LIFESTYLE AND WELLNESS: EMOTIONAL WELLBEING AND MENTAL HEALTH/BURNOUT


even if only a few days per week, can allow the veterinarian to leave work earlier and to spend more quality time with their family, pets, or hobbies, this can be invaluable for both mental health and overall satisfaction. Having a paid assistant has additional advan-


tages that can improve mental health and financial stability. Working with horses can be very danger- ous. A 2014 British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) study found that equine veterinarians in the United Kingdom had the highest injury rate of any civilian occupation.6 A trained handler should keep a veterinarian safer when working around horses, particularly badly behaved horses, rather than relying on untrained owners or stable help. Additionally, having an assistant can make certain procedures much more time efficient such as equine dentistry, lameness and pre-purchase examinations, surgeries, laceration repairs, and taking radio- graphs. Having an owner hold horses for these pro- cedures or having them assist with taking radiographs is not only a liability, but the owner will not be as skilled and efficient at the procedures. Setting up such equipment and cleaning it and put- ting it away after use does take a considerable amount of time. When an assistant is utilized, they can do the set-up, clean-up and put away equipment while the veterinarian writes the invoice, discharges notes, collects payment, and discusses aftercare with the client—saving valuable time. It could also be argued that most veterinarians are also more likely to take more x-rays, float more teeth, perform ultrasounds and other procedures if they know that they have help to set up and put away equipment, and to help perform the procedures. This, in re- turn, will lead to better care for the patient, and more financial return for the veterinarian as result. Having support staff can improve the client’s per-


ception of the veterinarian, and may also improve client satisfaction. The presence of an assistant means that the owner doesn’t have to hold their own horse, and may not even need to be present for the visit at all. This creates an increase in perceived “value” and allows veterinarians to charge more for their services. When clients perceive a higher value to a service, they are less sensitive to price shopping and are typically more willing to pay more for services.7 Lastly, the most overlooked benefit of having an assistant as a solo ambulatory practitioner is the value of having “company.” When you have an as- sistant ride with you, you have someone to talk to, to laugh with, to sing along to the radio with, to eat lunch with, to commiserate with about bad horses, annoying clients, or inclement weather. This sense of companionship can dramatically change and im- prove the enjoyment for many practitioners and re- duce the feelings of social isolation that contribute to burnout. The author would strongly recommend hiring someone that you like and can enjoy spending hours in a vehicle together. Based on personal ex-


418 2019  Vol. 65  AAEP PROCEEDINGS


perience, someone who is responsible, enjoyable to be around, and who can safely handle horses is the ideal candidate to train to be a valuable veterinary assistant. Many veterinarians will still say they can’t afford


help. The author would argue that this is false and suggest that veterinarians try hiring someone for 1–2 days per week as a trial. Plan to pay $15–20 per hour. Book those days heavier and try to schedule appointments like dental work, lameness examination, radiographs, and ultrasound examina- tions on those days. Alternatively, or in addition, solo ambulatory practitioners can reach out to vet- erinary students across the country by offering externship opportunities. Having a veterinary stu- dent ride alone for several weeks can still be hugely beneficial in terms of having company and having an extra set of hands on appointments, but in no way replaces the value of a trained, paid assistant. In addition to hiring staff to help you, consider


paying staff to do things that you don’t like to do, which frees you up to do more of the things that you do like to do. If a veterinarian feels that they don’t have enough personal time for friends, family, hob- bies, or exercise, the author strongly recommends that they pay someone to do more of their adminis- trative duties. Even if they pay someone to work 2–3 hours, 1–3 days per week working on invoicing, billing, marketing, advertising, paying bills, inven- tory, scheduling and ordering, this can make life much more enjoyable. Another key factor to reduce burnout and improve


mental resiliency is to make a point to schedule personal time into your schedule. Set aside time each day or each week for things you want to do to make yourself happy. The author finds that doing it in the morning is more effective than hoping to “work it in” during lunch or after work. You can set your schedule to start later several days a week and use those hours to ride your horse, ride your bike, go to the gym, get a haircut, meditate, go to a yoga class, take a nap or whatever makes you feel good outside of work. Taking time for yourself to men- tally, and sometimes physically, “recharge” and making it a priority, even if it is a small thing each week can have a dramatic positive effect on your mental status and attitude toward work. If you can start your day doing something productive or that you particularly enjoy, you may find yourself more energized, productive, and happy the rest of the day. Additionally, you may not be as resentful if emer- gencies make you work late at the end of the day. If you worry about lost income from starting late or blocking off time mid-day, consider staying open a few hours later several days per week. Many horse owners have jobs during regular work hours and would love to have the option of a later evening appointment after work if you are willing to offer it. However, I find that if I don’t block off my schedule and treat this personal time with the same regard as a client appointment, it is easy to disregard it and


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