IndeVets and Not One More Vet Team Up to Fight the Mental Health Crisis in Veterinary Medicine

PHILADELPHIA, PA / ACCESSWIRE / May 1, 2023 / Veterinarian staffing agency IndeVets has joined forces with nonprofit mental health organization Not One More Vet to support veterinarians in crisis with the Lifeboat program. Founded by Not One More Vet, Lifeboat is a peer support space for veterinarians to discuss mental health and wellness issues, drawing on evidence-based best practices to help those in crisis. Each organization has a mission of providing good mental health outcomes and environments for veterinarians, perfectly aligning this partnership.

The impetus for this program stems from the staggeringly high rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidality in the veterinary community. In 2022, for instance, the Merck Animal Health Veterinarian Wellbeing Study found that 9.7 percent of veterinarians were experiencing psychological distress. The Merck study also revealed that well-being is lowest among younger veterinarians, with 54% of those younger than 35 years suffering or barely getting by. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) reports that 40% of veterinarians are considering leaving the profession, all concluding that Veterinarians are in emotional and mental distress. Yet another recent study indicated 17% of U.S. veterinarians have had suicidal ideation.

In the all-volunteer Lifeboat program, veterinary professionals are sorted into groups called Peer Companion Pods which include three companions and a peer who is seeking support. In the "warmline" model, participants can chat with their peers and receive assistance in asynchronous time. The partnership will give Lifeboat by NOMV the ability to train more veterinary professional peers and maintain an online portal for incoming participants. As part of their support, five IndeVets have volunteered to train to be part of the Peer Companion Pods.

"We started IndeVets in the first place as a way to address what have become impossible working conditions for veterinary professionals, including challenging hours, extreme demands and widespread burnout-all with very little support," says Michael Raphael, president and CEO of IndeVets. "The opportunity to partner with Not One More Vet is another tangible way for us to help make a meaningful difference for veterinarians.."

Associate IndeVets are full time employees who enjoy flexible hours, market-leading pay and benefits, all of which improve quality of life, including mental health. IndeVets' goal is to bring balance, joy and fulfillment to veterinary medicine. More than 200 vets have joined IndeVets to find support, community, and a workplace that treats them like a whole person. The Lifeboat partnership in turn offers them a chance to give back and help others who are dealing with the industry challenges they once faced.

ABOUT INDEVETS

IndeVets is on a mission to bring balance, fulfillment, and joy to veterinary medicine. By creating a whole new way to practice veterinary medicine that puts vets first, IndeVets provides the freedom of relief work, the stability of an associate position, and a team dedicated to helping vets thrive. IndeVets unites over 3,500 partner hospitals in 32 markets with the nation's top veterinarians to deliver what matters most in animal care-happy, healthy doctors performing at their best.

ABOUT NOT ONE MORE VET

NOMV addresses wellbeing in veterinary medicine through multiple innovative and inclusive pathways including: evidence-based peer support; comprehensive programs providing leadership focused on wellness; grant programs providing financial support for individuals and clinics experiencing crisis; mentorship and best practices programs addressing mental health from educational institutions to the workplace; raising awareness of the status of mental health in the profession; and research to further the advancement of wellness, mental health, and the reduction of suicide in veterinary professionals.

CONTACT:

Donna Katz, Grimm and Grove Communications
donna@grimmandgrove.com
215.806.4594

SOURCE: IndeVets

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