The Healer's Art (HART): Veterinary Students Connecting with Self, Peers, and the Profession

Meyer-Parsons, Beatrice; Etten, Sarah Van; Shaw, Jane R.

doi:10.3138/jvme.0116-022r

Cited by 11 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…For example, Mastenbroek and others 29 recently developed a one‐year programme for new veterinary professionals that teaches how to cultivate positive beliefs about oneself (eg, optimism, confidence and thoughtfulness) through peer coaching, personal reflection and skill acquisition. Meyer‐Parsons and others 30 found evidence that the Healer's Art course offered to veterinary students was also successful in connecting students with themselves, their peers and the profession, and these connections are key in enhancing resilience and well‐being. Both educators and employers might consider investing in such programmes in order to create the best working conditions for their employees.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Meaningful work and well‐being: a study of the positive side of veterinary work

Wallace

2019

Veterinary Record

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ObjectivesMental health is a growing concern in many healthcare professions, including veterinary medicine, as research suggests that veterinarians report higher levels of distress, burnout and suicidal ideation than other healthcare occupations and the general public. A recent literature review found that about twice as many articles published on veterinary wellness refer to the negative aspects of mental health (eg, stress and depression) compared with the positive aspects of well-being. Little attention has been devoted to examining the positive aspects of veterinarians’ work, and few models have been developed to explain their well-being. This paper empirically assesses a veterinary model of work-derived well-being based on the theory of eudaimonia. Eudaimonic well-being reflects having fulfilling work that contributes to the greater good. Three core clusters of job characteristics are hypothesised relevant to veterinarian well-being that include: actualising self, helping others (animals or people) and a sense of belonging (to team or profession). In addition, meaningful work is proposed as the mechanism through which situational job characteristics may exert a positive influence on well-being.MethodsSurvey data from 376 veterinarians in clinical practice were analysed using path analysis.DiscussionMeaningful work is important in understanding the well-being of veterinarians. Job characteristics (self-actualising work, helping animals and people and a sense of belonging) contribute to a sense of meaningful work, which in turn is related to eudaimonic well-being. Excessive job demands (work overload, financial demands and physical health risks) appear less relevant in understanding meaningful work but are clearly important in having negative consequences for veterinarians’ well-being.While strategies that cultivate meaningful work may be effective in nurturing veterinarians’ well being, several limitations of this study should be noted. First, due to the cross-sectional data, definitive statements about the causal ordering of variables cannot be made. Second, the data were derived from a single source such that monomethod bias may be an issue. Third, the data rely on self-report measures and the responses may be influenced by social desirability or response biases. Lastly, while the sample may be representative of the veterinarians throughout a large geographic area in Canada, it may not represent the work arrangements of veterinarians in other countries.ConclusionsThe significance of these findings is that they may shift research attention from focusing on the harmful, demanding aspects of veterinary work to better understanding the deeply meaningful aspects that improve veterinarians’ well-being. In addition, the results may stimulate consideration of strategies that move beyond individual-level interventions that focus on veterinarians adopting better coping strategies and becoming more resilient. This may lead to adopting organisational and occupational-level strategies that can involve promoting more positive and supportive workplace cultures and developing more professional resources for promoting wellness and meaning in the profession of veterinary medicine.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Meaningful work and well‐being: a study of the positive side of veterinary work

Wallace

2019

Veterinary Record

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“…Depending on the needs of their target population and organization, embedded counselors may also be involved in teaching, which is an uncommon role among counseling center practitioners (LeViness et al, 2017). Slightly more than half (54.2%) of the VMHPs informed us that they teach didactic or clinical courses in some capacity within their CVMs on several topics, such as the Healer's Art (Meyer-Parsons et al, 2017), communication skills, human-animal bond, grief and loss, mental health, and ethics. One VMHP clarified that they are only involved in providing guest lectures, with no involvement in course coordination or oversight, because of the potential for multiple relationships in light of their other clinical responsibilities.…”

Section: Defining Scope Of Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

Embedded Student Counseling Services: Insights From Veterinary Mental Health Practitioners

Karaffa

Bradtke

Hancock

2020

J of College Counseling

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Embedded university counseling services are becoming more common, but there has been limited discussion regarding practices and challenges associated with developing and sustaining them. In this article, we discuss the application of innovative embedded models to meet the mental health needs of professional students in colleges of veterinary medicine. We also consider implications for establishing and providing embedded counseling services for other student populations.

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“…18 The Healer's Art is now offered to nursing, physician assistant, and veterinary students, in addition to medical students. [19][20][21] We identified the Healer's Art course at our medical school as a promising place to offer mindfulness practices for students, requiring minimal structural change. The Healer's Art is an optional elective for medical students and attracts between 30 and 40 students per year.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Introducing Mindfulness Practices to the Healer’s Art Course for Medical Students: A Feasibility Study

Saint,

Corbin,

Barton

et al. 2024

Michigan Journal of Medicine

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Introduction: Burnout is common among medical students in the United States and can be debilitating. Mindfulness practices can reduce stress levels and burnout. Integrating mindfulness practices into pre-existing medical courses such as the Healer’s Art can potentially reduce burnout. Methods: We evaluated the impact of introducing meditation and yoga into the Healer’s Art course at a midwestern medical school. Half of the students were randomized into a meditation class (n=11) and the other half were randomized into a yoga class (n=12). Students were given pre- and post- session surveys to assess measures of mindfulness, burnout, and energy levels, adapted from validated survey instruments. Paired two-sample t tests were used to assess the relationship between each intervention and each pre-specified outcome. Results: Twenty-three medical students participated in a one-time yoga or meditation session. The yoga intervention resulted in a statistically significant increase in energy and breath awareness outcomes. The meditation intervention resulted in a significant increase in mindfulness. Both yoga and meditation were found to decrease burnout among participants in the immediate aftermath. Ninety-six percent of participants (22 of 23) expressed that mindfulness practices should be incorporated into future the Healer’s Art courses, with a mean recommendation score of 4.5 out of 5. Conclusion: Yoga and meditation classes might reduce medical student burnout. Randomized control trials are needed to assess longevity and generalizability of findings.

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The Healer's Art (HART): Veterinary Students Connecting with Self, Peers, and the Profession

Cited by 11 publications

References 36 publications

Meaningful work and well‐being: a study of the positive side of veterinary work

Meaningful work and well‐being: a study of the positive side of veterinary work

Embedded Student Counseling Services: Insights From Veterinary Mental Health Practitioners

Introducing Mindfulness Practices to the Healer’s Art Course for Medical Students: A Feasibility Study

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