The Veterinary Pressure Cooker
A Promise to your vet for Sophie's Legacy
Sophie’s Legacy
Are you aware of the pressures your veterinarian faces on a daily basis? On average, a veterinarian dies by suicide every 12 weeks. Sophie’s Legacy is a charity founded upon the loss of Dr Sophie Putland. Various stressors that she faced while doing her job, caused Sophie to take her own life in 2021.
A vet is four times more likely to take their life, compared to the general population.
The Veterinary Pressure Cooker
For those of you who don’t me, I am kind of passionate about this one thing; improving the working conditions and reducing stress for veterinary workers. I found the veterinary profession very stressful to work in and it’s a big part of my why… why I started offering support to the industry in different ways; by choosing not to become a veterinarian and offering my Puppy School program as a service to vet clinics instead. You may think puppy school is just a cute thing to do with your dog, but for me, it’s about SO much more.
Negative interactions and client abuse are major contributors to the poor mental health of veterinary workers.
When pet’s are in pain or discomfort, they come to the vet to receive care and are often stressed. When pets are stressed they can exhibit dangerous behaviours, which can present tremendous risk to those working with them every day. When puppies come to puppy school at the vet, they have been shown to go on to enjoy coming to the vet and experience significantly less stress while attending appointments and receiving care.
A veterinary hospital can be a pressure cooker for many reasons that mainly tie back to stress. If we can remove one stressor from this already very stressful environment, then that’s something I am proud to continue to work on. Less stressed patients contributes to less stressed clients and in turn can promote safer working conditions for veterinary workers.
So what can you do, really?
You can keep reading and become more aware of the stressors that exist in the industry and promise to understand these issues so that you can plan for your next vet visit, which can ease pressures on you, your pet and your vet.
Understand the cost of pet care
When your pet is unwell and requires veterinary care, treatment and/or medicine - there’s no doubt it is a stressful time for you. We also know it can be costly, which only exacerbates the situation. There is no Medicare for pets and this can be challenging but it’s not your vet’s fault. Your vet is there to help, ask questions about the cost of care and advice on the options available, but please do so in a calm and respectful manner.
There is no Medicare for pets…and it’s not your veterinarian’s fault.
Be mindful of what your vet has dealt with today
Veterinary workers face a variety of medical issues and their case loads include traumatic accidents, emergencies, longer term illnesses and much more. They are GP’s, surgeons, radiologists, pathologists and pharmacists all at the same time! This particular subset of people are so compassionate, it hurts. From an emergency surgery, euthanasia of a chronically ill patient, dispensing medications to a puppy vaccination; your veterinarian has likely experienced a full range of challenges and emotions by lunchtime. Please be mindful of the daily demands your veterinary team have faced today.
Jumpers for charity
The ‘thing’ about your dog is… often to do with their breed. This is a conversation I have daily and so, I decided to put it on a jumper for charity!
Need some inspiration?
Take a look at some of the colourful jumpers we’ve recently sent out to you…
A portion of proceeds from these jumpers will go directly to Sophie’s Legacy to contribute to their ongoing efforts to engage with industry and government to promote sustainable workplace change and influence policy.
You can make a promise to become aware of the mental health issues that exist within the veterinary profession and keep some of these truths in mind when you visit the vet. You can donate to Sophie’s Legacy here or buy a custom jumper for yourself or a loved one today!