Implementing wellness in the veterinary workplace

On-Call Duties: The Perceived Impact on Veterinarians' Job Satisfaction, Well-Being and Personal Relationships

Objective: To assess the impact of on-call duties on veterinarians' job satisfaction, well-being and personal relationships.

Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Sample: The sample was obtained from Veterinary Information Network (VIN) members in private practice within the United States.

Procedures: A link to an anonymous online survey was distributed via an email invitation to all Veterinary Information Network (VIN) members with access from August 15, 2017 to October 21, 2017.

Results: A total of 1,945 responses were recorded. The majority of those who reported having on-call duties were female associates. Composite scales were created to assess the impact of on-call shifts on job satisfaction and well-being. Multiple linear regression was conducted and found that gender (p = 0.0311), associate status (p < 0.0001), and age (p = 0.0293) were all significantly associated with on-call related job satisfaction. Additionally, multiple linear regression found that gender (p = 0.0039), associate status (p < 0.0057), and age (p < 0.0001) were all significantly associated with on-call related well-being. On-call shifts were reported by many to have a negative impact on job satisfaction and well-being; this was especially pronounced for female associates. Females had on-call related job satisfaction scores that were, on average, 1.27 points lower than that of males (lower scores equates to lower job satisfaction). Further, females' average on-call related well-being scores were 1.15 points higher than that of males (lower scores equates to higher well-being).

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: This study suggests that on-call shifts have a negative impact on veterinarian job satisfaction, well-being and personal relationships. The negative impact on job satisfaction and well-being is greatest for female associates. Veterinary medicine has been identified as a stressful occupation that can lead to psychological distress. It is therefore important to critically assess current practices that appear to increase stress and reduce emotional well-being. For this reason, it is suggested that veterinary hospitals explore alternative options to traditional on-call shifts.

Using a Staff Survey to Customize Burnout and Compassion Fatigue Mitigation Recommendations in a Lab Animal Facility

Working with research animals exposes employees to emotionally demanding work and moral stressors. The emotional impact of animal research is similar to that of working with human patients, and is similarly associated with burnout (BNO) or compassion fatigue (CF), which can lead to psychosomatic symptoms, pervasive states of stress, workplace conflict, and at its most extreme, suicidal ideation. One remedy for such feelings is increasing the satisfaction one feels from performing one's job well, known as compassion satisfaction (Csat). To address these occupational health concerns in an academic research setting, the Ohio State University's Lab Animal Resources (ULAR) study team reviewed existing preventative programing both internal and external to the university. Subsequently, a survey was distributed to all staff members to assess the following factors: employee awareness of free resources already available to them, association between staff demographics and the experience of BNO and/or CF, and the employee's own mitigation recommendations. Respondents were mostly female, in 20 to 49 age range, with 0 to 4 y in the field. Of those responding, 81.6% specified that they had experienced BNO and CF alone, together, or in combination with CSat. Factors statistically associated (P < 0.05) with BNO and CF were age, number of years in the field, and number of animals euthanized per year. A relative risk analysis was also used to identify protective factors. Only the age of respondents appeared to be a protective factor- the 50+ age group had 88.57% (RR = 0.1143) reduction in risk for experiencing BNO and/or CF. Participant suggestions indicated that employees would like improvements to the work environment, more novel work experiences, and more positive feedback from department leadership. The social ecological model, a public health model for program interventions, was used as a framework for the development of recommendations to mitigate BNO and CF while increasing CSat. The recommendations were customized for ULAR employees based on the survey findings.

