More veterinary professionals are provided
access to and are pursuing mental health resources for their
overall wellbeing with continued improvements on the
horizon
RAHWAY,
N.J., Jan. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Merck Animal
Health, known as MSD Animal Health outside the United States and Canada, a division of Merck & Co., Inc.,
Rahway, N.J., USA (NYSE:MRK),
today released findings of its comprehensive Veterinary Wellbeing
Study conducted in collaboration with the American Veterinary
Medical Association (AVMA). The latest study, which examined the
wellbeing and mental health of U.S. veterinarians and support
teams, underscored a positive trend in veterinarian practices and
professionals taking a more proactive approach toward mental
health. This is the first comprehensive study on veterinary
wellbeing following the global pandemic and its impact on
veterinary professionals.
Similar to
previous benchmark studies (2017, 2019 and 2021), the goal of the
fourth Veterinary Wellbeing Study was to identify and explore the
state of veterinary professionals' mental health and wellbeing in
an effort to bring awareness to the challenges veterinarians and
support teams face and more importantly, how they are able to
manage them with the support received from partners such as Merck
Animal Health and AVMA. Taking a broader focus this year, the study
expanded its scope to examine the mental health and wellbeing of
veterinary team members – including veterinary technicians and
office managers – with nearly five times more responses from these
positions than the 2021 survey.
"There are
many positives coming out of the study, including high levels of
job satisfaction and pride in work across veterinary teams. This
must be balanced with the understanding that there are also
challenges within the veterinary profession, including a shortage
of qualified veterinary team members as well as burdensome student
debt that causes stress," said Christine
Royal, DVM, vice president, companion animal and equine
business unit, Merck Animal Health. "It is encouraging to see an
increase in practices and professionals that are addressing team
culture, wellbeing, and mental health. We remain committed to
advocating for and providing resources to veterinary professionals
no matter the individual's role or title."
"We are
committed to bringing critical awareness to the challenges that
veterinary professionals face and to ensure they have the
appropriate tools and resources to help support mental health and
wellbeing," said Rena Carlson, DVM,
AVMA president. "We understand that to sustain the health of
animals, we need to ensure the wellbeing of their caretakers. The
results of the latest Veterinary Wellbeing study indicate our
efforts in conjunction with Merck Animal Health are working and
resulting in healthier and more satisfying careers for veterinary
teams. We look forward to continuing to provide resources for many
years to come."
Increase in Mental Health Resources for
Professionals
Almost three-quarters of
veterinary professionals express personal satisfaction with their
career, but there are still factors they are concerned about,
including high exhaustion, work-life balance, and shortage of vets,
all of which can contribute to a feeling of burnout. Results
indicate that more veterinarians who needed mental health support
received outpatient treatment and counseling for mental health
challenges in 2023. Moreover, there has been a substantial increase
in clinics supporting their team's mental health and emotional
wellbeing, with results showing that 38% of clinics now offer an
employee assistance program (EAP) as opposed to 31% in 2021 and 27%
in 2019.
When it comes
to clinic culture, most practicing veterinarians agree that there
is a high degree of trust within their organization, their input is
valued, there is sufficient time for each appointment to provide
high-quality patient care, and there is candid and open
communication among team members, which all contribute to a
positive work environment. However, the results indicate that
clinics have the opportunity to make improvements by openly
discussing wellbeing and mental health in team meetings, with only
36% of veterinary teams finding that this happens somewhat or to a
great extent.
Pride and Satisfaction in the Profession
While veterinarians and support
teams – particularly those early in their career – experience
stress and burnout, there are many aspects of the job they enjoy –
unsurprisingly, including those related to helping animals. An
overwhelming number of veterinarians (98%) and veterinary team
members (92%) note that they are invested in their work and
take pride in doing a good job. More than 80% also believe the work
they do makes a positive contribution on other peoples' lives.
Even with
these results indicating an overall satisfaction in the profession,
there is a perception among veterinary teams that it might not be
the same for their colleagues, with less than 50% of veterinarians
saying that others in the profession are satisfied with their
careers. This could indicate the continued need for open
communication about wellbeing and the resources available to
perpetuate more positive conversation and pride in the work that
veterinary teams do every day. Thankfully, over three-quarters of
veterinarians and veterinary team members cite having a warm,
friendly, and supportive relationship with their co-workers, a
critical foundation for this important dialogue to advance.
Encouraging Conversation about Prioritizing Mental
Health
Merck Animal Health has
prioritized understanding the challenges that face veterinarians
and veterinary technicians by issuing this important study every
two years since 2017. The results continue to provide insight on
the progress made and the areas that need additional attention. Key
initiatives such as MentorVet, a growing entity that creates
evidence-based programming to empower individuals to thrive within
veterinary medicine, help facilitate guidance and support for
veterinary professionals and continue to play a crucial role in
fostering a supportive environment within the industry. To date,
more than 350 veterinary professionals have been supported with
full scholarships awarded by Merck Animal Health to participate in
MentorVet's programming (MentorVet Tech and MentorVet Leap),
helping to bridge the gap when it comes to the wellbeing of
veterinary professionals.
"Our research
indicates that MentorVet programming reduces burnout and improves
overall wellbeing on average for veterinary professionals, and our
work is made possible through collaboration," said Addie Reinhard, DVM, MS, and founder and CEO of
MentorVet. "Merck Animal Health has demonstrated an unwavering,
longstanding commitment to support the mental health and wellbeing
of the veterinary profession through their research and their
long-term support of MentorVet and other wellbeing
initiatives."
