The story below is a preview from our March/April 2018 issue. For the full story Subscribe today, view our FREE interactive digital edition or download our FREE iOS app!
With an increasing number of suicides in the veterinarian field, counselors in the industry seek defining factors and how to improve on their well-being in order to save lives.
Did you know that veterinarians suffer from psychological distress, including suicidal thoughts after graduation, at a much higher rate than the general population? Women graduates show a dramatically higher risk from episodes of depression than their male colleagues. [CDC, Feb. 2015]
Why? A complex issue, starting in graduate school and exasperating upon graduation into the work environment, the public’s perception of euthanasia and big salaries overshadow the bigger picture. Digging deeper, research analysis of a 2014 survey conducted by the Veterinary Information Network (VIN), an online community for veterinarians, Health Wellness Summits and recent interviews with veterinarians and other professionals associated with the field, three overall factors emerge. They include emotional stress, financial challenges and work-life balance.
With an active call for additional research and increased awareness for the mental well-being of veterinarians, educators, employers and other prevention professionals, the focus on developing programs and best practice strategies and tools ensure that vet students leave school with the coping skills and resources needed to become successful in their field and maintain a sense of well-being.
Euthanasia: One Stress Layer
Veterinarians are trained “to view euthanasia (relieving the suffering for unmanageable medical issues) as merciful,” according to Dr. Trent Davis, licensed professional counselor at Virginia Tech. Compared to medical doctors and dentists, veterinarians witness and assist regularly in this medical procedure. Ending a pet’s life is never an easy decision for the patient (animal), the client (owner), nor the vet. However, euthanasia is part of a bigger set of factors.
Second-year Colorado State University vet student, Dilara Kiran, describes “compassion fatigue,” which is the emotional stress level of the vet-client relationship and vet-animal relationship that over time takes a toll on veterinarians. Vets give heart and compassion to what they do but client relationships at times make their jobs stressful.
According to Dr. Jacque Pelzer, DVM and Director of Admissions and Student Services at Virginia Tech, “There is the feeling of undervaluation by vets. They have just as much training and schooling and debt as medical students.”
Clients may tend to question their knowledge and experience or the financial cost of procedures for animals. Even though pet insurance does exist, most clients choose not to purchase this insurance.
Financial Stress
Public perception views veterinarians as making big salaries and openly questions the high fees associated with certain procedures for the care of their pets. Although earning a good salary, compared to medical doctors, veterinarians make about a third of their medical colleagues, and therefore struggle to repay the debt incurred from school. Thus, the return of investment and the reality of financing a huge college debt (for example, $160,000 or higher) adds to the mix of mental anguish.
Work-Home Imbalance/Reality
Applying to veterinarian school, with its few openings and fierce competition since most applicants are at the top of their undergraduate class, the reality of graduate school stressors kicks in upon acceptance.
- The challenge of transitioning to vet school
- The number of credit hours and sheer amounts of material to learn
- Less sleep and less exercise
- Not eating right
- Relationships struggle
- Disillusionment
- Competition – “It’s a big pond with a bunch of fish at the same time,” says Dr. Stephanie Johnson, Assistant Professor of Veterinary Clinical Science at Louisiana State University and Co-Chair of the Veterinary Mental Health Practitioners (VMHP).
These factors, among others, create the “perfect storm” for students to become distressed, anxious and perhaps suicidal.
After graduation, stressors continue and some take a different form such as fewer support systems in place at a new job, drug abuse and even the financial status of the client plays in to the emotional stress.
Dr. Kung, author of “On Being a Veterinarian” suggests, “be proactive” [in your search for employment]. Practices run differently with some “more open to new ideas” taught in graduate school than other practices where generation gaps may exist. Rural vets especially are on-call 24/7.
The factors of sacrificing time, money, family, life, health and questioning the vet’s expertise contribute to the emotional toll if not managed attentively. Finally, some veterinarians see psychological distress as “a weakness if they need to actively seek help,” says Dr. Davis.
Increased Awareness: the First Step
The Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC), counselors and professors from across the country, had been working on this complex issue but in isolation. Not until the conclusion of the first Health Wellness Summit in 2013 did counselors realize that they were all seeing the same trends on college campuses.
This led to the creation of Veterinary Mental Health Practitioners (VMHP) and the growing collaboration among colleges in sharing information with mental health experts and leaders of the veterinary profession. Combined with surveys and additional Health Wellness Summits, administrators and professionals are listening.
Visible Positive Changes
Dr. Davis is leading the way as an example for other vet schools in staffing a counselor with a therapy dog and offering counseling right at the facility. Moose, the five-year-old trained therapy dog, has broken the barrier. Not only are vet students benefitting from his calm presence but the administration has witnessed the good Moose has done for the college community.
The increase in counseling popularity, enabling people who may not have talked before to open up, the positive interface among people, and especially for vet students, to see a healthy pet after working with cadavers and sick pets all the time are examples of Moose’s good work. Dr. Davis expresses, “Veterinary Science is a noble profession due for the love of animals.”
Also at Virginia Tech, Dr. Jacque Pelzer states that graduate school today is much different than twenty-plus years ago and has been at the forefront in instituting a new curriculum after talking and surveying students. Students now have a few afternoons off rather than the typical 8-5 schedule; integrated learning sessions held on Fridays focus on collaboration among colleagues and problem solving; spacing exams out; and offering a class called “Becoming A Vet,” which focuses on topics such as professionalism, health well-being, law and justice, are a few of these curriculum changes.
Upon graduation, Dr. Pelzer suggests for both established veterinarians and new graduates “to think outside the box, using creativity” and everyone “will see a win-win situation.” Established veterinarians may consider time-share of positions in order to offer more flexibility for new employees and new graduates to consider opening their own practices by a few doctors going in together.
Meanwhile at Louisiana State University, Dr. Stephanie Johnson and her work with the Health Wellness Summits led to improving communication skills on grief and loss with clients (now part of many veterinary curriculums). Her current work includes discovering what makes some vets resilient to stressors and others not so resilient.
She is working with counselors on identifying strategies and tools they can give students to experience while in vet school so once they are out in the working environment, vets have the coping skills needed to be successful.
Talking with Dr. Jessica Cordle of Pet Vet Animal Hospital, one of two veterinarians at the small practice, states, “We support each other. If we have a difficult case, we talk it through.” She realizes that not every practice has this support and encouragement.
Other resources available to veterinarians once they are practicing include the Pet Poison hotline, classes on mindfulness and dealing with stressors associated with veterinary work, continuing education classes available at the vet school at Virginia Tech and participation in local veterinary associations.
In the end, progress is being made on this complex issue to increase awareness of the mental well-being of veterinarians; yet much more work needs to be done. As Dr. Stephanie Johnson advises, “we need to listen to our mothers – you need to take care of yourself before you can take care of others.”
Thank your vet next time you have an appointment.
... for more from our March/April 2018 issue, Subscribe today, view our FREE interactive digital edition or download our FREE iOS app!