Roundtable Wrap-up
11 Nov 2022
Image: attendees at the 2022 Veterinary Wellness Roundtable in Sydney
Read the AVA 2022 Veterinary Wellness Roundtable Report
On Wednesday 26 October 2022, veterinary professionals from a range of disciplines, mental health experts, and the AVA’s newly formed veterinary wellness steering group, convened in Sydney to discuss the state of wellness in the veterinary profession. The Roundtable was hosted by AVA CEO Dr David Andrews, moderated by Interim CEO of Mental Health Lived Experience Peak Queensland Jorgen Gullestrup and was kindly supported by Zoetis.
It was an incredible day of inclusive and empathetic discussion focussed on what a thriving veterinary profession might look like using different these lenses: early career, employee, employer, industry, and educators. We listened to a case study of the award winning, workplace mental health and suicide prevention program – Mates In Construction, and shared ideas on how we can effectively work together to successfully formulate an industry-led veterinary wellness initiative. The group spent time working together to envision "a mentally healthy industry," said Mr Gullestrup. "It was a room full of passionate, compassionate people."
Monika Cole, organiser and AVA Executive Officer Wellness, thanks everyone involved for giving up their valuable time, for reviewing recommendations proposed in the 2021 veterinary wellness stakeholder research, and for their ongoing commitment to working together as one veterinary community.
As AVA president Dr Bronwyn Orr said, "There were excellent ideas, passionate individuals and a strong commitment from all parties in the room to work together and take action on veterinary wellness."
A full Roundtable report is available here.
For more information about the AVA's wellness initiative, THRIVE, please click here.
Testimonials
”I have been working in mental health and suicide prevention for the past 15 years. Every so often you get to do work you can feel has the potential to move the needle on suicide prevention. Being part of this summit was one of those events. The AVA had done their homework, had done foundation research, were prepared to go beyond the obvious and self-interest. It was a discussion about a community who wanted to make a difference – not just for their business and not just for their staff but also for the community they work with.” Jorgen Gullestrup - Semicolon Consulting
“The AVA Roundtable event was a wonderful day filled with passionate people and robust conversations. The lived experience and narratives of real people in the industry were central to the discussion and the ideas that were captured. It was an honour to be at the ground roots of the co-design of a Framework that will make a positive difference to the lives of workers within the Veterinary Industry.” Sandra Surace, Head of Workplace Mental Health, SuperFriend
"I was incredibly honoured to be invited to be a voice for Veterinary Students at the THRIVE Veterinary Wellness Roundtable. I hope that I can go back to my fellow classmates and express that their concerns and insecurities are valid, are of genuine concern industry wide, and that solutions are being investigated. I am optimistic that this is just the beginning of such mental health awareness initiatives being undertaken in the veterinary industry." Bridget Webster, DVM student, University of Sydney
“It was inspiring to see so many passionate people in the one room with a dedicated focus of improving the wellbeing of the veterinary profession." Christie Boucher, Risk Service Manager, Guild
“It was a wonderful opportunity to participate in the Roundtable. I was really impressed with the structure of the day, and the process undertaken to ensure all participants had the opportunity to contribute and be heard. I felt that the outcome was very positive indeed and look forward to hearing and seeing the next steps in the THRIVE process. Thank you for the invitation to attend.” Dr Alicia Kennedy, Founder Cherished Pets
“The roundtable gave me a lot of insight and hope for the future of the veterinary profession and I will be eager to help in the future. I really enjoyed meeting everyone and giving my input and perspective in the industry. My clinic, along with Patricia Clarke, has been very supportive of the discussion and continues to help drive new ideas and opportunities for vet technicians and nurses.” Anemie Fourie, Technician, Manly Road Veterinary Hospital