Mental health needs of veterinary medical students have become the focus of concern in recent years. Literature to date is scarce, but indicates a large number of veterinary medical students experience clinical levels of anxiety and depression. The present study focused on the prevalence of anxiety and depression in a sample of veterinary medical students (N=142) across four-year cohorts. Findings indicate elevated scores of anxiety and depression across the four-year cohorts. Students in their second and third years had the highest anxiety and depression scores. Perceived physical health, unclear expectations, difficulty fitting in, heavy workload, and homesickness were most relevant in explaining anxiety and depression symptom prevalence. Implications for practice and future research are addressed based on these findings.

Human-animal relationships are increasingly incorporated into families as a normal part of family life. Despite this, relationships with animals are often viewed as inferior to human relationships. This becomes problematic during times of loss and grief when members of a grieving companion animal owner's support system do not understand the salience of the relationship with the animal. Veterinary and other helping professionals need basic information about the experience of companion animal loss in order to help support and normalize the experiences of grieving companion animal owners. The present study qualitatively describes human-animal relationships and the subsequent loss and coping experienced by owners of beloved companion animals. Comparison with human and other types of loss and factors unique to companion animal loss are discussed, and practical applications for veterinary and other helping professionals are provided.

Much has been discussed about the high prevalence of psychological distress among veterinary medical students. Studies investigating general samples of veterinary medical students indicate that, on average, depression and anxiety symptoms are present at higher rates than in comparison samples. However, little is known about veterinary medical students who seek counseling. This study intends to expand the literature on veterinary student well-being, as the first to examine a sample of veterinary medical students seeking counseling services. It offers an overview of student distress and help-seeking trends from a decade of counseling services provided in one College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) in the US. The sample includes data from 279 participants. Results indicate a steady increase in students seeking counseling over the last decade. First-year students sought services at higher rates but second-year students experienced the greatest distress when compared to other cohorts. Students seeking counseling services experienced levels of overall distress, symptoms of anxiety and depression, and social role concerns that were, on average, above cut-off scores. Physical health was significantly associated with student distress, suggesting opportunities for intervention.

The veterinary medical profession has been the focus of increased concern as students and professionals have been found to be at risk of poor mental health outcomes. Two interventions were proposed as an attempt to improve student well-being individually and within romantic relationships. Preliminary results indicated that students who participated in the interventions experienced significant improvements in decreasing symptoms of depression and stress and relative improvements in relationship satisfaction with their partner. These noteworthy findings provide encouragement for the development of new interventions and future research focused on enhancing veterinary medical students' well-being.

Communication training has become a focus of concern in recent years in veterinary medicine. Existing literature to date indicates that Colleges of Veterinary Medicine (CVMs) have implemented various communication training protocols. The present study focused on the evaluation of a communication training protocol implemented in 2007 at Kansas State University (KSU) in a sample of veterinary medical students (N=415) across five cohorts. The protocol includes video review of authentic client interactions, feedback from authentic clients, and small-group communication training. Findings indicate that targeted communication skills improved through video-review feedback and small-group communication training. Communication scores were particularly affected by students' attention to improving communication deficiencies during a second student-client video. Baseline scores from the first student-client video in four specific areas (using nonverbal communication, setting expectations, building rapport, and being able to clarify) were predictive of overall performance during the second evaluation. Based on the results of the present study, using videos of authentic client interactions is recommended as a valuable communication training teaching tool.