QPR suicide prevention training

Woman of color comforts another woman in a professional setting

Identify and refer at-risk colleagues

Free for all veterinary professionals

QPR training, also known as gatekeeper training, teaches people without professional mental health backgrounds to recognize the signs that someone may be considering suicide, establish a dialogue, and guide the person to seek professional help. It is not a substitute for professional assistance, but it can be a critical tool to save lives – and it's something that any veterinary professional can learn to do.

Because of the importance of mental wellbeing in the veterinary profession, the AVMA family – AVMA, AVMA LIFE, and AVMA PLIT – have joined together to offer free gatekeeper training to all members of the veterinary community.

Veterinarians, veterinary students, technicians, assistants, practice managers, and all other veterinary professionals are eligible to take this training, provided through the QPR Institute.

What is gatekeeper training?

The QPR Institute began operating in 1999 and has provided training to more than 1 million people to date. Graduates of the program are empowered to reach out to colleagues who may be experiencing difficult times and direct them to appropriate resources. Through this program, members of the veterinary community will be able to better assist colleagues who may be in crisis.

QPR training is conducted entirely online, so you can fit it into your busy schedule. The full training takes only about 60 minutes. Key components covered in training include:

  • How to question, persuade and refer someone who may be suicidal
  • How to get help for someone in crisis
  • Common causes of suicidal behavior
  • Warning signs of suicide

As a participant in the AVMA-sponsored training you will:

  • Receive your training free of charge, compliments of the AVMA, AVMA LIFE and AVMA PLIT
  • Have access to your QPR Institute account for up to three years so you can begin and finish training at your convenience, and go back and review the materials as often as you want

To access the training, use the organization code AVMA-OPEN when setting up your QPR Institute account.

For groups larger than 25, please email wellbeingatavma [dot] org (wellbeing[at]avma[dot]org) with the name of your group/organization and the number of expected participants before enrolling.

Sign up for QPR training