Wellbeing Study IV - The one where things get better

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Wellbeing Study IV

Earlier this week, the results of the 4th Merck Veterinary Wellbeing Study were released. Merck, in partnership with the AVMA, has surveyed thousands of veterinarians with the goal of identifying the state of mental health and wellbeing in the professional, while bringing awareness to the challenges veterinarians and support teams face. The biennial study is the fourth since 2017. We’ll link to the 2017, 2019 and 2021 studies below.

Note: while the results of the study strictly focus on the United States (all 4,700 participants work in the US), they are likely an indicative snapshot of the profession across many countries.

The Findings:

• Career Satisfaction: 74% of respondents indicate they are somewhat or extremely satisfied with their careers, but only 10% think other veterinarians are similarly satisfied.

• Job Satisfaction: 56% of respondents say they are extremely or very satisfied with their jobs, compared to 51% of the general population in 2022.

• Incomes: The mean income for associates increased from $87,710 in 2017 to $124,078 in 2023, while the mean income for owners increased from $190,122 in 2017 to $195,796 in 2023.

• Wellbeing: 53.9% of respondents say they have a high level of wellbeing and are flourishing, while 10.2% say they have a low level of wellbeing and are suffering.

• Burnout: The mean burnout score for respondents is 2.4 out of 5, with 25% experiencing high or very high burnout. Exhaustion is the most common dimension of burnout, with 31% reporting it frequently.

• Mental Health: 10% of respondents suffer from serious psychological distress, compared to 16% of the general population in 2022. 25% of respondents received outpatient treatment or counseling for mental health issues in the past 12 months, up from 14% in 2019.

This point on career satisfaction is incredibly interesting. The perception of the profession being so far out of step with the reality likely points to toxic negativity being a huge impact on veterinarian’s point of view.

There still remains a lot to do, but the results are encouraging. The relative increase in job satisfaction and income compared to the past survey are great trends.

Action Steps: The study suggested some personal and organizational strategies to improve wellbeing, such as work-life balance, social support, healthy coping mechanisms, financial planning, psychological safety, positive culture, and tele-behavioral health services.

Resources: There are a list of industry and financial resources for veterinarians and veterinary staff listed, such as AVMA, NOMV, MentorVet, AAHA, PrideVMC, and others. It also highlighted Merck Animal Health’s investment in veterinary programs and scholarships, as well as its support for initiatives such as Workplace Wellbeing, Healthy Workplace Culture, Workforce Crisis, CLEAR Blueprint, and MentorVet.

Read the full Merck Animal Health 2023 Veterinary Wellbeing Study here.

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This year also marks the second Veterinary Team Wellbeing study. Here are the highlights:

• Meaningful Work: A majority (81%) of veterinary team members find their work meaningful and important.

• Compensation: A significant number (59%) of respondents reported dissatisfaction with their compensation.

• Stress: A high percentage of respondents reported experiencing stress in their work.

• Staff Shortage: Many respondents reported a shortage of qualified staff as a significant challenge.

• Wellbeing and Mental Health: The wellbeing and mental health of veterinary team members are reported to be lower than the general population.

• Burnout: Burnout among veterinary team members is reported to be higher than the general population.

• Personality and Financial Health: The study found that personality traits and financial health play a significant role in wellbeing outcomes.

With the team study published alongside the veterinarian study, we can see that support for veterinary teams has a longer way to go, but the two studies are intrinsically linked. As teams provide more support for vets, individual well-being will improve. And as well-being improves, workplace culture and supportive behaviors amongst colleagues will do the same.

Click here for more Learnings from the Merck Animal Health 2023 Veterinary Team Wellbeing Study.

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See previous editions of the study here: 2017, 2019 and 2021.

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Quick Hits

Here are some of the other stories that caught out eye and we're following this week from around the veterinary world and animal kingdom:

6 New Animal Welfare Laws [National Geographic]

Blood banks in vet med [DVM 360]

Another new veterinary program - Hanover College [VIN]

Expected impact of avian flu on US production in 2024 [Feedstuffs]

Elanco launches Defend Puppies Defeat Parvo program aimed to save 1 million puppies from parvo [PR Newswire]