The Merck Animal Health Veterinarian Wellbeing Study was released this week citing that most veterinarians rated their job satisfaction high. Conducted in collaboration with AVMA, the study also considered compensation, burnout, substance use disorder, cyberbullying and suicide. It found that 92 percent of respondents were concerned about high stress, 91 percent with high student debt and 89 percent with suicide.
Source: AgriMarketing, January 28, 2020. Link. . . .the study found that veterinarians, despite working fewer hours, had higher rates of burnout than physicians, scoring 3.1 on the 7-point scale versus 2.24, a statistically significant difference. The study confirmed similar research findings that veterinarians are much more likely to think about suicide and are more than 2.7 times more likely to attempt suicide.
“For example, this study found a significant and positive change in caring towards those with mental illness, but there is still a large treatment gap, with half of those surveyed experiencing distress and declining to seek treatment.” Judson Vasconelos, PhD, DVM, director, Veterinary and Consumer Affairs