Burnout in vets and veterinary professionals is extremely common, and likely one of the top contributing factors to people leaving the industry.
You hear burnout being talked about all the time (especially in healthcare professions) but do we truly know how it can manifest? How do you know if what you’re feeling is burnout, and is that the same for someone else? Recognising signs that you’re burning out is really important on your self-awareness journey, and means you can then do something about it!
A study in 2020 by Veterinary Integration Solutions revealed that burnout is one of the most significant negative factors impacting the veterinary profession. This paired with the fact that the highest rates of burnout was seen in the veterinary generation under the age of 30 (eek hello new and recent grads!), and things are looking a bit bleak!
So what does ‘burnout’ actually look or feel like?
6 Signs of Burnout
#1 Becoming cynical about work. Cynicism about the work itself, about your clients, or even colleagues.
#2 Exhaustion, despite getting enough sleep.
#3 Dissatisfaction with accomplishments. No sense of achievement when cases go right or you convince yourself your efforts made no difference.
#5 A feeling of emptiness or hopelessness in the workplace
#6 Inability to concentrate
Any of Those Sound Familiar?
It’s no easy feat to graduate from vet school, start your first job in practice and continue on in full time practice for years without any kind of hit on your mental health. The vet profession has so many red flags for workplace culture – clients messaging you at all hours, out of hours stress and exhaustion, high caseloads with little time availability, rife perfectionism, lack of break culture, a critically low workforce, poor work-life balance… I could keep going.
If you recognise burnout in yourself, the first thing you should do is not feel guilty or beat yourself up for ‘not being able to handle the veterinary profession’. A huge amount of vets have gone through exactly the same thing… and come out the other side!
You’re Not the Only One Out There!
In a 2021 study, 30% of veterinarians (over 2,500 surveyed), reported high burnout levels (with a further almost 30% experiencing moderate levels of burnout as well). The study also looked at practice atmosphere and work schedule, and found that of the vets experiencing high burnout levels, 70% worked in chaotic practices. Evening and weekend work also significantly contributed towards burnout.
How To Make Positive Changes
#1 Identify why you might be feeling burnt out. Is it a lack of free-time and personal life? Or is it due to accumulative stress over a colleague you aren’t getting along with? Could any of these issues be resolved with your manager? Reducing work hours or attempting mediation might relieve some of the strain.
#2 Set boundaries – and stick to them! This could look like turning off your work phone in the evening, or asking reception to not ask you to speak to a client during your lunch break.
#3 Establish some work-life balance goals. Putting into place practices that will enable you to leave work on time, or finish your billing and reports before the end of the week so you don’t have to do them on the weekend can be great short term changes. However if it is the out of hours work or constant late finishes that are really getting you down – do you need to consider changing to a job without these?
#4 Create your own schedule. If feeling locked in to a chaotic busy practice gives you a feeling of dread, then being a vet on your own terms and timescale might be the key. Many vets have found the answer to defeating burnout is locum or freelance work.
#5 Seek professional help. As you have told all those clients who have consulted Dr Google before arriving in your consult room, professional advice is the best advice. Investing in yourself can seem like an unnecessary expense, but for people who are really struggling and are truly unable to see a way out of their rut, therapy or coaching might just be the ticket.
Conclusion
Burnout in veterinary professionals is extremely common, yet not something that should be taken lightly. If you feel like you’re experiencing any of the feelings listed above, do try to sit down and think about where this might be coming from and start implementing some steps to help.
I definitely know from experience the feeling of hopelessness that burnout seems to commonly lead to, and this can feel like the chance of resolution is also hopeless. But change is possible and there are heaps of amazing resources out there. Some of my favourite blog posts on veterinary wellbeing and vet self-care are on MentorVet – check them out!
ThisVetCan 