MightyVet connects industry professionals in Australia and beyond with valuable resources Focuses on burnout, compassion fatigue, ethics exhaustion, resiliency, and suicide prevention
SEATTLE, Oct. 15, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Trupanion Australia, a leader in pet insurance for cats and dogs, announced today its support of the nonprofit organization MightyVet.
A global, industry-wide movement, MightyVet harnesses the resources and experience of passionate veterinary professionals, universities, and pet health organizations to provide a one-stop resource center.
MightyVet provides information not taught as universal core curriculum in veterinary degrees. These resources ensures veterinary professionals are aware of, and prepared for, the realities of practice, leading to a decrease in burnout, compassion fatigue, ethics exhaustion, and suicide.
The association with MightyVet demonstrates Trupanion’s support and collaboration with veterinary professionals, which is fundamentally different from the other pet insurance companies in Australia.
“I have seen my veterinary colleagues and employees struggle with the transition from university to veterinary practice, not because of a skills gap technically, but because of the mental pressures and expectations these compassionate people often experience,” said Dr. Stephen Rose, General Manager and Veterinarian for Trupanion Australia.
The veterinary profession is often physically and emotionally demanding. As recent reports have indicated, veterinarians often face daunting, daily challenges, which lead to high levels of burnout and decreased career satisfaction.
Even more troubling, research has found that the suicide rate among Australian veterinarians is four times that of adults in other professions.
“It’s a tough gig, and not just as new grads either. I support MightyVet in its aims to bridge the gap in veterinary education and support for those who work in a veterinary hospital, an often missing piece of mental health puzzle in our industry,” added Dr. Rose.
Despite the best efforts of so many in the industry to address these challenges, nothing has truly made a sustained and comprehensive difference. MightyVet was founded in 2018 as a nonprofit organization to address those needs.
Dr. Barry Kipperman, Board President of MightyVet, will be a speaker at a mental health symposium during the One Welfare Conference in Sydney. In his presentation, Dr. Kipperman will discuss his research on the relationship between veterinary wellbeing and the cost of care, and the steps he believes we can take to decrease professional burnout and suicide.
“One Welfare is creating a unique opportunity to harness the expertise and ideas of people around the world to truly make an impact on the crises within our industry,” said Kipperman. “I look forward to sharing my research and learning of additional resources I can share with my colleagues.”
MightyVet also produces award-winning videos that focus on the challenges and opportunities felt by those in the veterinary profession. Earlier this year their video, In Memorium: Dr. Shane Cote, was honored with a Best in Show Vetty Award at the VMX 2019 Veterinary Meeting & Expo. View this MightyVet video and others at: https://www.facebook.com/mightyvet/videos/1627808254029948/
Any individual working in the veterinary profession or allies of those in the profession can join the MightyVet movement free of charge. Learn more about available resources as they come online by signing up at mightyvet.org.
About Trupanion
Trupanion is a leader in medical insurance for cats and dogs throughout the United States, Canada and Australia. For almost two decades, Trupanion has given pet owners peace of mind so they can focus on their pet's recovery, not financial stress. Trupanion is committed to providing pet owners with the highest value in pet medical insurance with unlimited payouts for the life of their pets. Trupanion is listed on NASDAQ under the symbol "TRUP." For more information, please visit trupanion.com.au or trupanion.com.
Contact:
Michael Nank
michael.nank@trupanion.com
888-612-1138 ext. 3567 office