Title: Describe the physical and mental demands and personal coping mechanisms of various animal-care professionals.
Course: Veterinary Science I (18105-I) > Section: Demonstrating Professional Conduct in the Animal Care Field

Description should include

- definitions of job pressure and stress
- aspects of work in various animal-care professions that are physically and emotionally demanding/stressful (e.g., heavy lifting, working outdoors in inclement weather, facing the risk of being bitten/scratched/kicked/stepped on, assisting in euthanasia, dealing with demanding clients, handling animals with poor prognoses, burnout)
- potential physical and mental effects of pressure and stress for animal care professionals
- how personality and/or lifestyle may affect susceptibility to stress
- positive methods for managing difficult situations and day-to-day stress (e.g., exercise, adequate sleep, healthy diet, time with friends/family, worship, hobbies/sports, or personal growth experiences)
- consequences of negative coping mechanisms, such as substance abuse, and determining when professional help is required
- the differences between working in a day practice vs. working in an emergency clinic.

Process/Skill Questions:

- Why is it important to evaluate the physical, mental, and emotional demands of working in an animal healthcare field before studying veterinary science?
- How can the physical and mental skills necessary for careers in animal health care be obtained and maintained?
- Why might the effectiveness of different personal coping mechanisms vary from person to person?
- What is compassion fatigue?
- What are some common and specific signs of compassion fatigue?
- How can compassion fatigue be prevented?
- How does compassion fatigue lead to a high suicide rate among veterinary professionals?
- How can one recognize the signs of compassion fatigue in others?
- What can be done to reduce the dangers of compassion fatigue and to prevent suicide?
- Why is the suicide rate in the veterinary profession high compared to other medical professions?
- Should colleges and universities help their students to recognize and learn to prevent and/or cope with high levels of stress/compassion fatigue/suicidal thoughts?

Teacher Resource:

- Dr. Melanie Bowden’s TED talk “What being a veterinarian really takes” (https://www.ted.com/talks/melanie_bowden_dvm_what_being_a_veterinarian_really_takes/transcript?language=en)