Suicide among veterinarians in the United States from 1979 through 2015

OBJECTIVE To assess proportionate mortality ratios (PMRs) for suicide among male and female US veterinarians from 1979 through 2015. DESIGN PMR study. SAMPLE Death records for 11,620 veterinarians. PROCEDURES Information for veterinarians who died during 1979 through 2015 was obtained from AVMA obituary and life insurance databases and submitted to a centralized database of US death records to obtain underlying causes of death. Decedent data that met records-matching criteria were imported into a software program for calculation of PMRs for suicide stratified by sex and indirectly standardized for age, race, and 5-year calendar period with 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS 398 deaths resulted from suicide; 326 (82%) decedents were male, 72 (18%) were female, and most (298 [75%]) were ≤ 65 years of age. The PMRs for suicide for all veterinarian decedents (2.1 and 3.5 for males and females, respectively), those in clinical positions (2.2 and 3.4 for males and females, respectively), and those in nonclinical positions (1.8 and 5.0 for males and females, respectively) were significantly higher than for the general US population. Among female veterinarians, the percentage of deaths by suicide was stable from 2000 until the end of the study, but the number of such deaths subjectively increased with each 5-year period. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results of the study indicated that PMRs for suicide of female as well as male veterinarians were higher than for the general population. These data may help to inform stakeholders in the creation and implementation of suicide prevention strategies designed for veterinarians.

Meaningful work and well-being: a study of the positive side of veterinary work

OBJECTIVES

Mental health is a growing concern in many healthcare professions, including veterinary medicine, as research suggests that veterinarians report higher levels of distress, burnout and suicidal ideation than other healthcare occupations and the general public. A recent literature review found that about twice as many articles published on veterinary wellness refer to the negative aspects of mental health (eg, stress and depression) compared with the positive aspects of well-being. Little attention has been devoted to examining the positive aspects of veterinarians' work, and few models have been developed to explain their well-being. This paper empirically assesses a veterinary model of work-derived well-being based on the theory of eudaimonia. Eudaimonic well-being reflects having fulfilling work that contributes to the greater good. Three core clusters of job characteristics are hypothesised relevant to veterinarian well-being that include: actualising self, helping others (animals or people) and a sense of belonging (to team or profession). In addition, meaningful work is proposed as the mechanism through which situational job characteristics may exert a positive influence on well-being.

METHODS

Survey data from 376 veterinarians in clinical practice were analysed using path analysis.

DISCUSSION

Meaningful work is important in understanding the well-being of veterinarians. Job characteristics (self-actualising work, helping animals and people and a sense of belonging) contribute to a sense of meaningful work, which in turn is related to eudaimonic well-being. Excessive job demands (work overload, financial demands and physical health risks) appear less relevant in understanding meaningful work but are clearly important in having negative consequences for veterinarians' well-being.While strategies that cultivate meaningful work may be effective in nurturing veterinarians' well being, several limitations of this study should be noted. First, due to the cross-sectional data, definitive statements about the causal ordering of variables cannot be made. Second, the data were derived from a single source such that monomethod bias may be an issue. Third, the data rely on self-report measures and the responses may be influenced by social desirability or response biases. Lastly, while the sample may be representative of the veterinarians throughout a large geographic area in Canada, it may not represent the work arrangements of veterinarians in other countries.

CONCLUSIONS

The significance of these findings is that they may shift research attention from focusing on the harmful, demanding aspects of veterinary work to better understanding the deeply meaningful aspects that improve veterinarians' well-being. In addition, the results may stimulate consideration of strategies that move beyond individual-level interventions that focus on veterinarians adopting better coping strategies and becoming more resilient. This may lead to adopting organisational and occupational-level strategies that can involve promoting more positive and supportive workplace cultures and developing more professional resources for promoting wellness and meaning in the profession of veterinary medicine.

Sleep Quality and Sleepiness Among Veterinary Medical Students Over an Academic Year

Good sleep health is a key component to good personal well-being. It has been postulated that veterinary students have poor sleep health, but few measurements have been undertaken. This study measured Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and Epworth Sleepiness Scale values at multiple points throughout an academic year for students in a veterinary medical curriculum. Students were found to have overall poor sleep quality and above average to excessive daytime sleepiness. Further investigation is necessary to determine specific causes as well as what action can be taken to improve student sleep health.