Coping with Stress and Burnout as a Veterinarian: An

Coping with Stress and Burnout as a Veterinarian: An Evidence-Based Solution to Increase Wellbeing

Being a veterinarian can be a rewarding career requiring a passion for animals, excellent interpersonal skills and a strong work ethic. It can also be stressful. So stressful, that the suicide rate for veterinarians is almost four times higher than the general population across the UK, Australia, US, New Zealand and Canada.

The effects of working long hours, performing euthanasia on animals, emotional pressure, financial issues, unrealistic expectations, and dealing with distressed clients place considerable stress on both the vet themselves and their families at home. Failure to cope with such stress upsets mental wellbeing and can lead to serious emotional, physical, and behavioural issues, including self-harm.

Nadine Hamilton, veterinary-friendly psychologist and founder of the charity Love Your Pet Love Your Vet, has spent over 15 years in her specialty psychology practice working with thousands of stressed vets as well as consulting to industry associations, practice managers and owners to increase wellbeing, productivity, and retention in the workplace.

Her postgraduate research at the University of Southern Queensland focussed on how key evidence-based psychological strategies could be used to decrease the risk of psychological ill-health and suicide by vets due to their day-to-day stress levels. What she found was that the best way to tackle the unique nature of veterinary stress was to combine certain psychoeducational elements. That meant specific education on the principles of positive psychology, mindfulness, and ACT along with a â€˜toolkitâ€™ of practical tasks from these fields. Combining these elements with supportive strategies such as stress management and communication tips results in a holistic intervention able to have a scientifically measurable positive impact on wellbeing.

Coping with Stress and Burnout as a Veterinarian is a cost-effective highly accessible way to empower vets in their everyday work lives to use psychological knowledge and skills to combat stress, burnout, anxiety, depression and suicide. It is an easy read for individual vets both experienced and freshly minted and sits well with existing veterinary HR approaches as well as supporting face-to-face counselling and industry association mental health programs. It also provides a clear call-to-arms for veterinary industry leaders.

The book is structured in four sections. The first two provide vets with both an understanding and an acknowledgement of the uniqueness of their work and the mental health issues that come with that. A section on psychology provides a comprehensive overview of several psychological fields that assist wellbeing. The final section includes specially selected strategies for everyday use. Together, these elements result in a unique resource able to provide self-help as well as support for existing vet wellbeing programs.

Research has shown the importance of reinforcing the immediate-term effects of mental health interventions with take-home resources â€• something that reminds people of the information they have learnt and is able to be referred back to in difficult times. Thatâ€™s why this book is so well received by vet hospitals and clinics worldwide â€• for some who take it off a practice shelf the book will simply be a confirmation that they or a colleague are not alone in experiencing stress and that their issues are understood, for others they will find practical tools helpful in their working day, for leaders it might help guide their interactions with staff, or it might help someone to seek professional help.
Country USA
Brand Australian Academic Press
Manufacturer Australian Academic Press
Binding Paperback
ReleaseDate 2019-02-25
UnitCount 1
EANs 9781925644197

Country	USA
Brand	Australian Academic Press
Manufacturer	Australian Academic Press
Binding	Paperback
ReleaseDate	2019-02-25
UnitCount	1
EANs	9781925644197

Coping with Stress and Burnout as a Veterinarian: An Evidence-Based Solution to Increase Wellbeing

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