Unfortunately, stress is often seen as a normal part of modern everyday life. Events of the past 18 months have only served to heighten that stress for many people. One area that has really been hit hard is the veterinary profession. In writing this article, I spoke to colleagues and asked on social media about the specific reasons that veterinary staff are currently feeling so stressed. And there was no shortage of ideas.

Table of contents

Who wouldn’t want to be a vet?

Vets spend all day cuddling cute puppies and kittens, right? Or they tootle around the countryside just like in James Herriot, and have slap up meals in warm farmhouse kitchens don’t they? That’s the veterinary idyll, but in real life, veterinary work is hard, mentally and physically. The majority of vets absolutely love what they do and wouldn’t dream of doing anything else. It’s a vocation, not a job. But although there are many many high points, there are also plenty of opportunities for low points too. 

What makes a vet?

Vets, historically, have been those high-achieving students, aiming for A* grades, perfection and always being near the top of the class. But vetting is about so much more than pure academic achievement. You need to be a ‘well-rounded person’, be able to communicate with both colleagues and clients, be practical and have a good amount of common sense, be empathetic and sympathetic. Whilst also be able to switch off to a degree and enjoy a good work/life balance. It is also commonly said that vets need to be a GP, medic, surgeon, dentist, radiographer, anaesthetist, ophthalmologist, dermatologist, oncologist, cardiologist, neurologist, behaviourist, pharmacist, pathologist and nutritionist all rolled into one. And not just for one species, but often for many, very varied species.

On top of that are the administrative roles that most vets are required to do every day such as discuss payments, write referrals, complete insurance claims, take phone calls, arrange appointments, discuss results and complete thorough clinical notes. Nobody said being a vet was easy. But you can start to see where stressors can creep in and if not handled correctly, these can snowball. 

If we didn’t need any more proof of the seriousness of the situation, the current suicide rate for vets in the UK is four times the national average. 

Pre-pandemic stressors

Stress in the veterinary profession is not new. The Covid pandemic has brought new challenges and has drastically added to the pressures of the job. But many of the original and ongoing stressors are very much still there. 

The working day for a vet can be long, and it is often difficult to take breaks or to fit in a proper lunch hour

Many vets regularly find themselves staying late with a case or to finish up paperwork and most will not get paid overtime. These long hours have a knock-on effect on family and social life outside of work. This means it can be difficult to find the time to ‘switch off’. 

Although not necessarily a badly paid job, salaries for vets are generally lower than for other similarly qualified professions

The latest veterinary salary survey from 2020 put a vet’s income on average at around £43,000; (remember, that’s the average and may be skewed by a few very wealthy practice owners or referral practitioners). The average salary for a legal professional is around £70,000. According to the BMA, the minimum GP salary in England is set at £62,269 with no upper limit. Obviously, it’s not fair to directly compare these jobs, but the general perception that vets are wealthy is often false. There is no NHS for animals so to the public, veterinary fees can seem extraordinarily high. But in reality the vast majority of the costs are absorbed by practice overheads and the general day to day running of a business. The money most certainly does not go straight into vets’ pockets.  

Vets are typically high-achievers and often have perfectionist traits

Because of this, although they enjoy the challenge of diagnosing and treating cases, not being able to diagnose or cure a pet, especially if they are getting worse, can be incredibly frustrating. On the flip side, euthanising an animal that could potentially be easily treated, or actually has nothing wrong with it, is mentally very hard to take. 

Something that has exploded into the veterinary field in recent years is the rise in popularity of ‘designer’ breeds, such as the French Bulldog or Pug

Sadly, these come with many conformational problems, often bred into them on purpose. Such as a flattened face and wrinkled skin. It can be very demoralising and upsetting to know the suffering some of these animals will go through, or the amount of veterinary intervention they’ll likely need in their life. 

Although most vets enter the profession because they want to work with animals, all pets come with owners and client management is a huge part of the job description

Unfortunately, vets and owners don’t always see eye to eye. This is possibly the biggest source of stress on veterinary professionals. Issues can include rude client behaviour, financial disagreements, unreasonable complaints, inflammatory comments on social media and a lack of trust in the vets’ knowledge. 

As with any job, poor management, little to no positive feedback or thanks, and a lack of support 

These factors can eat away and really have a negative impact on the mental health of staff. 

Extra Covid stressors

Many of the extra stressors brought on by the Covid pandemic are not unique to veterinary practice. They have been felt in businesses around the world. However, for vets, there has been something of a Perfect Storm. 

Even before Covid hit, the profession was finding it hard to recruit new vets. Then the first lockdown happened, people were furloughed and many decided to get a new pet. All these new pets needed veterinary health care, be it routine or emergency treatment. But veterinary practices were suffering with the same problems as everyone else. Reduced staff numbers due to furlough, illness or self-isolation. As well as changes to the working environment designed to try to keep people safe. This meant carrying out consultations in the car park, wearing PPE, working in smaller ‘bubbles’, social distancing within the practice and increased cleaning of equipment and workspaces. 

This all takes up more time, meaning although client numbers have increased, the number of clients that can be seen in a day has reduced. This causes a backlog of cases and meaning some practices have had to close their books to new clients. Add to this, people’s own personal stress, and tempers can start to fray. For veterinary staff, being busier, working harder, for longer with fewer opportunities for breaks or being able to socialise in or out of work has led to increased burnout rates; therefore worsening mental health and has fuelled the recruitment crisis even further. 

The veterinary profession, along with many others, is going through some dark times. But we can only hope that we’re now on the long slow path out. And with some adjustments, may be able to return to some degree of normality in the not too distant future. But for now, be kind and appreciate what vets might be going through behind the scenes. Smile, say thank you and be patient – we’re all in this together. 

Further information:

You might also be interested in: