A Call to Life aims to help veterinary caregivers increase self-efficacy, decrease unnecessary suffering, and increase sustainability in their mission to support animal health around the world. The veterinary profession is powered by dedicated, bright, and selfless individuals. Unfortunately, the long-standing and dysfunctional culture in classrooms and practices around the world expects veterinary caregivers to be ready to sacrifice everything – their time, their health, their personal lives – in the name of being deemed qualified and ‘worthy.’ Integrating real-life stories from a range of veterinary caregivers with evidence-based theory, practical activities, discussion and reflection points, and insights drawn from the author’s own experiences, the book empowers veterinarians by showing that they have the ability and the control to choose a healthier way forward for themselves and for their profession. It describes how to: Normalize the conversation around mental and emotional health challenges in caregiving environments Discuss and collaboratively create systemic solutions that promote healthier ‘ecosystems’ for vets to work within Develop the skills of reframing, mindfulness, and self-care strategy implementation supporting holistic veterinary well-being Collectively choose to shift the framework of professional conversations towards psychological safety, optimism, and purpose-driven experiences. Creating Wellbeing and Building Resilience in the Veterinary Profession: A Call to Life uniquely combines shared experiences (personal stories) with academic research into the contributing factors of compassion fatigue and how to counter these. Normalizing the conversation in the profession, it provides a wide array of possible solutions to build resilience and to shape a culture of collaboration and support where caregivers can flourish.

This is the first guide to Veterinary Narrative Medicine, a cutting-edge approach in human medicine with multiple applications in veterinary medicine. The text combines the latest research with numerous real-world examples and practical techniques to improve client communication, patient care, and veterinary well-being. Narrative Medicine maintains that a patient should be viewed as an individual rather than an example of a disease process, and that this can be accomplished by using narrative. This book explores methods and theories from leaders in the human Narrative Medicine field while addressing topics unique to veterinary medicine. Readers will gain tools to help navigate difficult conversations and situations in clinical practice, including those involving the end of life. Narrative Medicine in Veterinary Practice also addresses the important issue of veterinary wellness. The ability to view the veterinarian's own stories and those of clients and patients as narratives may help practitioners maintain both emotional and work-place boundaries as well as decrease burnout and compassion fatigue. The book describes basic techniques to promote self-reflection and mindfulness, skills often overlooked in the veterinary profession which can improve resilience and increase the enjoyment of veterinary practice. This is important reading for veterinary practitioners, students, veterinary nurses, technicians, social workers, and all veterinary clinic staff.

The leading evidence-based resource supporting better wellbeing for veterinary professionals The best way to tackle the unique nature of veterinary stress that can lead to anxiety, depression and suicide is to use evidence-based research to create an intervention able to have a scientifically measurable positive impact on wellbeing.That's why psychologist Dr Nadine Hamilton wrote this book after spending over 15 years researching, working with thousands of stressed vets, and consulting with industry associations, practice managers and owners. This unique resource combines reading on mindfulness, positive psychology, wellbeing, and resiliency training with a ‘toolkit’ of practical tasks and tips to teach people how to cope with everyday pressures, so they no longer feel like suicide is the only way out. Its approach has been tested with statistically significant results showing reduced stress, depression, anxiety, and negative affect. "As a vet of nearly 20 years experience, I cannot believe the difference that your book has made to the way I see myself, my profession, and my coworkers. I am genuinely enjoying being a vet again.” "There are copies of this book at every Greencross Vets clinic as a means to empower vets in their everyday routines. It's a tough conversation to have, but an important one.”Andrew McInerney, Chief Operating Officer, Greencross "I greatly enjoyed reading this book. It is an excellent resource. Every third-year DVM student at our school gets a copy of this book.” Prof. Anna Meredith, Head of Melbourne Veterinary School 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.

