Tech Talk: Promoting wellbeing in veterinary technology programs

Wellbeing is in the forefront of many veterinary professional’s minds lately. Conferences have entire tracks and sessions focused on improving the lives of veterinarians and veterinary support staff. Studies are now being conducted on the crisis that is mental wellbeing in veterinary medicine. While veterinary schools employ social workers and have vast support services, the veterinary technology schools are lacking much of the same specific support. Training students on the important aspects of essential psychomotor and didactic skills is crucial and required, but wellbeing has been more of an afterthought rather than an important part of the curriculum for technician programs. It has only recently incorporated into veterinary school programs. A new approach Enter Appalachian State University. Appalachian State has become the first veterinary technology program to employ a full-time wellbeing coordinator on their team. The sole purpose of this position is to provide support for the students and faculty, and also develop best practice models for other veterinary technology programs to follow. While there are many studies relating to veterinarians and the mental health crisis they are experiencing, the same cannot be said for the veterinary support staff, particularly credentialed veterinary technicians. Many of the same characteristics that draw students to veterinary medicine are also the same characteristics that contribute to burnout and compassion fatigue. Merck conducted a veterinary wellbeing study in 2021 and it demonstrated that the lack of wellbeing for support staff as well as personal distress, are higher than their veterinarian counterparts.1 Additionally, personnel shortages are a huge issue as about a third of the staff respondents indicate they plan to leave practice in the next two years.1 It is easy to conclude the same mental health and well-being issues veterinarians face, also plague veterinary technicians. By providing the same support veterinary students receive during their schooling, veterinary technician students can graduate well-rounded and better equipped to handle the stressors of their profession. Current education options Veterinary technology education is a rigorous process. The majority of programs that students enroll in award two-year associate degrees. There are currently 221 accredited veterinary technician programs. There are 27 that offer a bachelor’s degree or bachelor’s completion opportunity. Ten schools offer the program or portions of the program virtually. Currently the only states that do not have an American Veterinary Medical Association-accredited veterinary technology programs are Alaska and the District of Columbia. All programs, regardless of if they are in person or a distance education program, must abide by the same standards the AVMA Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities (CVTEA) sets forth. The amount of required material that is covered in two years is staggering and includes more than 200 psychomotor skills. So, what can be done to help veterinary technician students be prepared for not only the required knowledge and physical aspects of the profession but also the life skills that are required? How can veterinary technology schools help improve the burnout rate of their graduates? Latest studies show the average technician works in the field for an average of five to seven years before leaving the profession entirely. This vicious cycle also leads to high turnover and understaffing because there are not simply enough credentialed technicians to meet the demands. Rebecca Newman, the wellbeing coordinator at Appalachian State University, states, “App State is leading the way for veterinary technician programs by placing wellbeing (a state of living and functioning well) as one of our core values. In this role, I’m developing a comprehensive and evidence-based wellbeing program to support and evaluate the wellbeing of our program’s students, faculty, and staff. I will work with students individually, through coursework, and through additional programming to ensure they graduate with the wellbeing competencies needed to sustain a long and rewarding career.” Factors that cause issues for current and future veterinary technicians There are many factors that play into the stress and burnout of veterinary technician and technician students. The major factors of credentialed technicians resulting in job dissatisfaction and leaving the profession are low pay, compassion fatigue, poor work life balance, and underutilization. While progress is being made to improve all these factors, much more work needs to be done. For students, the understanding and expectations of the job can sometimes be lacking. Many enter the field because they love animals and want to help them but do not have realistic expectations of what the job entails. Technician schools can present these realities and try to prepare their grads for the workforce but often until they are in the thick of it, they may not fully grasp the profession in its entirety. By preparing them mentally, they are better equipped to deal with emotional and mental difficulties when they arise. Veterinary schools have begun including a wellbeing or social work type position in recent years due to the unique challenges and stressors faced by veterinarians. Many veterinary schools also include wellness training as part of their curriculum. The University of Arizona School of Veterinary Medicine's Well-Being Center includes access to counselors, and wellness professionals, as well as a separate space with exercise equipment and meditation rooms. Credit: Chris Richards The University of Arizona School of Veterinary Medicine, for example, has an entire center devoted to wellbeing. It includes access to counselors, wellness professionals, and space to study or relax between classes. There is a separate space that is equipped with exercise equipment, yoga and meditation rooms, as well as a tranquil outdoor area for students to use as desired. Veterinary professionals must deal with stressful situations such as euthanasia, lower pay, work life balance, underutilization, and conflicts both with clients and coworkers. Technicians are more likely to enjoy longevity in this career when given the education and skills to handle stress in healthy ways. By providing wellbeing and life skills support during school, graduates have the tools to better cope when faced with some of the harsh realities of the profession. Additionally, these tools also lead to better leadership skills and