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There has been a great deal of discussion and concern in the last few years about the mental wellbeing of veterinarians and their team members. Most probably agree that life is tougher than it used to be and most people’s personal and professional lives are at least somewhat intertwined. It is hard to be a star performer at work if your personal life is falling apart and hard to be a loving and supporting family member or friend if your professional live is beating you down. And, of course, hard to take of yourself if either of these is going on!

In December 2018 VHMA member managers were asked to share their perspective on the following questions for themselves, as well as their DVM and support team staff. Here is what almost 300 of your colleagues had to say about themselves and their team members (visit the VHMA website to review the full report, VHMA Insiders’ Insight Report, December 2018).

• I am happy at work the majority of the time.
• My level of stress at work is easy to manage.
• I have ample opportunity to do work I enjoy.
• I feel supported professional at work.
• I feel supported personally at work.

Overall, managers seem to be happy with their work situations; about 82% agreed or strongly agreed that they are happy at work the majority of the time. About 70% feel both professionally and personally supported at work. Handling work stress is another matter, 24% of managers stated they could not easily manage stress at work.

Managers feel that 75% of DVMs are happy with their work situation. The majority of managers feel DVMs have opportunity to enjoy their work. 80% of managers said their DVMs felt professionally supported at work, and 75% felt DVMs feel personally supported. Handling work stress is perceived to be as difficult for DVMs as for the managers.

About 78% of managers agreed or strongly agreed that support team members are happy with their work situation. 73% of managers said support team members have ample opportunity to enjoy their work. The majority of managers also feel support team members feel professionally and personally supported at work. Again, managers feel that support team members find it difficult to manage work stress.

There are a large number of seminars and articles in veterinary publications that talk about work satisfaction, mental health in the workplace, work-life balance and things individuals and practices can do to stay mentally healthy and happy with life. One of the most interesting was the Merck Animal Health Veterinary Wellbeing Study, released early in 2018. While this study focused on veterinarians, common sense indicates similar issues impact non-DVMs and many of the recommendations would clearly apply to all veterinary team members. More Information »

For additional resources, the VHMA is presenting a workshop to help veterinary practice management professionals better understand what wellbeing is, how it impacts the business of the practice, and how to cultivate a positive workplace focused on wellbeing. Visit the VHMA website for more details.