How Should Veterinary Professionals Respond to Personal Tragedies?

Recent news of a veterinary technician’s death by suicide went viral on social media, and included discussions on the responsibility of employers to identify and offer help. This week, we discuss how veterinary professionals and clinics respond to personal tragedies such as suicide, workplace harassment, bullying, and other personal tragedies and challenges and steps any veterinary clinic can take to provide a more caring, compassionate, and healthy workplace. Hosts Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, RVT revisit a recurring theme we’ve tackled over the past five years: poor veterinary working conditions leading to mental health challenges and burnout. The duo explore simple and inexpensive strategies that can help retain and attract the best team members along with improving productivity, morale, and personal job satisfaction. They also ask why these solutions aren’t being implemented more widely? For starters, Ernie and Beckie believe access to counselors and therapists should be a mainstay in every veterinary clinic. Health insurance, opportunities (and encouragement) for self-care measures, along with clear mechanisms for handling team (and management) complaints are all essential elements of healthy workplaces. If your clinic is missing any (or all) of these, our hosts encourage you to demand change now. Beckie muses that many independent clinics don’t offer access to counseling because they fear what changes might be required and Dr. Ward compares today’s discussions to his efforts to promote workplace wellness and self care in the early 2000’s. Viewfinders, we hear your slow roar on these issues. Waves of change are crashing on our profession’s shores, and together we can navigate to a safe - and healthier - harbor. This is a heavy conversation but we believe these discussions help propel positive change throughout our profession - and world. Share your thoughts with us! And thanks for over five years of loyal listening! Viewfinders are the BEST!