The impact of mental health on work and daily life
Aaron Shaw, OTR/L, CHT, CSCS, emphasizes the importance of coming into the clinic with an emotionally stable state
At least 50% of veterinarians report moderate to high levels of burnout, with female veterinarians experiencing a higher risk of burnout compared to males, according to a 2023 study published in the National Library of Medicine.1 The same study also found that younger and less experienced veterinarians as well as those with higher educational debt loans also exhibited higher burnout risk.
With burnout being rampant in the veterinary profession, dvm360 interviewed Aaron Shaw, OTR/L, CHT, CSCS, occupational therapist, certified hand therapist, strength and conditioning specialist, speaker, mentor, and host of the podcast Healthspan Digest, on the topic of wellness in the veterinary profession. Shaw previously explained why investing in wellness is important as a veterinary professional, and talked about the concept of “healthspan.” In this new video, Shaw discusses the impact of mental health on work and daily life, emphasizing the importance of emotional stability and stress management.
The following is a transcript of the video:
Aaron Shaw, OTR/L, CHT, CSCS: Mental health has a huge impact on work and daily life. I mean, the impacts, it's hard to think of like what it doesn't impact. The reality is that our emotional state, our ability to manage stress, to manage the challenges, good and bad challenges, or I should say, positive and negative challenges, that kind of come our way moment to moment really hinges on us being present and engaged, and that has to be on the foundation of managing stress, having a durable emotional sense—emotional well-being sense—of how to make decisions well that will impact patients, that will impact not only the patients themselves—the animals— but also the caregivers, the pet parents.
So, it is absolutely key to come in with a level head, emotionally stable, balanced, and that takes a bit of effort to do, but it's absolutely necessary to have ultimately the best outcomes for patient care.
References
- Steffey MA, Griffon DJ, Risselada M, et al. Veterinarian Burnout Demographics and organizational impacts: A narrative review. Frontiers in Veterinary Science. 2023;10. doi:10.3389/fvets.2023.1184526
