wellness in general or because there is a rising awareOver the past ten years, more and more attention has been paid to the issue of veterinary wellness. Veterinary wellness is getting a lot of attention in Canada and around the world, whether it's because of societal concern for health andness of the alarming rate of suicide in the profession (1). We might inquire, "Is this because the health of veterinarians has deteriorated? Are the difficulties of practice becoming too much?” “More and more veterinarians are suffering from compassion fatigue, burnout, and suicidal behaviors,” as stated by Dr. Jean Wallace (2) in a recent study that identified the stressful aspects of the work that veterinarians do and how they affect their well-being.
Certainly, those in practice are familiar with the stressful aspects of the profession. It is common knowledge that veterinarians work long hours, on average 50 to 60 hours per week. The work of veterinarians is emotionally charged and, as a result, emotionally taxing, in addition to the fatigue that comes with it and the wide range of consequences of a work-life imbalance (broken relationships, social isolation, inadequate self-care, and coping), all of which are significant stressors in and of themselves. The context of pain, suffering, worries, fear, failures, and death can wear on veterinarians and their coworkers. It can even increase the likelihood of conflict between hospital staff members and difficult client relationships, which in turn can cause additional stress and distress. The daily aspects of practice that threaten to undermine even the most resilient include the moral distress of balancing high-quality patient care with client financial means and the psychosocial, emotional, and humane realities of euthanasia.
In today's highly competitive market, where business management knowledge and skills are pressing to become just as essential as veterinary knowledge and skills, practitioners face some newer trends, the stresses of rising client expectations, the increased risk of complaints and malpractice suits, intensifying regulatory governance and accountability, and mounting student debt. To top it all off, practitioners of today are constantly challenged to keep up with the explosion of information. This is a challenge in and of itself, but it is made even more difficult by the rate at which veterinary medicine is becoming more and more like human medicine in terms of standards and sophistication. Could these pressures be putting a strain on the well-being and health of veterinarians? Take a step back and ask yourself, "What exactly is health and wellness?" before responding to this.
Although the terms "health" and "wellness" are frequently used interchangeably, their origins and meanings are distinct (3). Health is defined as "a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity" by the World Health Organization (WHO) in the 1940s. Even though this definition has been criticized for being too broad and impossible to achieve, particularly in relation to the word "complete," it significantly expands the medical definition of health beyond the simple absence of disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) says that a person's personal characteristics and behaviors, as well as their social, economic, and physical environments, are the most important health determinants. As a result, a person's efforts and intelligent lifestyle choices are just as important as external or environmental factors (such as healthcare systems) in maintaining and improving their health. It relies upon health, truth be told.
The way wellness is defined might surprise you! The National Wellness Institute defines wellness as "an active process through which people become aware of, and make choices toward, a more successful existence," despite the fact that this definition varies from context to context. Three principles underpin this definition:
The pursuit of one's full potential is regarded as a conscious, self-directed, and ever-evolving process of wellness.
Lifestyle, mental and spiritual well-being, and the environment are all aspects of holistic wellness.
Being well is uplifting and affirming.
To put it succinctly, the distinction between health and wellness can be summarized as follows: health is a state of being, whereas wellness is the state of leading a healthy lifestyle. Physical, mental, and social well-being are all aspects of health; Well-being is the goal of wellness.
There is no doubt that practicing medicine comes with a lot of stress, so much so that we should and should ask if these stresses are harming the health and well-being of veterinarians. Is stress harmful to health? Absolutely. It has the potential to impact social, mental, and physical health. Is health affected by stress? Yes, but only to a certain extent; it has the potential to alter one's perspective or reduce one's energy, which can have a negative impact on one's commitment to self-care and the desire to realize one's full potential. The distinction lies in the fact that wellness is always a choice.
You have choices every day about how much you can do to maintain your physical, mental/emotional, and social well-being and maintain a healthy balance between them. Wellness, i.e., decisions and actions based on sound health knowledge and healthful attitudes, are the keys to optimal health.
We can't get rid of the pressures of practice, but we can make efforts and smart decisions about our lifestyles to keep them from wearing us out. In the subsequent column, we will examine the numerous strategies for fostering a wellness culture.
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