Early Career DVM Mentorship Program
PACKS: Personalized, Autonomous Career + Knowledge Support for Early-Career Doctors.
PACKS is our comprehensive training and mentorship program that empowers early-career doctors. Through PACKS, you’ll build advanced clinical, surgical, and technical expertise, strengthen your leadership and business skills, and gain access to career guidance and wellbeing resources to support your success.
Designed by veterinarians, PACKS isn’t a one-size-fits-all virtual program or short-term bootcamp. It’s a personalized experience where you’ll partner directly with a mentor-doctor to co-create a development plan tailored to your individual goals, interests, and career aspirations.
If you’re preparing to graduate from veterinary school or have recently graduated, we’d love to connect and explore how PACKS can support your next step in veterinary medicine.
Ready to get started?
WHO IS YOUR MENTOR-DOCTOR?
Vetco Total Care PACKS mentor-doctors bring deep clinical, surgical and leadership experience and complete a six-month training program to be the very best mentors they can be. Being a PACKS mentor is voluntary, and each mentor-doctor who signs up is fully committed to your success, growth and wellbeing.
PACKS Early Career Veterniarian Mentorship Program at Vetco Total Care
Meet PACKS Mentors
These are just a few of our amazing PACKS mentor-doctors. One of them could be your next mentor!
I want to mentor new graduates because: I started working for Petco right after graduating vet school – I was excited and terrified. I was given an amazing mentor and had a wonderful support system that helped me grow as a doctor and develop my career. I love to teach, encourage, and support others going through what I went through. I know being a new veterinarian is scary, any change is scary- but it is a necessity for growth. I would be honored to help develop new veterinarians and pass on the skills and knowledge my mentors gave to me! The best advice a mentor gave me: One of my first medical directors told me "Mistakes are the world's most brutal teacher." This could not be truer. We are all human, but it is important how we handle these mistakes. Being able to learn and grow from a mistake is vital. If you get me talking about MY DOG I may never stop!
Dr. Hannah Mitchell
I want to mentor new graduates because: I love veterinary medicine, and I love teaching. Vet medicine is a wonderful way to change the world, and I want to be a part of that. I have always had a great support system that has helped me become the vet I am and continues to help me grow, and I want to pass that on. I know I can affect the future of the veterinary field by helping new veterinarians grow into the best vets they can be. And the people I mentor help me to grow, too! The best advice a mentor gave me: You can't ever know everything in veterinary medicine. The best thing to do is know where to look in order to find out what the next step is. Your job is to get the best history you can, do the best exam you can, and recommend the best diagnostics and treatment you can. That has definitely helped my work-life balance. If you get me talking about PARASITES, OR CHARLIE BROWN I may never stop!
Dr. Abigail Pagel
Got questions? Email us at talent@petco.com.
Click here to download a PDF about the PACKS Early Career Veterinary Mentorship program you can print and share.
Still a vet school student? We offer externships
Join Dr. Mitchell for a virtual hospital tour
Better Together
Meet our amazing partner organizations and affiliates who make veterinary medicine a better place for all.
RACE
Petco + Vetco Total Care publish RACE-approved CE-credit courses. We also offer full time doctors CE stipends up to $3500 annually.
Penn Foster
We sponsor fully-funded Veterinary Technician Associate degrees for our employees, and Veterinary Assistant & Practice Mangement certificates.
NATVA
Penn Foster Vet Tech Students are part of the NATVA student chapter, the governing body of the Approved Veterinary Assistant (AVA) programs, helping delineate tasks between veterinary assistants and Credentialed Veterinary Technicians.
Merck / MentorVet
Merck sponsors free MentorVet Lift memberships and access to other MentorVet programs for our early career veterinarians.
Petco Love
Petco Love, a national nonprofit, improves the lives of pets and their people. With nearly $380M invested, we’re creating a lifesaving nation.
Journey for Teams
We proudly sponsor Journey for Teams to help veterinary workplaces incorporate diversity, equity and inclusion.
Join our Talent Community
Get the latest on career news, opportunities, and events that match your background.
Our Commitment to People, Pets and Planet
We believe the passion for pets is universal. To better serve our diverse customers across our 1,500 Pet Care Centers, 250+ Vetco Total Care hospitals and 1700+ weekly Vetco vaccination clinics, we are intentional about bringing the skillsets and experiences that help us meet the needs of all pets and pet parents. From attracting bilingual talent needed to serve multicultural market segments to leveraging a variety of perspectives to help us innovate in a competitive and changing industry, we know diversity and inclusion are critical business drivers to help Petco meet the needs of all pet families.
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Planet
- Began transitioning in-store habitats from fluorescent to LED bulbs, resulting in energy savings.
- Reduced energy usage by more than 4 million kWh through our lighting curtailment program.
- In 2024, our recycling initiatives diverted nearly 400 tons of plastic from landfills.
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People
- Provided career or skills-related training to 98% of all employees.
- Sponsored more than 150 scholarships through our Petco/Penn Foster Scholarship Program and Latinx Veterinary Medical Association.
- Nearly 600,000 hours of training delivered to pet care center partners.
- Over 40% of General Manager and District General Manager positions filled by internal promotions.
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Pets
- Reunited more than 100,000 pets with their pet parents through Petco Love Lost.
- Helped save nearly 7 million animals through adoptions in Petco pet care centers.
- Distributed more than 3.2 million free vaccines to pets via Petco Love.
- Invested nearly $410 million in lifesaving animal welfare work.
- Helped more than 4,000 animal welfare partners.
Returning Applicants
If your are a returning candidate with an existing account, please click below.
Current Petco Partners
Current Partners can explore internal opportunities by logging into Workday.