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Why we need to be careful how we talk about suicides among veterinary professionals
Hardly a week goes by when I don’t receive a Google alert or see some glaring headline about suicides in the veterinary profession. Even Time Magazine has weighed in on this heavy topic with a headline that reads “Veterinarians face unique issues that make suicide one of the profession’s biggest worries”. But while we are […]
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Stop Being a Martyr and Start Modeling Healthy Behavior
It is one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to instilling wellness into the veterinary profession…veterinary care providers who would rather be a martyr than model good behavior for their colleagues and staff. I’ve seen it all too often: the veterinarian who always stays late to see the end-of-the-day emergency, the technician who […]
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Five Tips for Battling Burnout in Veterinary Practice
Do you feel emotionally drained by your clients? Are you frustrated by your work or feel that you are working too hard? Does working with people all day require massive effort? Have you stopped caring what happens to some of your patients? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you are probably […]
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Make Wellbeing a Reality By Resolving to Schedule Self-Care
As we forge ahead into the new year and think about the priorities and goals we want to set for ourselves, I urge you to put scheduling self-care at the top of your list. I have made a personal commitment to scheduling my self-care on a day-by-day, week-by-week, month-by-month, and quarter-by-quarter basis this year and […]
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Ten Practical Tips for Promoting Brain Health
I am pretty sure that every single adult worries about their cognitive health at some point in their life. A few years ago, when I read the fictional book Still Alice by Lisa Genova (who has a PhD in neuroscience), about a middle-aged Harvard psychologist who develops Alzheimer’s at the height of her career, I […]
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What can be done about the shortage of veterinarians in emergency practice?
Anyone working in companion animal practice in the USA, Canada, and many other parts of the world, is well aware of the current crisis impacting emergency veterinary hospitals. Over the last few months, there have been several news stories with headlines citing emergency practices closing their doors due to insufficient staff to deal with the […]
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What You can Do to Reduce Veterinary Technician Burnout
As a veterinarian specializing in emergency and critical care medicine, I can honestly say that I am useless without my technicians. More appropriately termed veterinary nurses, my vet techs are nothing short of amazing in caring for the unstable or critically ill dogs and cats that I oversee in the veterinary ER and ICU. Which […]
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Let’s Do Our Part to Prevent Suicide Among Veterinary Professionals
It’s rare that a week goes by when I don’t receive a Google alert telling me that another article has been published mentioning the staggering stats of suicide among veterinary professionals. Most of the reports are spurned by the news that veterinary hospitals have had to close or turn away clients due to an ever-increasing […]
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When do coping strategies become harmful for veterinary care providers?
We’ve all been there. Nearing the end of a horrible shift with not an ounce of energy left; all we can think about is getting home to our couch, favourite TV show, and large glass (or bottle) of wine. And if you don’t drink alcohol, I would venture to guess that you have heard someone else […]
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The Harmful Effects of Venting and How to Stop It
I don’t know about you, but I have been on the receiving end of a person’s venting more in the past year than ever before. “Can I just tell you how mean our clients have been lately…” or “I just need to share how brutal work is right now…” or “What is the deal with […]
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How sharing personal pronouns supports LGBTQIA+ veterinary professionals
Recently you might have noticed that more people are sharing their personal pronouns on their LinkedIn profiles, Zoom accounts, and social media platforms. And if you’re anything like me (admittedly late to the pronoun party), then you may not understand why. As an advocate for veterinary professional wellbeing and in honour of Pride Month, my […]
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Five Things We Now Know About the Mental Health of Veterinarians
Several years ago, I wrote a blog “Five things you didn’t know about the mental health of veterinarians”. It was published at a time when news about suicide among veterinary professionals was starting to emerge and studies were underway to learn more about psychological distress among veterinarians. In the largest of those earlier studies, we […]