Amity Vets x Step One

Why is this?

Vets commonly attribute their psychological distress to problems at work, specifically:

Work intensity

Vet-work is fast-paced, with much of the time spent standing, skipping breaks, finishing late, or being on-call on nights and weekends. The hours are long and lonely. In rural locations, veterinarians may be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This way of life can drain one’s hobbies, family, and social life. When your entire life is based on your job and it is taken away, such as during a pandemic, it can be devastating.

Compassion fatigue

Perfectionism is common within the veterinary profession. However, this can make the times when they come up short feel all the worse. A perfectionist culture, whereby you try to exceed your client’s expectations and put your client’s well-being before your own can make asking for help difficult and encourages you to hide feelings which can ultimately have a detrimental effect on your mental health and well-being.

Performance anxiety

Dealing with high expectations of pet guardians can be extremely tough for vets. Taking a blood sample? Owners will expect you to get it right first time. Running diagnostics? The expectation is that you’ll get to the bottom of things. Need to fix a broken bone? Fix it or you’ll disappoint.

Euthanasia

Performing euthanasia can be emotionally draining, often happening several times a day. The out-pouring of emotion from owners is intense to witness. Vets are deeply compassionate people and to be faced with suffering and death on such a routine basis can be exhausting.