Career-Long Skills for Personal and Professional Wellness: A Staged Developmental Model of Veterinarian Resilience Training

Burnout and mental health concerns are widespread in veterinarians. Exposure to the suffering of animal patients and human clients and to the complex dynamics of providing care in a challenging system is inherently demanding. We must teach veterinarians skills for personal and professional wellness without pathologizing their distress. Existing approaches to resilience training are promising but limited in scope, depth, duration, sequencing, and implementation. We forward a staged, developmental, career-long model, introduced early in veterinary medical training, extending into post-graduate veterinary medical education, and integrated throughout professional training and continuing education. This framework proposes intrapersonal, interpersonal, and systems and sustainability skills that provide resources for veterinarians to cope with the common emotional, social, and physical impacts of care provision.