In Dedication to Maria
Can We Talk?
The face you see looking at you is that of the beautiful Maria Toth. Lost in May of 2012. Maria spent her career as a technician at Hometown Animal Hospital in Weston, Florida. She was a mother figure in the clinic with a caring and straight-forward spirit. This page is dedicated to that spirit, addressing this important issue in a straight-forward manner.
Mental Health is Valid
In years past, your feelings were often invalid in a working environment. Your mental state was not discussed. Luckily for most, the business environment has shifted, placing mental health at the top of list for todays HR professionals. No one should feel embarrassed or feel like they are "over-reacting" when
talking about feelings.
Help create a safe environment. Validate your
co-workers feelings, as well as your own.
True Reason, Valid Cause
Were not just jumping on the bandwagon to show support for a cause. No, this one hits on a personal level. Hindsight can be cruel when a friend takes their own life. I watched her bright light go dark...in hindsight." K. Leroy. Raising awareness does not excuse us for not seeing what was happening right in front of us. But the more people that we talk to, the more our hindsight can help someone else.
being strainght forward about stress in veterinary medicine
Compassion Fatigue, Disenfranchised Grief, Burn Out...Call it what you want, its a real issue.
We support raising awareness and compassion for the stress and anxiety which is omnipresent in the veterinary industry. It is a sad fact that over 70% of veterinary professionals have personally experienced the suicide of a co-worker. This is a difficult and also alarming sentence to type. More so, because most of us know someone, right now, who is struggling to overcome the pain that surfaces from our day to day experiences. Plus, over 60% of veterinary professionals are already seeking professional therapy to deal with the anxiety of the industry. You, yourself, may be suffering , and you may not even recognize it!
Compassion Fatigue/Depression/Anxiety
Society can make us feel as though we don't have the right or reason to morn the loss of an animal that is not our pet.
"It's just an animal."
"Its not your pet."
True, they are not our pets. They are our passion, our drive, what keeps is up at night, and what breaks us down when we can't make things right for them. Understanding how to cope with the loss of a patient should become a priority that focuses on the well-being of you and your staff.
Owners, DVM's, VPM's, Veterinary Technicians, Receptionist, and Kennel Techs are all effected by a patients death, profoundly.
Unfortunately, failure comes to many minds when a life is lost. Everyone who cares for your patients will be moved by their passing. Every staff member should be considered when dealing with the loss of a patient.
Burn-Out or Grief?
Grief is often disregarded and not considered when members of the veterinary profession experience so called "burn-out."
The AVMA doesn't list grief as a
cause of "burn-out" in our industry.
Although they do attribute the overwhelming stress to many concerns that are valid to a veterinary professional, they do not mention the death of a patient as a factor.
Factors of Burn-Out, Disenfranchised Grief, & Compassion Fatigue are different for veterinary professionals!
We must cope with grieving clients who are first in denial, which turns to anger, followed by sadness & depression. They often question the outcome of our results, sometimes blaming us before they finally find acceptance.
This process can take months! Our own ability to reach that important stage of acceptance is often stifled until our client reaches it first.
This is very damaging to our emotional wellbeing.
And this is just one client, one patient.
The layers of grief compound, and another case is waiting in the room expecting your undivided attention.
often overlooked
Veterinary professionals are unique in that we care for patients with
life spans much shorter than our own.
Unlike human medicine, the majority of our patients will be with
us from their youth all the way to their passing.
Pediatric doctors & nurses in human medicine will not see their patients in their geriatric years. Unlike a veterinarian professional, who will eventually see most of their patients pass.
That is a lot of inevitable loss.
facing the real issues!
Economic Euthanasia
This is a big one. We could save them, but its too expensive???
Your morals are being tested and all too often, you don't have a say in the matter. Naturally, we want to blame the owners, eventually we blame ourselves and staff members will try to fix the situation.
"We could do something, I could pay for it myself, I could adopt this animal, keep it as a resident in the office, come up with anything, other than euthanasia!"
When you realize that you don't always have a solution, the struggle sinks down deep and it grows with every euthanasia you preform.
In times like these, the student loans in the back of your mind seem trivial. We question the choices of our profession.
Does the positive balance out the negative?
We are not God!
A client calls in crying and frantic, their best friend is hurt! The vet is going to save them, the owner can see no other outcome.
But you can see that it might not turn out that way. In contrast to euthanasia, all the money in the world could not save him.
"Please save him", they cry. But you can't, and you cry too! They beg, and ask why. You have no answers that will console them.
You now carry the weight of god on your shoulders. You will decide the fate of their beloved pet, an animal that you have most likely watched grow up and care about too.
Hey VPM's, you carry the weight too!
Studies have shown that Veterinary Practice Managers are suffering more then previously recognized.
Of all positions held within a veterinary clinic, VPM's have the highest increase in "burn-out" and they remain the highest in comparison to other staff members.
This may be due to the lack of association between the responsibilities of a practice manager and the responsibilities of the medical team.
This is very unfortunate, as it negates the emotional attachment to animals that our VPM's naturally possess. Everyone's feelings are valid, not just those who medically treat the patient.
On Call, Even When Your Not
Another concerning statistic shows that on-call vets suffer greatly, and unknowingly carry an increased risk of developing PTSD!
As humans, our sympathetic nervous system triggers the fight or flight response which provides a burst of energy to get us through times of urgency.
This occurs when a vet is called into action. Too often, the response of a vet is dramatically heightened because they are facing a life or death situation for their patient.
Over time, the repetitiveness of the fight or flight response can result in PTSD. Yes, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can result from the constant anticipation of distress followed by a need of urgency.
Work-load is often blamed for the "burn-out" of on-call vets. Teletriage services, virtual care teams, and partnering with third-party providers may help decrease workload for on-call doctors but the emotional impact of a repetitive response to distress is often not taken into consideration.
No one has the solution, but everyone can help!
TOGETHER WE CAN LIFT THE WEIGHT THAT WE ALL CARRY!
We have seen the damage that the stress in our industry can cause. But we have also seen the repairs that can be made.
Identifying, addressing, and preventing overwhelming stress and anxiety in your clinic is not complicated, it just has to become part of your daily protocol. Just like daily rounds, the current conditions of your entire staffs' emotional health should be closely examined.
We all work in a very stress filled & emotionally demanding environment, we should never lose sight of that.
Many veterinary clinics are employing counselors with full-time positions to assist both staff and clients. Although effective, often too costly for most practices. But it can be done without processional help.
Simply talking about the stresses of our industry, with the entire staff present, evokes a feeling of understanding and comradery, which is often all we need to get through tough times, anxiety, and loss. Talking about the realities of veterinary medicine gives us the opportunity to share feelings with others who are experiencing the same things.
Bring to light the fact that we deal with stress, everyday. Take the time to pay attention to your co-workers feelings.
It will be worth the labor cost.
A few minutes a day, can and will make a difference. We believe that giving your entire staff the permission and opportunity to give and receive council will strengthen their bond with one another and strengthen your practice.
There are many avenues to take, help lines to call, and websites to read. But human compassion is the answer, not literature.
Come together! Talk to your people! Understand what they are going through!
Share what you are going through! Make this a priority!
It could save the life of a friend!