peabay
Prolific Pea
Posts: 9,620
Jun 25, 2014 19:50:41 GMT
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Post by peabay on Mar 7, 2021 18:40:57 GMT
I’m surprised that it’s one of the highest, but the emotional toll of having to put pets to sleep must be extremely high. It did make me wonder why other similarly difficult professions like hospice workers, cancer doctors, etc. don’t have the same numbers and read that it might be due to the ease of access vets have to phenobarbital. If that is true, I hope they do look into restrictions to prevent further suicides. www.avma.org/javma-news/2020-01-15/access-lethal-means-looked-lower-veterinary-suicide-rate I have a family member who ran a hospice and their staff received emotional support and a kind of counseling as a regular practice. Also, not all her hospice nurses stayed long term. When you are a nurse there is a fair amount of flexibility in where you can work, my family member started in home health before moving to hospice. I have another nurse in my family who did hospice for awhile and moved over to another job when it was too much. Vets don’t really have that luxury. After the intense and specialized training they have, what else can they do? Also, not that hospices are "happy" places - but they are places where life is celebrated and affirmed. And people don't go into hospice thinking they'll be fine, nor do their families think that. Veterinary offices routinely have families bring their beloved pet in for something that seems minor and go home empty handed.
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bandjmom
Full Member
Posts: 197
Jun 25, 2014 23:28:19 GMT
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Post by bandjmom on Mar 7, 2021 20:21:32 GMT
I'm so glad they are talking about it. I knew, because many years ago my sweet, loving veterinarian cousin, JM, died by suicide. I’m so sorry for your family’s loss. I did know about the issue and the acronym as my soon-to-be DIL is in her third year of vet school.
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