promote team-based healthcare philosophies. Technicians who are utilized properly and valued for their contribution to the team are much more likely to stay, not just at their employer but in the profession in general. Most veterinary technician programs include communication and soft skills training into their curriculum but this can be taken even further. In addition to these topics, Appalachian State has also incorporated leadership, conflict resolution, professional growth, mentorship, and personal wellbeing into not only their first-year courses but as a continuing theme throughout the student’s time at the university. Students will meet in peer groups and have one-on-one sessions with the wellbeing coordinator. Students will graduate feeling empowered and able to make a positive difference at their workplaces and in the profession. Why is well-being important? One of the positive trends in veterinary medicine in the last several years is the destigmatization and normalization of mental and physical wellbeing. Having open conversations and recognizing the importance of mind and spirit as well as body. While being trained on the importance of not trying to lift a 50-pound animal on our own, we can now also speak of the importance of knowing when it is okay to say “I need a mental health day” or “I’m struggling.” By removing the taboo and the mentality of “suck it up because this is how it has always been,” we are empowering veterinary professionals and creating an atmosphere where there is psychological safety, longevity reigns supreme and this in turn results in a better environment for clients and patients not to mention the staff. With less burnout, dissatisfaction, and higher staff to patient ratios, patient care improves significantly. Happy staff equals a successful practice. By addressing and empowering, this will also positively impact the workforce crisis. While speaking to Rebecca Newman, she also had these pearls of wisdom: “I consider it a huge win for our field that wellbeing is now recognized as essential to the health of our veterinary teams. It’s an honor to be one of the first wellbeing professionals on the leadership team of a vet tech program. At App State, we’re making sure that wellbeing isn’t an afterthought in the education of veterinary technicians/nurses. In fact, it is one of our core values. As the Wellbeing Coordinator, it is my goal to ensure that each student graduates with a wellbeing toolkit that prepares them to thrive in our field. This includes wellbeing competencies such as communication, DEI, self-awareness, and self-care techniques. “Wellbeing is not something that one person does alone. Yes, there are individual skills to be developed and honed, but the key is coming together as a community to support our wellbeing. This can look different depending on your setting – perhaps it’s the team you work with at the clinic or maybe it’s the students, faculty, and staff at your school. We get to learn these skills together.” Rebecca Newman, Appalachian State University's well-being coordinator practicing an important part of well-being, the human animal bond. How a well-being coordinator or like-minded position can help students By recognizing signs and triggers while being comfortable to advocate for oneself, these newly empowered students will help change the atmosphere in their workplaces. These future grads who may perhaps manage a clinic will also understand the value and recognizing signs of compassion fatigue or stress in their employees. They can also react proactively and institute a psychologically safe and healthy organization. Students with these tools will also experience increased job satisfaction because they understand and know their own self-worth and are willing to stand up for themselves and speak up when a situation is not healthy or right for them. Students will learn to recognize what is an appropriate work life balance and be encouraged to take that PTO day or vacation time. We can educate them to understand the grief process and when it is negatively impacting us. Again, our greatest strengths that draw us to this profession can also be our greatest downfall and by understanding this and knowing how to properly process it, we will be graduating life-long technicians with leadership and mentorship skills. This will change the world of veterinary medicine. Veterinary medicine is on a beautiful precipice right now and veterinary educators have the power to positively impact future veterinarians and veterinary technicians. Jennifer Serling, CVT, RVT, VTES, BVSc, is a credentialed technician with more than 30 years of experience in both small and large animal practices. She has been a veterinary technician educator since 2007. She currently works for Appalachian State University as the Assistant Director of the Bachelors of Veterinary Technology program. Jennifer is a nationally known speaker as well as the author of several veterinary technology textbooks. She is the current President of the Association of Veterinary Technician Educators (AVTE). Jennifer resides in Tucson, AZ with her two boys: her cat and her favorite child, a golden retriever named Daffy. Reference 1. Veterinary wellbeing study. Merck Animal Health USA. (2022, February 8). https://www.merck-animal-health-usa.com/about-us/veterinary-wellbeing-study Resources Vet Technicians Under Stress: The Highest Level of Burnout. (n.d.). Https://Vetintegrations.com/. https://vetintegrations.com/insights/vet-technicians-burnout/ Wellbeing. (n.d.). AAVMC. https://www.aavmc.org/programs/wellbeing/ Veterinary technology educators talk leadership skills. (n.d.). American Veterinary Medical Association. https://www.avma.org/javma-news/2020-12-15/veterinary-technology-educators-talk-leadership-skills Utilizing veterinary technicians to improve practice success. (n.d.). American Veterinary Medical Association. https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/practice-management/utilizing-veterinary-technicians-improve-practice-success CVPM, S. W., RVT. (2019, June 25). Supporting Emotional and Mental Health in the Veterinary Profession. Today’s Veterinary Practice. https://todaysveterinarypractice.com/personal-wellbeing/supporting-emotional-and-mental-health-in-the-veterinary-profession/#:~:text=As%20veterinary%20professionals%2C%20we%20have Survey finds underuse related to retention for veterinary technicians. (n.d.). American Veterinary Medical Association. https://www.avma.org/javma-news/2021-12-15/survey-finds-underuse-related-retention-veterinary-technicians?fbclid=IwAR3WAOoBi2BsrgHbi6sXa4PY1wMFLNXNaajUCrzrJ3_tSKVdP94Tu5SVHgk