In addition,
Merck Animal Health is an educational partner for MentorVet
Connect, a collaboration between the AVMA and MentorVet that brings
the power and support of a structured evidence-based mentor program
to newly graduated AVMA members free of charge, beginning with the
classes of 2018-2023. The joining of forces and organizations helps
drive not only the creation of resources and mentorship, but also
the adoption of them among veterinarian professionals.
Merck Animal
Health remains dedicated to advancing the wellbeing of
veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and the entire animal
healthcare team in 2024 and beyond. The company is committed to
expanding and enhancing its existing programs, as well as
introducing new initiatives aimed at addressing the evolving needs
of professionals within the industry.
To learn more
about Merck Animal Health's support of veterinary professionals and
their mental wellbeing, visit www.vetwellbeing.com. For veterinary
professionals looking to take advantage of the AVMA's Workplace
Wellbeing program, visit
www.avma.org/resources-tools/wellbeing.
Study Methodology
The fourth online study was
conducted in September and October
2023 by Brakke Consulting, Inc., among a nationally
representative sample of 4,636 veterinarians in the U.S., both
practitioners and non-practitioners, using standardized research
methods. The objectives were to continue to track wellbeing and
mental health of veterinarians and benchmark findings against
physicians and the U.S. general population of employed adults. Data
were weighted based on age, gender, and region of the U.S. For the
sample as a whole, the maximum margin of error was +/- 1.4% at 95%
confidence level.
To achieve a
comprehensive study of veterinary team members in 2023, Brakke
Consulting collaborated with the North American Veterinary
Technician Association (NAVTA), the Veterinary Hospital Managers
Association (VHMA) and others to sample veterinary technicians,
veterinary assistants, hospital practice managers, reception/client
service representatives and other members of a veterinary clinic's
team. A total of 2,271 completed questionnaires were returned.
About AVMA
Serving more than 105,000
member veterinarians, the AVMA is the nation's leading
representative of the veterinary profession, dedicated to improving
the health and wellbeing of animals, humans and the environment.
Founded in 1863 and with members in every U.S. state and territory
and more than 60 countries, the AVMA is one of the largest
veterinary medical organizations in the world. Informed by our
members' unique scientific training and clinical knowledge, the
AVMA supports the crucial work of veterinarians and advocates for
policies that advance the practice of veterinary medicine and
improve animal and human health.
About MentorVet
MentorVet is a rapidly growing
entity that creates programs leveraging evidenced-based approaches
to empower veterinary professionals, transforming veterinary
medicine into a healthy profession for individuals and communities.
MentorVet's flagship program, MentorVet Leap, is a mentorship and
professional development program that promotes early career
wellbeing by providing a centralized location for resources and
support through online professional skills training, peer and
paired mentorship, and mental health and financial coaching.
MentorVet collaborates with a growing number of practice groups,
veterinary medical associations, and corporations to make their
programming possible. To read more about the early success of
MentorVet, you can read their impact report in full by
visiting, www.mentorvet.net/impactreport. For more
information visit www.mentorvet.net or follow us
on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.
About Merck Animal Health
At Merck, known as MSD outside
of the United States and
Canada, we are unified around our
purpose: We use the power of leading-edge science to save and
improve lives around the world. For more than a century, we've been
at the forefront of research, bringing forward medicines, vaccines
and innovative health solutions for the world's most challenging
diseases. Merck Animal Health, a division of Merck & Co., Inc.,
Rahway, N.J., USA, is the global
animal health business of Merck. Through its commitment to
The Science of Healthier Animals®, Merck
Animal Health offers veterinarians, farmers, producers, pet owners
and governments one of the widest ranges of veterinary
pharmaceuticals, vaccines and health management solutions and
services as well as an extensive suite of connected technology that
includes identification, traceability and monitoring products.
Merck Animal Health is dedicated to preserving and improving the
health, well-being and performance of animals and the people who
care for them. It invests extensively in dynamic and comprehensive
R&D resources and a modern, global supply chain. Merck Animal
Health is present in more than 50 countries, while its products are
available in some 150 markets. For more information, visit
www.merck-animal-health.com and connect with us on
LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly
Twitter) and Instagram.
Forward-Looking Statement of Merck & Co., Inc.,
Rahway, N.J., USA
This news release of
Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA (the "company")
includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the
safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based upon the current
beliefs and expectations of the company's management and are
subject to significant risks and uncertainties. If underlying
assumptions prove inaccurate or risks or uncertainties materialize,
actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the
forward-looking statements.
Risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to, general
industry conditions and competition; general economic factors,
including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations;
the impact of the global outbreak of novel coronavirus disease
(COVID-19); the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and
health care legislation in the United
States and internationally; global trends toward health care
cost containment; technological advances, new products and patents
attained by competitors; challenges inherent in new product
development, including obtaining regulatory approval; the company's
ability to accurately predict future market conditions;
manufacturing difficulties or delays; financial instability of
international economies and sovereign risk; dependence on the
effectiveness of the company's patents and other protections for
innovative products; and the exposure to litigation, including
patent litigation, and/or regulatory actions.
The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any
forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise. Additional factors that could cause
results to differ materially from those described in the
forward-looking statements can be found in the company's Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 and the company's other filings
with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) available at the
SEC's Internet site (www.sec.gov).
Media
Contact:
|
Laurel
Mundth
(908)
872-9783
|
|
laurel.mundth@merck.com
|
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