If you read my previous President’s article, you will know I just returned from a six-week pilgrimage across Spain called the Camino de Santiago. All completed, my 20-year-old daughter and I walked 550 miles in 35 days, from just on the French side of the Pyrenees Mountains to the western Spanish coastal town of Muxia. I knew it would be a trip of a lifetime, but I underestimated how life changing it would be. During our journey, we met amazing people...
Read MoreThe Mindfulness for Healthcare Professionals program is designed to promote mental health by engaging the mind and the body through experiential learning. The course is adapted from Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. As defined by Dr. Zinn, “Mindfulness is paying attention, on purpose, to the present moment, non-judgmentally.” Mindfulness is an excellent antidote to the stresses of a modern medical practice as it invites us to stop, breathe, observe, and connect with one’s inner experience. Winter Meeting Mindfulness Workshop, Sunday January...
Read More
In a recent article published in JAVMA, Nett et al. (2015) found that membership in a veterinary medical association is positively correlated with less mental illness and suicidal ideation. The authors also found that 9.3% veterinarians were experiencing severe psychological distress at the time of the survey and that 16.8% had contemplated suicide since graduation. These distressing numbers are higher than that of the general US adult population. The number of veterinarians currently in psychological distress nearly doubles when controlling for membership...
Read More
According to the results of a recent Pet Owner Survey, “Interested in my pet’s well-being” is the top factor for pet owners when choosing a veterinarian. How are you and your staff demonstrating to clients that you are truly interested in their pet’s well-being? Ensure all team members focus on showing clients how much you care about the well-being of their pet. This starts from the moment you speak to the client on the phone to when they walk through...
Read MoreThe Pet Nutrition Alliance has launched a new website to assist the veterinary healthcare team in promoting nutrition as essential to optimal pet health. The Pet Nutrition Alliance is an independent non-profit organization and collaborative effort including the American Veterinary Medical Association, American Animal Hospital Association, and American Academy of Veterinary Nutrition among others within the veterinary industry. Goals for the organization are two-fold. They aim to educate and assist the healthcare team to integrate nutritional assessments and dietary recommendations...
Read More
Now available on the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) website are flyers with infographics that outline the requirements for importing dogs into the United States from Mexico and Canada. These materials promote awareness of rabies vaccination certificate requirements for all dogs crossing the land border into the United States. For information about bringing dogs (and cats) into Washington, access the requirements here. For information about traveling to Canada with pets and horses, visit the WSVMA website....
Read MoreIt’s believed that veterinarians are at substantially higher risk for suicide compared with the general population. Few data exist, so in order to assess the prevalence of U.S. veterinarians who have experienced serious mental illness or contemplated suicide, the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians (NASPHV) partnered with Auburn University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to conduct a nationwide survey of veterinarians in 2014. The survey, with over 10,000 respondents in 49 states and Puerto Rico,...
Read MoreIn the wake of the suicide death of well-known veterinarian Dr. Sophia Yin, the WSVMA would like to call attention to online resources available on our website. The Task Force for Professional Stress and Wellbeing assembled these resources to assist members with a variety of wellness issues, including depression and suicide. The survey to assess veterinarians’ experiences with psychological distress is still open and awaiting responses. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey, which is completely anonymous. Answering these...
Read MoreVeterinarians are at substantially higher risk for suicide compared with the general population. To assess the prevalence of U.S. veterinarians who recently experienced serious mental illness or contemplated suicide, the National Association for State Public Health Veterinarians (NASPHV) is partnering with Auburn University, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and other partners to conduct a nationwide survey of veterinarians beginning July 1, 2014 and ending September 30, 2014. The purpose of the survey is to determine the mental...
Read More