Cookie	Duration	Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional	11 months	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
JSESSIONID	session	The JSESSIONID cookie is used by New Relic to store a session identifier so that New Relic can monitor session counts for an application.
viewed_cookie_policy	11 months	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

Cookie	Duration	Description
vuid	2 years	Vimeo installs this cookie to collect tracking information by setting a unique ID to embed videos to the website.
_ga	2 years	The _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors.
_gat	1 minute	This cookie is installed by Google Universal Analytics to restrain request rate and thus limit the collection of data on high traffic sites.
_gat_UA-	1 minute	A variation of the _gat cookie set by Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager to allow website owners to track visitor behaviour and measure site performance. The pattern element in the name contains the unique identity number of the account or website it relates to.
_gid	1 day	Installed by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously.
__gads	1 year 24 days	The __gads cookie, set by Google, is stored under DoubleClick domain and tracks the number of times users see an advert, measures the success of the campaign and calculates its revenue. This cookie can only be read from the domain they are set on and will not track any data while browsing through other sites.

Cookie	Duration	Description
ADV_u_id	3 months 8 days	Unique customer identifier used to track unique ad views and interactions with some ads.
anj	3 months	AppNexus sets the anj cookie that contains data stating whether a cookie ID is synced with partners.
fr	3 months	Facebook sets this cookie to show relevant advertisements to users by tracking user behaviour across the web, on sites that have Facebook pixel or Facebook social plugin.
IDE	1 year 24 days	Google DoubleClick IDE cookies are used to store information about how the user uses the website to present them with relevant ads and according to the user profile.
loc	never	AddThis sets this geolocation cookie to help understand the location of users who share the information.
OAGEO	session	OpenX sets this cookie to avoid the repeated display of the same ad.
OAID	1 year	Cookie set to record whether the user has opted out of the collection of information by the AdsWizz Service Cookies.
test_cookie	15 minutes	The test_cookie is set by doubleclick.net and is used to determine if the user's browser supports cookies.
uuid2	3 months	The uuid2 cookie is set by AppNexus and records information that helps in differentiating between devices and browsers. This information is used to pick out ads delivered by the platform and assess the ad performance and its attribute payment.
_fbp	3 months	This cookie is set by Facebook to display advertisements when either on Facebook or on a digital platform powered by Facebook advertising, after visiting the website.

Tech Talk: Promoting wellbeing in veterinary technology programs

Stop giving technicians the short-shrift on this important training

Membership Required