Survey details stress factors that influence Australian vets
A university survey of veterinarians and their staff has been carried out to determine the factors causing stress within the profession
and what can be done about them.
Some of the strategies proposed included training in communication skills, client education, professional solidarity and access to counselling.
The survey of 313 veterinarians and 183 support staff was carried out in late 2001 by researchers in the School of Psychology at Murdoch
University, supervised by senior lecturer Sandy Williams and lecturer Dr Helen Davis. It was supported by the registrars of the State Veterinary Surgeons
Boards.
The vets were asked to rate items in five areas of possible stressors: communication, death and dying, work conditions, business practices,
and individual factors. They were also quizzed on what actions or strategies they thought could reduce or manage stress. Among client interaction
factors, those rated as moderately to extremely stressful included angry or emotionally volatile clients. Clients who didn’t pay were a source of chronic i
rritation and could be moderately stressful.
Euthanasing animals was regarded as more stressful than having them die a natural death. Difficulties during euthanasia, the euthanasing
of healthy animals, family pets or long term patients, and having children present during the procedure, were all rated as moderately to extremely
stressful.
The main stressors in working conditions were time related. Long hours was the single greatest stressor, but related sources of stress ncluded having i
nsufficient time off with family or for recreation, and difficulty in obtaining backup during illness or vacation. Factors such as physical conditions and
relations with colleagues were not regarded as particularly stressful.
Only half the survey sample – those with full or part- ownership of practice responded to questions about the stressors of business practice. Most of those
veterinarians were not particularly stressed by the eneral area of business practices, although non-paying clients and financial matters were rated on
average, more than moderately stressful.
The average stress rating given by 313 veterinarians was 2.8 on a 5 point scale where 3 was moderately stressful, so those surveyed were apparently
not excessively stressed. The strongest predictors of work related stress proved to be psychological factors, with the strongest being “the extent
to which veterinarians felt unappreciated at work”. This was followed by the extent to which they worried about patients and clients when away from
work the degree to which they reported “not enjoying the people side of their practice” and not enjoying new challenges or tasks.
Veterinarians had their own suggestions or strategies for dealing with work related stress. They commonly suggested that training in communication skills
would be a good approach (and could receive greater emphasis in university courses). Prime areas for training would be negotiation and mediation skills,
conflict prevention and resolution, and grief management.
The researchers grouped other stress reducing strategies proposed by veterinarians as “formalising procedures”. General public education was advisable
to correct unrealistic client expectations and explain the scope and limits of the vet’s role. Information about treatment needed to be clarified before it
commenced. Practices should develop procedures for handling difficult clients so that all staff presented a united front. Mentoring of new vets could
help to formalise support. Some other strategies were described as “solidarity within the profession”. Colleagues support was important, and some vets
suggested informal debriefings about stressful experiences would be helpful. This could be done within a practice, with a mentor, or via a hotline to
experienced colleagues.
> Access to counselling was also put forward to cope with stress.
> This information is taken from an executive summary of findings by the researchers. A full analysis is to be submitted to an academic
journal later this year
Support staff get stressed, too
The support staff surveyed by the Murdoch team were predominantly nurses (79%). They rated their work as moderately stressful on average.
The most stressful things included specific client behaviour, such as abusive clients (extremely stressful), clients who blamed them unjustly, people
who neglected their pets, very demanding clients, and those who didn’t follow their advice.
Other stressors involved dealing with emotionally demanding situations, such as grieving clients, attending euthanasia of healthy animals; low pay; and
conflict between staff.
The most satisfying aspects of the support role were helping to rehabilitate sick or injured animals, being appreciated by clients or vets, and having
supportive vets and co-workers.
The researchers suggest that, since dealing with people issuch an important part of veterinary practice, t should be specifically taught at university.
They also suggest that professional bodies- including Veterinary Surgeons Boards and the AVA- address issues of stress factors staging professional
development events, providing a range of resources, using mentoring schemes, and disseminating information.
Veterinary practices wanting to tackle the issue of stress management could consider implementing procedures and policies to address stress
points. They could introduce regular debriefing sessions, hire consultants for practical training, or develop a list of local counsellors for referral.
"Vets need to learn anti-stress skills
Working in the veterinary profession, especially private practice can cause high levels of mental stress.
Each individual stressor may be of little consequence by itself, but taken together they accumulate, and it is this compounding effect over time that
creates personal discomfort.
As personal stress levels rise, one of the first areas affected is the veterinarian’s ability to communicate, leading to a tendency for ondividuals to
withdraw into themselves and display further emotional, mental and physical symptoms.
Is there a way of dealing with these stressors to produce more positive outcomes – and a higher quality of life? Veterinarian and professional
counsellor Peter Hatch says there is. Hatch believes there are skills that veterinarians can learn and integrate into their lives that allow stressors
to be dealt with in more appropriate ways.
Hatch, who operates from Albury- Wodonga, is a 20 year veteran of veterinary life. He has worked in many parts of Australia, most recently in a
mixed practice in Albury, as well as for the Government. A couple of years ago he decided to study counselling.
A friend had a carpal fusion in his left hand on top of everything else and it made him very depressed,” Hatch recalls, “He was ready to get in his car and
drive off and never come back. I sat and talked with him for four hours and numerous cups of coffee later, I sent him home. I realised that the veterinary
profession was in deep trouble with stress.
There are many factors causing stress for veterinarians, but they include misperceptions among the public about what veterinarians do, the high amounts
of money that the public thinks veterinarians earn, and the veterinarians partner’s perceptions along the same lines”.
Other factors are business related, such as intense local competition and associated price –cutting, slow payers, excessive hours and inability to cope
with client distress and grief.
Hatch says the problem of stress is especially prevalent in one-person practices or multiple practices where partners are continually working “one-out”.
And although widely publicised among rural veterinarians, he believes stress is not limited to country areas.
Hatch’s counselling approach is based upon cognitive behaviour techniques, where individuals are assisted to examine their core thoughts. He prefers
to do this in a group, usually workshops of 15-20 people.
Given the rapid changes in society, people today require more personal skills then previous generations,” Hatch said. “The trouble is, these are not
modelled or learnt in our present educational environment. The result is that lives are not being lived to the fullest.
These skills can be acquired in counselling or learnt from books, but they need to be practiced to become integrated into everyday behaviour.
For many individuals, these skills are best learnt and practiced in group situations. Peter Hatch can be contacted at
yourvisionyourlife@kooee.com.au
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