Mental Health Challenges Among Veterinary Teams: Study Says It's Getting Better

The latest Veterinary Wellbeing Study shows greater levels of job satisfaction and pride in work across veterinary teams, but that doesn't change the reality that there is a shortage of qualified veterinary team members as well as burdensome student debt. This is the first comprehensive study of its kind following the global pandemic.

Merck Animal Health recently released findings of its Veterinary Wellbeing Study conducted in collaboration with the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). The study examined the wellbeing and mental health of U.S. veterinarians and support teams and underscored a positive trend in veterinarian practices and professionals taking a more proactive approach toward mental health. 

"It is encouraging to see an increase in practices and professionals that are addressing team culture, wellbeing, and mental health. We remain committed to advocating for and providing resources to veterinary professionals no matter the individual's role or title," Christine Royal, DVM, vice president, companion animal and equine business unit, Merck Animal Health, said in a release.

Similar to previous benchmark studies (2017, 2019 and 2021), the goal of the fourth Veterinary Wellbeing Study was to identify and explore the state of veterinary professionals' mental health and wellbeing in an effort to bring awareness to the challenges veterinarians and support teams face and more importantly, how they are able to manage them with the support received from partners, Merck Animal Health reports in a release.

"We understand that to sustain the health of animals, we need to ensure the wellbeing of their caretakers," Rena Carlson, DVM, AVMA president, said in a release.

The study expanded its scope this time to examine the mental health and wellbeing of veterinary team members – including veterinary technicians and office managers – with nearly five times more responses from these positions than the 2021 survey.

"There are many positives coming out of the study, including high levels of job satisfaction and pride in work across veterinary teams. This must be balanced with the understanding that there are also challenges within the veterinary profession, including a shortage of qualified veterinary team members as well as burdensome student debt that causes stress," Royal said.

The report showed that most practicing veterinarians agree there is a high degree of trust within their organization, their input is valued, there is sufficient time for each appointment to provide high-quality patient care, and there is candid and open communication among team members, which all contribute to a positive work environment.

At the same time, results indicate clinics have the opportunity to make improvements by openly discussing wellbeing and mental health in team meetings, with only 36% of veterinary teams finding that this happens somewhat or to a great extent.

There are many aspects of the job veterinarians and support teams enjoy, especially helping animals. An overwhelming number of veterinarians (98%) and veterinary team members (92%) note that they are invested in their work and take pride in doing a good job. More than 80% also believe the work they do makes a positive contribution on other peoples' lives.

Other key findings of the report include:

• Almost 75% of veterinary professionals express personal satisfaction with their career, but there are still factors they are concerned about, including high exhaustion, work-life balance and shortage of vets.
   
• Results indicate that more veterinarians who needed mental health support received outpatient treatment and counseling for mental health challenges in 2023.
   
• A substantial increase in clinics supporting their team's mental health and emotional wellbeing has occurred, with results showing that 38% of clinics now offer an employee assistance program (EAP) as opposed to 31% in 2021 and 27% in 2019.
   
• Although results indicate an overall satisfaction in the profession, there is a perception among veterinary teams that it might not be the same for their colleagues, with less than 50% of veterinarians saying that others in the profession are satisfied with their careers. 
   

Merck Animal Health has prioritized understanding the challenges that face veterinarians and veterinary technicians by issuing this important study every two years since 2017, the release said.

Key initiatives such as MentorVet, a growing entity that creates evidence-based programming to empower individuals to thrive within veterinary medicine, help facilitate guidance and support for veterinary professionals, Merck said in a release. In addition, Merck Animal Health is an educational partner for MentorVet Connect, a collaboration between the AVMA and MentorVet that brings the power and support of a structured evidence-based mentor program to newly graduated AVMA members free of charge, beginning with the classes of 2018-2023. 

Editor's Note: This study was conducted in September and October 2023 by Brakke Consulting, Inc., among a nationally representative sample of 4,636 veterinarians in the U.S., both practitioners and non-practitioners, using standardized research methods. The objectives were to continue to track wellbeing and mental health of veterinarians and benchmark findings against physicians and the U.S. general population of employed adults. Data were weighted based on age, gender, and region of the U.S. For the sample as a whole, the maximum margin of error was +/- 1.4% at 95% confidence level. To achieve a comprehensive study of veterinary team members in 2023, Brakke Consulting collaborated with the North American Veterinary Technician Association (NAVTA), the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association (VHMA) and others to sample veterinary technicians, veterinary assistants, hospital practice managers, reception/client service representatives and other members of a veterinary clinic's team. A total of 2,271 completed questionnaires were returned.