Wellness Podcasts

Mental wellness is critical to our work as veterinarians, as it makes us better able to continue providing high-quality care to our animal patients. It's also important to our businesses, both because it improves patient care and because it brings financial benefits in the form of reduced employee sick time, lowered insurance costs, and more.

These podcasts, produced through the efforts of the 2014-15 class of AVMA Future Leaders, can help guide individual veterinarians hoping to improve their own wellness and veterinary practice owners aiming to help their employees.

“Daily Choices” Required to Find Perfect Blend of Work-Life Balance - Dr. Karen Bradley, co-founder and president of the Women's Veterinary Leadership Development Initiative, shares her tips on establishing a work-life balance that allows one to find time for oneself, appreciate work and avoid burnout.
 
5 Strategies for Everyday Happiness - Dr. Jeff Thoren and Sally Starbuck Stamp, of Gifted Leaders in Phoenix, share tips on staying positive and happy, even in less-than-ideal situations.
 
Wellness in the Workplace: Small Steps Can Produce Big Results - Veterinary medicine can be a high-stress, high-anxiety profession. But by taking steps to create a strong, healthy and energetic workforce, veterinarians can provide excellent client service and exceptional client care. In this podcast, Dr. Ernie Ward shares advice and strategies to achieve the highest level of wellness in the workplace.

Assess Your Professional Quality of Life - The Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) assessment is a widely validated, self-administered assessment tool that measures the negative and positive effects of helping others who are experiencing suffering and trauma. It can be used as a guide to assess your balance of positive and negative personal and work-related experiences. Dr. Carrie LaJeunesse describes the tool and explains how it can provide help with introspection and become a starting point for improving mental wellness. Be sure to take the assessment yourself after listening.