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Dispelling Five Common Myths About Mental Health
Did you know that almost half of adults have had a decline in their mental health since the start of the pandemic? In fact, mental health problems are on the rise worldwide and across all demographics. This makes Mental Health Awareness Month an especially important reminder to tune in to and talk about our mental […]
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Defining Futile Care and Its Impact on Wellbeing in Veterinary Medicine
As an emergency and critical care specialist, I can wholeheartedly attest to providing futile care to patients whose owners who would not consent to euthanasia or discontinuation of intensive care. I remember one dog in particular who had a collapsing trachea that was stented and then had progression of his disease resulting in laryngeal and […]
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Five Simple Steps for Responding to Negative Online Reviews
There’s nothing that compares to that sick sinking feeling that we experience when we see a 1-star online review. These reviews are often filled with CAPS LOCK words and proclamations starting with “never” (e.g., “never going back…”, “never recommend…”, “never again…”). Many things shared in negative online reviews are exaggerated, over-emphasized, or just plain false, […]
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So, you want to be an advocate for veterinary wellness?
Several times each month I receive an email or message via social media asking, “how can I do what you do?”. The messages are usually sent by a veterinarian or technician who admittedly is struggling to feel content in their current position and is looking for a way to shift out of their job into […]
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What do the sleep experts say about pets in the bedroom?
As an advocate for health and wellbeing among veterinary care providers, I often lecture and blog about the importance of sleep hygiene. (Hint: this has nothing to do with the cleanliness of your bed sheets, but everything to do with the activities you do to help fall asleep [and stay asleep] each night.) Among my […]
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Do male veterinarians have better mental health compared to female veterinarians?
I was a bit taken aback a few weeks ago when I received a comment on one of my blogs accusing me of “discriminating against male veterinarians”. Having not been accused of sexism before and considering myself a “lover of all beings”, I was confused and concerned by this claim. After engaging in a “virtual” […]
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What are the biggest practice-related stressors reported by US veterinarians?
Work-related stress is a huge contributor to cynicism, exhaustion, and feeling ineffective…and if you didn’t know this already, these are classic signs of burnout. Stress in the workplace has also been associated with depression and suicide among men and women, which makes recognizing stressors in veterinary practice imperative in the task to improve veterinarian mental […]
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How conflict in veterinary practice can be a good thing
Conflict is a word that most of us shudder to say and many of us prefer to avoid at all costs. In a survey published by DVM360 in 2013, 51% of veterinary team members said that “most of us avoid conflict when we can but engage in difficult conversations when necessary.” So, for something that […]
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How ‘dropping the ball’ can be a good thing for veterinarians
I attended the Art of Leadership for Women conference last week and had the pleasure of listening to Tiffany Dufu speak. Tiffany is the founder of a peer coaching company for women and an advocate for the advancement of female professionals. She is also the author of Drop the Ball, a manifesto and memoir about […]
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A question from pet owners that this veterinarian dreads answering…
As a specialist in emergency and critical care for small animals, my job is to manage the most intensely ill dogs and cats that are presented to the veterinary hospital. Examples include a dog that is hit by a car, a cat in congestive heart failure, a cat having an asthma attack, or a dog […]
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What does a recent study reveal about veterinarian mental health?
An Executive Report published this month in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association shared the results of the Merck Animal Health Veterinary Wellbeing Study – appropriate timing given that May is Mental Health Awareness month. The authors of the study wanted to survey a large group of veterinarians by way of random sampling […]
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Ten Tips for Limiting Screen Time and Improving Veterinary Well-Being
Technology is a necessary evil with the work that we do as veterinary care providers from keeping medical records to maintaining our practice’s online presence and communicating with clients and team members. If it weren’t for technology, we would not be able to remain connected to lifelong friends, distant family members, and colleagues worldwide. However, […]
