1. And Compassion Fatigue
Developing a Wellness Program in Veterinary Medicine: Well-being, Burn Out,
And Compassion Fatigue
Alexander Rowell, Psy.D.
Oregon State University College of Veterinary Medicine
For additional information please contact
Alex Rowell, Psy.D at
Abstract
Results
Results II
The first two graphs show that 76% of students stated that they felt their current stress levels are between 3 or a 4. Similar results were yielded in regards to students reporting their current anxiety levels; 62% of those students disclosed that their anxiety fell between 3 or a 4. Depression was the lowest endorsed of all of the mood states. For example, 58% ranked their depression/sadness at either a 1 or 2 out of a possibility for 5.
Well-being focuses on the macro, micro, the individual, culture, system, and much more. Overall 78 respondents (61%) stated that they strongly agreed or somewhat agreed with the idea that CVM is fostering an environment of well-being, but still has room to grow in regards to direct services.
Veterinary medicine is a helping profession that often gets neglected in the world of the medicine. Research has shown that veterinarians are two times more likely to die by suicide that human physicians (Lawrence, 2013) as well as being at risk for several other mental health conditions (Killinger, Flanagan, Castine & Howard, 2017).
The purpose of this self-report questionnaire was to assess students’ overall well-being, feelings of burn out, compassion fatigue and culture within the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM). The questionnaire had 78 respondents from the college which included 1st to 4th year students. In relationship to students rating their own anxiety, depression, and stress, this survey suggests that depression was lower relative compared to students’ levels of stress and anxiety. Students’ stress and anxiety was indicated as the main mental health factor that affect their overall well-being. These results highlight mental health alignments that affect one’s overall well-being to perform such rigorous tasks in professional school, i.e. rotations and exams. Using faculty and staff to help change the culture is imperative to elicit sustainability for students’ overall well-being and professional development.
qualitative format:
These qualitative responses are from those who elected to give additional feedback related to well-being, mental health, and the culture at the CVM. Themes that came about from the respondents include the following:
Students having mood difficulties that include stress, anxiety, and depression.
2. The counselor’s hours may not line up with some students’ schedules.
3. Students are in support of CVM counselor.
4. Conducting outreaches on topics related to mental health and wellness may be helpful.
5. Students do not feel supported by the administration, i.e. faculty and staff.
Students do not want vending machines removed.
“I would love to see the new therapist, but the hours available (listed on our website) are every day while I'm in class, so there's no way to actually utilize the service….....And my anxiety is taking over my life, and I don't know what to do, but no therapist is ever available around our schedule.”
“Having a counselor on staff would be a good idea. Even if I don't use it…...others will probably. Also, depression levels are up a bit due to many of us finally processing the loss of ‘….....’, which until we returned to classes and saw her gone, we could pretended it hadn't happened.”
“I had to request a medical leave last year due to severe mental illness. Before that, while I was really struggling, I felt very alone at the CVM--the vast majority of students are stressed, or really struggling to balance school and their personal lives.”
“So many people (veterinary medicine students) are struggling and can’t/don’t want to talk about it (mental health conditions)….....”
Introduction
In professional school, veterinary medicine students are faced with a plethora of tasks that challenge them mentally, physically and emotionally. In turn this leaves professional students more vulnerable to certain mental health disorders, problems with substance abuse, and suicide. For example, in 2012 a National Survey revealed of 7,669 of practicing veterinarians, 19% of respondents had seriously thought about suicide and 9% previously attempted suicide (CVMA News: Wellness of Veterinarians, 2012); which is about 4 times higher than the general population (Bartram & Baldwin, 2008).
Research has also highlighted that this population is highly susceptible to burn out and compassion fatigue. In a study conducted by McArthur, Andrews, Brand and Hazel, they noted that approximately 30% of students are at high risk for burn out and 21% reported low compassion satisfaction, which has a negative correlation with compassion fatigue. This speaks to the lack of longevity for young career professionals.
Discussion
Overall, respondents believe that the CVM does a good job supporting an environment of
well-being. With that being said, a majority of students in this survey currently struggle
with anxiety, stress, and to a lesser degree, depression. The results yielded in the self-report
survey is consistent with the national data when it comes to veterinary medicine students
and mental illness (Reisbig, Danielson, Wu &et al., 2012; Kogan, McConnell, &
Schoenfeld-Tacher, 2005). Participants also noted that given their busy schedules, it maybe
difficult to access mental health services outside of the college. Subjects disclosed that
support from faculty and staff can help facilitate a process where students feel safe to
access mental health services, foster an environment of well-being and in turn prevent
burn out. Finally, in order to prevent burn out and compassion fatigue, there needs to be a
cultural shift in regards to not only what is expected of students, but how modeling
behaviors of well-being, i.e. going on walks during work breaks or being allowed time to
process medical errors, will ultimately help students grow both personally and
professionally.
Method
Data was collected by having students fill out a self-report likert scale questionnaire that was based on their overall well-being. Participants also had the option to fill in qualitative responses to add additional data that could not be captured in a likert scale format.
Quantitative data was collected in a Likert scale format from the 78 participants who completed the survey. This survey measured multiple aspects of students’ mental health, their perception of CVM’s culture of well-being, what services might be most beneficial, and finally what times and days work best with their schedule.