Wellness in the veterinary profession

Earlier this spring, Aaron Shaw, OTR/L, CHT, CSCS, met with dvm360 to discuss wellness in the veterinary profession. Shaw is an occupational therapist, certified hand therapist, strength and conditioning specialist, speaker, mentor, and host of the podcast Healthspan Digest, in which he talks about the concept of “healthspan” and ways to improve health.

In this video clip, Shaw explains what “healthspan” is, defining it as the “length of time within our lifespan when we are healthy, active, vibrant,” and introduces the concept of “vetspan.” He also highlights the importance of investing in wellness, especially in the veterinary profession, which has a high-stress and demanding nature. As Shaw points out, personal wellness is essential for providing optimal patient care.

Below is a partial interview transcript, lightly edited for clarity:

Aaron Shaw, OTR/L, CHT, CSCS: “Healthspan” is the length of time within our lifespan that we are healthy, active, vibrant. And I do this through focusing on, really the 5 main pillars, which are exercise, nutrition, sleep, emotional wellbeing, and preventative care—basically preventative medicine. And this aligns perfectly well with this new concept, which is “vetspan”—which is the same idea as “healthspan,” [but] is specifically for vets and those in the vet industry—that these 5 pillars are essential to [helping] vets and people in the vet team have a long, vibrant career where they're not just getting through, but actually thriving throughout a career in what is otherwise...a career that [has] unfortunately a high burnout rate and very high injury rate. And the more I can preach about people focusing on these 5 pillars, it will help extend the career of people in the vet team.

Wellness is really important for veterinary professionals because it is such a high-stress, high-demand career, and it's easy to get focused on [when] every vet comes into work, and [when] everybody in the vet team comes into work every day; [veterinarians] focus on the wellness and well being of their patients. And it is sometimes second thought to actually think about taking care of themselves as an individual. And the reality is that in order to provide the best care possible, we have to come in with our ‘A game’ and come in feeling healthy and vibrant and resilient for the work that the vets have to do. The only way to do that is to invest in self-care, to invest in wellness, and only then, you know, can a provider really give their all, give their you know, everything to their capacity, but it really depends entirely on the foundation of their personal well-being.