both welcomed and heard.
What Are the Biggest Challenges in Veterinary Care Today?
When we asked respondents to identify the most significant challenges facing veterinary professionals, five themes rose to the top.
Regulatory and policy barriers were mentioned by 28% of respondents, making them the most frequently cited challenge. This aligns with what many of us experience day to day: navigating differing VCPR rules, state-by-state telemedicine limitations, and the slow pace of regulatory modernization. This is where the VVCA has made the biggest strides in providing good resources, including our popular regulatory maps.
22% of respondents pointed to adoption and implementation challenges. Even when new tools are promising, integrating them into established workflows can be difficult. Practices are stretched thin, software doesn’t always play nicely with existing systems, and training takes time people often don’t feel they have.
Another 19% highlighted client communication and compliance. This is a long-standing issue in all areas of veterinary medicine, but virtual care adds its own dimensions. Ensuring clients understand digital processes, follow remote care plans, and stay engaged without physical visits are all top of mind for practitioners.
17% cited technology access and usability. Connectivity issues, clunky interfaces, and outdated hardware are all barriers that can stop virtual tools from reaching their full potential.
And to our surprise, only 14% of respondents pointed to workload, staffing pressures, and burnout. While not unique to virtual care, these pressures shape every decision and strongly influence the appetite for new technologies. This does not match what we often hear at conferences, but it’s a pleasant surprise.
What Kind Of Content is Most Helpful?
When we asked respondents what types of content they find most valuable, one theme dominated clearly: policy and regulatory updates, cited by 26% of participants. This confirms something we hear often, veterinary professionals want clarity, predictability, and timely explanations of the rules shaping virtual care. As legislation shifts across states and countries, this will remain a priority area for us.
Right behind it were research, data, and benchmarks at 19%, and technology and practice tools at 18%. Together, these categories reflect a strong appetite for evidence-based insights paired with practical guidance. Readers want to understand what’s changing, why it matters, and how to implement it in the clinic. This blend of data plus action is something we’re committed to strengthening in the year ahead.
Continuing Education (14%) and case studies (14%) also scored highly. The message here is clear: people want to see real-world examples, successful models, and opportunities to deepen their knowledge. Storytelling and CE—ideally integrated—are likely to play an even bigger role in our content planning moving forward.
Finally, career development and opportunities (9%) rounded out the list. While smaller, this is still an important signal, especially given the workforce pressures highlighted earlier in the survey. Supporting the professional growth of veterinarians, technicians, and students will continue to be a core part of our mission.
Conclusion
You’ve told us you want clearer regulatory guidance, more data to inform decisions, practical tools that fit into real clinic workflows, and stories that show what success looks like in the field. You’ve also shown us that the VVCA community spans veterinarians, corporate innovators, technicians, students, and others—all united in a shared commitment to shaping the future of veterinary care.
As we look toward 2026, we’ll be using this feedback to create more focused, more actionable, and more relevant content than ever before. We’re grateful for your insight, and your partnership. Together, we can keep pushing the boundaries of what virtual care can achieve for practitioners, clients, and animals everywhere.
If you have further thoughts or ideas you didn’t share in the survey, we’d love to hear from you.
