Vet Times

Tag: mental health

  • Staff retention: double or quits?

    Staff retention: double or quits?

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    The recruitment problem in the veterinary profession is omnipresent and as crippling as ever. The most recent method of trying to tackle the shortage is the announcement of the University of Nottingham School of Veterinary Medicine and Science’s dual intake. The university has opted to enrol 150 undergraduates in September – as many institutions do…

  • Managing from the inside – what next in a personal medical crisis?

    Managing from the inside – what next in a personal medical crisis?

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    Alan Holford discusses the emotions he experienced when his mum became ill – and why owners sometimes misinterpret veterinary professionalism in difficult consultations for detachment.

  • Stress: your nemesis or superpower?

    Stress: your nemesis or superpower?

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    As a veterinary student, I’m certainly no stranger to stress. There’s a running joke within my friend group that “diamonds are made under pressure”, which helps us all to feel a little better when the pressure on ourselves begins to rise. But, whether it’s a coursework deadline or juggling my work-load with my social life,…

  • The client from hell

    The client from hell

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    “Never work with children or animals,” advised WC Fields – I think I’d be inclined to add “the public” to that. While, on the whole, my client interactions have been good, every now and then you do get the occasional nutter. I’ve had drunk clients, barely able to stand up, let alone comprehend their half-bald…

  • Tackling anti-animal agriculture attitudes

    Tackling anti-animal agriculture attitudes

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    It’s that time of year where we often move swiftly from a period of excess to one of reflection. We become a little more mindful of things we would like to change about our habits and ourselves. Some give up alcohol, some hit the gym, while many give up meat and animal products – either…

  • Dealing with a dreaded ‘Christmas clear-out’

    Dealing with a dreaded ‘Christmas clear-out’

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    While Christmas is, on the whole, a joyous time of year, for vets it can be quite the opposite. Besides the expected chocolate poisonings and other festive fiends, we also get what some vets may refer to as the “Christmas clear-out”. For those who haven’t twigged, this is the inevitable increase in euthanasias at this…

  • All work, no play

    All work, no play

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    Christmas is almost here, which means a much-awaited and deeply longed-for break from the 9 to 5 pattern of university life. The holiday period for Bristol students is starting a little later than normal this year, so, naturally, my friends and I are counting down the days until we get to retreat to the festive…

  • What’s the magic word?

    What’s the magic word?

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    Do you have a favourite word when communicating with clients? I’m sure you all have your own ideas on this – from the obvious to the downright inappropriate – but, for me, when taking a history, triaging or just engaging in small talk, I find one word focuses and directs the conversation. I always find…

  • Be Kind

    Be Kind

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    It’s Mental Health Awareness Week. I hadn’t planned it, but a certain package I had been waiting for arrived just in time – a navy sweatshirt with pale blue writing on. Many vets will know what this symbolises, demonstrating how tightly knit our profession is. From the age of 15, I spent a lot of…

  • Being a millennial vet

    Being a millennial vet

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    Millennials are stereotypically considered lazy, entitled and always wanting something for nothing. And having previously discussed the many advantages of employing new graduates (and, therefore, millennials), this sort of labelling angers me. The choices our generation makes are not due to lack of work ethic and naiveté about the future, but rather a reflection on…