Investigation of burnout and contributing work-related risk factors among Australian emergency and general practice veterinarians

Abstract

Burnout is reported to be common among veterinarians. However, there is limited research investigating the relationship between specific types of veterinary practice and burnout. The working context of veterinarians differ by specialty, and this can potentially lead to variable exposures to risk factors for burnout.

The first research chapter aims to explore differences in demographic and working conditions of veterinary general practitioners (GPs) and emergency practitioners (EPs) to compare exposure to differing potential stressors. An anonymous, online survey was administered to veterinary GPs and EPs practicing in metropolitan regions of Australia. In total, 320 participant responses were analyzed (n = 237, 74.2% GPs and n = 83, 25.9% EPs). Significant differences (P < 0.05) in the demographics and work-related exposures were found between the two groups. Desire to leave their principal area of practice was prevalent among this survey group (192/319, 60.2%) with approximately one-third considering leaving the veterinary profession. We discuss the implications of these workplace factors, including mitigation strategies.

The second research chapter aims to investigate whether Australian veterinary EPs suffer from a higher level of burnout compared to veterinary GPs. An anonymous, online survey incorporating the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) was administered to the same survey group participating in the previous research. Both groups suffered from moderate levels of burnout, but there were no significant differences in the severity of CBI burnout scores between the two groups. From the multivariable analysis four investigated factors were found to be significantly associated (p < 0.05) with total burnout scores: position in practice, workplace environment, appropriate staffing in the past week and client adherence. Future studies should focus on investigating effective strategies to mitigate these risk factors for both GPs and EPs, to reduce career attrition.