Mental Wellbeing and Positive Psychology for Veterinary Professionals Explore practical strategies for mental wellbeing across the veterinary professions Mental Wellbeing and Positive Psychology for Veterinary Professionals: A Pre-emptive, Proactive and Solution-based Approach delivers a practical, hands-on guide to mental health and resilience for individual members of the veterinary professions and for those managing entire practices. Divided into 6 sections, the text offers valuable tools, including meditation, mindfulness, and positive psychology, to help readers grapple with the mental challenges presented by veterinary practice. The author has also included a series of case studies and anecdotes from her experience in counselling members of the professions, including a new-graduate vet, a specialist surgeon, and a head nurse, as they encounter issues like anxiety, compassion fatigue, fear of failure, imposter syndrome, and grief. By learning in advance about the common hurdles they will face during their careers, the reader will discover how to prepare for these in positive and proactive ways. Readers will also find: A thorough introduction to effective strategies for dealing with the difficulties of the veterinary professions, including mindfulness, empathy, and emotional intelligence Comprehensive explorations of meditation, including body scan meditation, breath meditation, imagery, and mini-meditations Practical discussions of specific challenges faced by veterinary practitioners, including moral injury, client complaints, burnout, imposter syndrome, and a loss of confidence Fulsome case studies, including a veterinary nurse’s journey to mental wellbeing Dr. Laura Woodward is well positioned to write on the topic, as both a working veterinary surgeon and an accredited counsellor and has crafted a text that is perfect for veterinarians, veterinary nurses, and practice managers. Mental Wellbeing and Positive Psychology for Veterinary Professionals will also benefit veterinary students, student veterinary nurses, and teaching staff seeking a comprehensive resource for veterinary mental health.

There is a need to publicize the syndromes occurring in veterinary personnel due to work-related stress. Vets are apathetic or leaving the profession. It is vital for their emotional health that they know about these syndromes and the importance of seeking help early on. The up-to-date compilation of studies gives a clinical and human vision of these challenges based on the authors’ experience.

"The veterinary profession is experiencing a mental health crisis that critically threatens individual resilience and has manifested significantly among the military medical community. US Army veterinary personnel represent a particularly high-risk population due to their unique circumstances and professional responsibilities. The provision of veterinary services affords unique military public health and specialty skill sets essential to readiness and combat effectiveness. Resilience is a key concept that fundamentally contributes to the wellness of veterinary care providers within the military. Current resilience models and mental health support frameworks focus on identifying factors that affect resilience for health care providers but fail to capture and explain the complex challenge of resilience in US Army veterinarians. Existing solutions have proven insufficient to mitigate the crisis. Continuing US Army Medical Department (AMEDD) efforts must consider the uniquity of professional stressors focusing on individual resilience with organizational support, urgently preserving the military veterinary mission. Innovative solutions are necessary that incorporate flexibility for ongoing shifts in the internal and external environment navigated by military veterinary professionals. Proposed solutions must address the full spectrum of threats encountered by US Army veterinarians over their professional careers. The purpose of this professional studies paper is to catalog and explain imminent threats to resilience in the US Army veterinary population and offer some practical solutions designed to ameliorate these complex hazards and ultimately strengthen resilience in and across this critical service group."--Abstract.

LEADERSHIP IN VETERINARY MEDICINE Leadership in Veterinary Medicine provides both theoretical and practical information for veterinary professionals who are contemplating leadership or currently facing day-to-day leadership challenges. This much-needed book introduces and explores key leadership concepts in the veterinary context whilst encouraging self-reflection through real-world scenarios. Each chapter outlines a particular leadership concept or issue and includes a topic summary, discussion questions, full references and further reading suggestions. This thought-provoking text: Explores the principal areas of leadership for both veterinary professionals and for those leading veterinary professionals Discusses various leadership styles, competencies, behaviours and perspectives Addresses topics such as leadership assessment, organisational dynamics, interpersonal communication, remote and virtual leadership, and collaboration skills Assists readers in developing strategy, leading change, creating effective teams and improving staff engagement Includes practical cases and examples highlighting challenges in veterinary leadership Leadership in Veterinary Medicine is a must-read for all veterinary professionals in leadership posts, for those aspiring to be leaders and for instructors in veterinary schools and veterinary nursing training organisations.