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This is a brief discussion about how the professional veterinary crew can and needs to take care of our own mental and physical well being and welfare, in order to ensure our continual ability to look after the animals in our care, in Singapore's very demanding and fast paced veterinary medical industry.
We hope that this little excerpt and summary can help the new veterinary graduates and staff in Singapore to integrate successfully into our local profession and realize that they are not alone in their, at times, confusing emotional struggles with euthanasia, difficult medical cases and demands of their own personal lives.
Veterinary staff are not suffering because we are "not good" and can choose to improve our own state of mind by engaging in the following recommendation to boost our overall well being.
COMPASSION FATIGUE
UNDERSTANDING
WHY YOU ARE AT RISK
Merriam-Webster dictionary define 'Compassion Fatigue' as a physical and mental exhaustion and emotional withdrawal experienced by those helping people or animals in distress over an extended period of time.
It is an extreme state of tension and preoccupation with the suffering of those being helped, to the degree that it can create a secondary traumatic stress, anxiety or mental shutdown for the caregiver.
Veterinary professionals are vulnerable because of the emotions and compassion we feel towards the animals and their sufferings.
We are required to open our hearts and minds to the animals, but at times faulted, criticized and blamed exactly because of that same compassion.
This repeated cycle of intense empathy and feeling of being misunderstood makes us profoundly affected and even possibly damaging our mental stability.
Examples of straining elements in our work:
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The rigorous demands of vet school and, eventually, the long working hours in practice have conditioned us to accept that personal needs are irrelevant and not having time to ourselves to recuperate from work is part of the job, as is putting the needs of animals before our own, even if we are exhausted
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Unfortunately, most veterinary career hinge on the talent and ability of individual staff so not many wants to share. The truth is there is a necessity to commune about difficult experiences so that the individual can grow and improve further as a person as well as a professional.
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Working hours are often extended
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Some of us are just not aware of the level of involvement before joining the industry.
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Daily exposure to death, animal cruelty and pet owners in mourning or financial difficulties
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Daily debates and struggles with ethical dilemmas and moral stress
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Daily stress of performing various kind of surgeries; interpreting a vast amount of different types of diagnostic results; arranging treatment plans, reviews, follow ups; explaining medical terminologies and prognosis to owners; handling and doing thorough physical examination on unwilling, sometimes aggressive animals - all within a tightly stipulated time frame
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Some of us identify very strongly with the animals and want to care for them all the time, therefore have never understood the need to or do not know how to developed authentic self-care practices that will benefit this kind of relationship long term
VET CREW WELLNESS PLAN
We recommend that all veterinary staff pay attention to the following factors:
Have good sleep hygiene.
An adult need 8 hours of sleep a day. Make time to sleep comfortably and properly.
Eat well.
It is often difficult to find time to prepare and eat nutritious food, but we also know that a poor diet will affect our mood.
Eat regular meals that contain plenty of fruits and vegetables, fish protein, nuts and no refined, sugary, processed food and drinks that can cause sluggishness.
Drink plenty of water through out the day.
Exercise daily.
Physical activity releases stress and will give you a sense of control in life.
Choose the stairs instead of the lift, this will increase the heart rate and encourage perspiration.
Relaxation.
Take short breaks and concentrate on breathing techniques such as slow, deep diaphragmatic breathing with elongated exhales or alternate nostril breathing.
Sit down at a table to eat and appreciate the smell, the taste and the different textures of the food. Do not rush through the meal mindlessly.
Maintain real face-to-face relationships.
Social media or texting are not normal relationships and cannot be compared to real life connection, where you are actually dinning with and can hear the laughter of friends or family.
Do things you enjoy.
Choose something unrelated to veterinary medicine or animals.
Do not allow your life to revolve around a single component.
Learn new things and meet new people.
Leave your work in the clinic and do not bring it home.
Establish some boundaries with your working hours, how and when your clients and work-friends can contact you.
Your family desires and deserves your time and love as well.
Do not tolerate workplace bullying or abuse.
Move on to another job as soon as possible if you are always made to feel anxious, jittery and nervous at work.
Do not stay if you do not feel supported or assisted in your clinical work or being taken advantage of - the fact is we do not and cannot work alone in the veterinary medicine industry, so no one, whether new graduates or experienced staff, should be expected to do so.
Do not entertain abusive clients and those who emotionally blackmail you.
Establish your support network.
Make sure you have a trusted MD to look into your own health.
Talk to senior staff in our industry - most have experienced similar or much more difficulties than you while starting out in the veterinary medicine profession.
Find mentors in the industry to get moral support, pick up skills and knowledge that will improve your professional and personal abilities.
Talk to professional counselors for advice and treatment if you suspect that you or someone you know in the industry is going into or is in depression because of work stress, cyber-bullying or family matters.
We all started here.
Early warning signs of someone struggling to cope:
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Lack of motivation, punctuality and decision making
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Unable to concentrate or focus on any task at hand
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Unable to find anything or keep misplacing things
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Forgetfulness
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Increase in unexplained absences or sick leave
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Mood swings, outbursts or unusual displays of emotion (eg frequent anger or crying)
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Over-reacting to problems
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Erratic or changed behaviour, such as not wanting to have a casual chat with anyone while at work
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Lack of interest in appearance, or diminished personal hygiene
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Avoids eye contact
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Hand tremor
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Smell of alcohol
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Slurred speech
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Inability to communicate effectively
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Disappearing from the practice in a low mood but returning in a short time appearing much happier
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Difficulty in coping with emergency situations
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Drastic weight loss
MENTORSHIP AND SUPPORT
In the veterinary profession, good mentorship is a major factor in the success of those entering and continuing in the profession.
Who needs this:
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New staff coming up to speed in this profession
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New staff that are just frightened
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New staff struggling to become proficient and confident
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Staff overwhelmed by the work load
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Staff suffering from compassion fatigue
Therefore, recent veterinary graduates, new veterinary staff and even some experienced staff need support and guidance from those who are qualified, have been where they are and understand their situation.
The plethora of benefits for the mentees, should include:
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Reaching set goals faster
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Learning higher levels of veterinary care for the animals efficiently
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Become better at client communication
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Efficiently develop proper professional skill level
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Confidence building reassurance from experienced people
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Become a positive collaborative team member
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A calmer professional growth
A mentoring relationship cannot happen overnight. The people involved must agree on general guidelines to ensure success, which should include but not limited to:
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Accountability
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Expectations of the relationship
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Measurement of accomplishments
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Method of feedback, e.g. via email, whatsapp
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Setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound goals that is specific and realistic to the mentee
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Determine the time commitment required from both parties, e.g once a week, for an hour, etc
We belong to a profession that works very hard but does not always get appreciated at most level, especially by our animal patients.
We must band together to help one and another overcome these emotional struggles and achieve a more balanced mindset.
No one should be ashamed because they are feeling overwhelmed by their love for their work and animal patients.
Now is the time to put our hands out to help our colleagues who need some reassurance, affirmation and proper guidance.
If you are in need of veterinary mentorship and guidance, or just wish to talk to someone anonymously about your current professional situation, you can reach us at mentorship@lightoflifeveterinaryclinic.com.
We can try to assist you regain your footing and progress further or redirect you to relevant professionals we know.
Telephone Counselling Helpline:
Singapore Association for Mental Health 1800 283 7019
IMH Emergency Helpline
6389 2222
Samaritans of Singapore (SOS)
1800 221 4444
Attribution:
3. www.avma.org
5. All pictures from Free Vectors via <a href="https://www.vecteezy.com">Vecteezy.com</a>
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