Dr. Pamela Wible is a doctor in the US who changed her medical practice after struggling for many years trying to fit with the current system. She is very vocal and passionate about preventing physician distress, depression and suicide.
I read this interview today and she makes some very important points about issues that are affecting the veterinary profession as well.
Read the transcript of the interview here:
I will post the TED talk when it is available.
Important points from the interview which applies in our profession:
We do need to share more of our mistakes & struggles which can help reduce the stress levels of graduates.
‘We are in a culture that glorifies self-neglect.’ So true!!!
‘we are losing an entire medical school full of physicians every year to suicide’. That is ridiculous!! What is being done about this?
‘If more than 50 percent of a group of people develop a condition we call “burnout” — which is really a victim-blaming term — then it is really a system’s issue, not an individual issue. Once they realize that they are not individually defective, they feel so liberated, and they feel so understood. We should not wait until people are so far gone into psychotic depression that they need to go to a psychiatrist.’
‘There’s really only two types of practices that have emerged: relationship-driven or production-driven practices. What medical school seem to be doing now is driving everyone into assembly-line, production-driven practices that do not match what most people have written on their personal statements.’ This is true in our profession as well. As a profession, we need to be more profitable, there is no doubt about that. What I find disconcerting is when production is used as the main indicator in determining the worth of an associate and their salary.
Some veterinarians can work hard and fast and production suits them very well. But what about the veterinarians who work at a slower pace and need more time? Making them work faster does not improve their performance.
There is much more in the interview. Read it here.
Why am I writing about this? I have been speaking and training more in the last few months on stress management, burnout and compassion fatigue. After every one of my talks, I am approached by people who are really struggling and just holding it together. What is more alarming is they haven’t got help as they believed they have a personal defect which is why they aren’t coping. When I hear of the conditions and clients they are working with, I can’t believe they made it this far.
I am passionate about helping veterinarians succeed in their career but also to help them recognise we have a mentally, physically and emotionally taxing workplace.
It is so important to prioritise self care as we are depleted on a continual basis. If you don’t take steps to replenish and re-energise, your level of wellbeing will slowly decrease until you have no reserves.
I am aware of my limits and my triggers for stress, personally and professionally, and take steps to ensure that my ‘well’ is topped up to cope with the workload & challenges we all experience on a consistent basis.
You must do the same.
Natasha
