Coping with Stress and Burnout as a Veterinarian

di Nadine Hamilton (Autore)

Australian Academic Press, 2023

Being a veterinarian can be a rewarding, challenging and demanding career requiring a passion for animals, great interpersonal skills and a strong work ethic. It also has a dark and very dangerous side. The suicide rate for veterinarians is almost four times higher than the general population across the UK, Australia, US, New Zealand and Canada. The effects of working long hours, performing euthanasia on animals, emotional pressure, financial issues, unrealistic expectations, and dealing with distressed clients places considerable stress on both the vet themselves and their families at home. Failure to cope with such stress upsets mental wellbeing and can lead to serious emotional, physical, and behavioural issues. For some it leads to death. If we are to reduce this suffering we need to find out what hinders a vet's wellbeing and use targeted solutions that work. In this unique book, psychologist Dr Nadine Hamilton presents an examination of the problem, the ways vet mental health is influenced by their daily work and the science we can use to tackle it head on. Drawing from the fields of positive psychology, acceptance and commitment therapy, career construction theory, and resiliency studies, she outlines a promising new weapon in the profession's fight against suicide. Included in this book is a concise self-help version of her ground-breaking Coping and Wellbeing Program for Veterinary Professionals - an evidence-based psycho-educational intervention to educate vets on how to develop protective attitudes, enhance wellbeing, and increase their coping skills. This is a book for every veterinarian, veterinary student and veterinary nurse. That meant specific education on the principles of positive psychology, mindfulness, and ACT along with a ‘toolkit’ of practical tasks from these fields. Combining these elements with supportive strategies such as stress management and communication tips results in a holistic intervention able to have a scientifically measurable positive impact on wellbeing. Coping with Stress and Burnout as a Veterinarian is a cost-effective highly accessible way to empower vets in their everyday work lives to use psychological knowledge and skills to combat stress, burnout, anxiety, depression and suicide. It is an easy read for individual vets both experienced and freshly minted and sits well with existing veterinary HR approaches as well as supporting face-to-face counselling and industry association mental health programs. It also provides a clear call-to-arms for veterinary industry leaders. The book is structured in four sections. The first two provide vets with both an understanding and an acknowledgement of the uniqueness of their work and the mental health issues that come with that. A section on psychology provides a comprehensive overview of several psychological fields that assist wellbeing. The final section includes specially selected strategies for everyday use. Together, these elements result in a unique resource able to provide self-help as well as support for existing vet wellbeing programs. Research has shown the importance of reinforcing the immediate-term effects of mental health interventions with take-home resources — something that reminds people of the information they have learnt and is able to be referred back to in difficult times. That’s why this book is so well received by vet hospitals and clinics worldwide — for some who take it off a practice shelf the book will simply be a confirmation that they or a colleague are not alone in experiencing stress and that their issues are understood, for others they will find practical tools helpful in their workin

• Autore: Nadine Hamilton
• Anno edizione: 2023
• Editore: Australian Academic Press
• Formato: EPUB3 con Adobe DRM
• Compatibilità: Tutti i dispositivi (eccetto Kindle)
• Layout: Reflowable
• EAN: 9781925644203

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