Articles
Understanding Generalized Anxiety Disorder in Veterinary Professionals
The veterinary career can be stressful, and stress may exacerbate symptoms of anxiety. This article will discuss recognizing generalized anxiety disorder in veterinarians and the intervention and prevention strategies that address it.
Embracing Spectrum of Care: Tips for Reducing Your Risk of Client and Board Complaints
Embracing spectrum of care requires that veterinary professionals offer a range of options that fit the individual socioeconomic factors as well as expectations and goals of care for each client. Veterinarians may worry that by offering alternative treatment plans, they can open themselves up to liability. Yet, with effective communication, client education, and diligent medical record-keeping, veterinarians can practice compassionately and lower their risk of a complaint.
Embracing Spectrum of Care To Promote Early-Career Veterinary Wellbeing
Transitioning from veterinary school to general practice often presents unique challenges for early-career veterinarians. Learning to provide care given limited financial resources is vital for promoting early-career veterinary wellbeing. This article explores why spectrum of care is so important for early-career professionals and tips to provide care along a spectrum.
Safely Discussing Suicide in the Veterinary Profession
We want to post information that will act as a beacon of hope for those who may be having challenges, and if we post information about suicide incorrectly, it actually has the potential to harm others. In this article, I will discuss safe ways to talk about suicide, resources available, and how to learn more.
Debriefing: A Tool for Promoting Veterinary Wellbeing
The veterinary profession is challenging. There will always be tough cases, ethical dilemmas, demanding clients, and a myriad of other stressors that veterinarians experience daily. While the profession is challenging, it can also be incredibly rewarding—particularly when we have the tools to make the stressors not so stressful! This article discusses leveraging the Veterinary Wellbeing Debrief, a tool that you can use to help your mentee process a stressful situation.
Who Am I? Identity Crisis in the Early Veterinary Career
Upon graduation from veterinary school and starting their first job, many early-career veterinarians feel lost. Helping our mentees develop their personal and professional identities is one of the many ways that we promote wellbeing in the early veterinary career. In this article, I will discuss some of the core literature around identity development within the veterinary profession then discuss how veterinary mentors can help promote early-career identity development.
7 Tips for Finding an Amazing Veterinary Mentor
Finding a good veterinary mentor is not always easy. Read about these 7 tips to help you on your search for an amazing veterinary mentor.
6 Benefits of Having a Vet Mentor
Having a good vet mentor is key for succeeding in the early veterinary career. This article discusses 6 key benefits of having a vet mentor.
Combating Veterinary Perfectionism: The Practice of Self-Compassion
Perfectionism is extremely common in the veterinary profession. High levels of perfectionism may contribute to high levels of stress and poor veterinary wellbeing. Self-compassion — cultivating self-kindness, a sense of common humanity, and mindfulness — is a tool that can be used to help combat perfectionism.
6 Key Attributes of an Excellent Veterinary Mentor
What makes a good veterinary mentor? In my experience working with new and recent veterinary graduates, I have identified several attributes of an excellent mentor. By improving your mentorship skills, you will be better able to support and promote veterinary well-being for early-career veterinarians.
Recognizing & Addressing Burnout in Veterinarians
In the most recent Merck Animal Health Veterinary Wellbeing Study, veterinarians were more likely to experience burnout than physicians despite fewer hours worked. Why is burnout occurring at such high rates in the veterinary profession, and what should we do about it?