college connection
PROFESSIONALISM
anyone well served by a suffering veterinarian,
or one who must abandon his or her work to
seek care?
Personal Resilience
What is the answer? At the least, optimizing
our own health and resilience practices is a
choice that is within our control. Much has
been written about the self-care practices that
bolster resilience, including the PHP BASICS
series.
Resilience can be thought of as the ability
of an individual to respond to stress in a
healthy, adaptive way such that personal
goals are achieved at minimal psychological
and physical cost. Resilient individuals not
only “bounce back” rapidly after challenges,
but also grow stronger in the process. Good
personal resilience practices promote civility.
Here are some tips:
•
Eat regular meals whenever possible,
and healthy snacks when meals must be
skipped.
• Get some exercise — even if that means
using the stairs.
• Cherish and protect time for sleep.
• Practice mindfulness.
• Spend time with friends, family and
significant others.
• Choose work that matches your
temperament and values.
• Take breaks to walk on “uneven ground”
as often as possible, be it through
vacations or other opportunities to enjoy
natural environments.
Healthy lifestyle practices for veterinarians
translate to better care for patients. Paying
attention to our own needs makes sense.
Community
A number of years ago, I was invited to a
meeting of a small group of family physicians
to talk about physician health and the
Physician Health Program. They were all male
(calling themselves the “Mensgroup”) and
were gathering at the home of the member
host for an evening of discussion and mutual
support. and mutual support. Healthy communities
are places where conflict, when it inevitably
appears, is managed respectfully and
effectively.
Personal “check-in” took place over the meal
and discussion followed. The discussion
focused on topics of mutual interest, but
favoured issues of personal importance rather
than medical education. Over the years, they
had discussed such issues as parenting
challenges, loss and grief, resilience and
coping, ethical investing, preparing for
retirement, and so on. Professional communities of care are places
where veterinarians can be genuine with
one another, sharing their experiences as
well as feelings of stress and vulnerability.
Compassionate professional communities
acknowledge the self-care needs of their
members and know how to respond when
someone is over-burdened or suffering. These
are the kinds of communities where civility
prevails.
I really enjoyed my time with the group and
told them so at the end of the meeting. “So
why not join us?” was the response. I did.
And I’ve been joining them every month
since, in our homes, on vacations, and for our
annual weekend retreat every September in
Algonquin Park. These fellows have become
valued friends and an important support of
my own resilience.
Civil professional communities are also places
where systemic problems can be identified
and confronted in a way that preserves
the energy and dignity of everyone who
works there. This is a matter of leadership,
cooperation and imagination.
The Culture Of Medicine
It’s not just me. Professional friendships,
alliances and networks keep you healthy.
Veterinarians come together in many ways
that foster support. Here are some tips in
finding/forming a mutually supportive peer
group: It is ironic that a profession so involved
with healing and compassion can often be
characterized by incivility. Whether it’s one
veterinarian attacking another over perceived
slights or un