May 2021 Update

Veterinary Wellness – a whole of industry approach

A message from the AVA President, May 2021

In our March 2021 edition of the AVA Digest, I outlined the work that the AVA has undertaken to support the long-term sustainability of veterinary services in Australia. I also shared with you, that veterinary wellness is at the top of our strategic priorities, and that we are in the process of developing a sustainable model for measurable change to mental health in the veterinary industry.

The AVA has engaged SuperFriend, an organisation that specialises in designing and delivering mental health initiatives, to help us develop a holistic, comprehensive veterinary wellness strategy that will support the veterinary industry.

SuperFriend have completed a literature review and desktop analysis; providing us with a summary of the current state of the industry, as well as identifying some of the risks, and protective factors, and determining gaps and opportunities in the interventions already used.

Both national and international approaches to mental health in the industry were included, to leverage global best practice and inform action now, and in the future, on making sustainable and measurable change to mental health in the veterinary industry.

We will share some of the insights from the SuperFriend review at our virtual conference -  VetFest on the 12^th of May at 7.15pm AEDT. A full report of the findings is also available here.

The voice of the profession is critical in addressing mental health and wellness. Our next key step is to gather further insights and opinions on risk and protective factors that exist, as well as help to shape some potential solutions to address these issues. We will do this by holding focus group discussions with a diverse group of veterinary industry stakeholders over the coming weeks.   

Following these discussions, we will seek further consultation with you, in a planned member forum where we will share the outcomes from the focus group discussions and plan the next stages of the strategy development.

The veterinary wellness landscape across the Australian veterinary industry is complex and varied. I believe, that to positively impact the mental health of all veterinarians, we need to work together.

With the collegiate spirit of this amazing profession, we can achieve anything!  

Dr Warwick Vale
AVA President

^{*Image provided by the team at Austinmer Veterinary Hospital}