An In-Depth Exploration into the Occupational Stressors Impacting Veterinarians’ Mental Health and the Perceived Impacts of Mental Health on Veterinarians’ Provision of Care

Veterinarians are trained to protect the well-being of animals, clients, and the community. Unfortunately, veterinarians encounter occupational stressors that can adversely impact their mental health. Using Canadian veterinarians’ in-depth perspectives, nine occupational stressor themes were reported: 1) nature of the profession; 2) veterinary relationships; 3) client interactions; 4) personal finances; 5) new veterinarian strain; 6) practice owner strain; 7) onus of responsibility; 8) self-described personal characteristics, and 9) moral stressors and moral distress, alongside the implications of the stressors. The perceived impacts of poor mental health upon veterinarians’ provision of care were also explored. This thesis highlights participants’ perceived implications of veterinarians experiencing poor mental health, including negatively impacting colleagues and clients, reduced concentration, difficulty making decisions, and decreased quality of care. In addition, clinic-wide recommendations were also provided to foster a supportive veterinary team, prioritize mental health, and provide consistent and quality veterinary care.