Benefits of practice ownership among US private practice veterinarians extend to professional quality of life

Abstract

Objective To estimate the effects of practice ownership on wellbeing of US private practice veterinarians. Sample 1,217 practice owners and 1,414 associate veterinarians (ie, nonowners) who participated in the 2021 AVMA Census of Veterinarians and Practice Owners Survey. Procedures A professional quality of life instrument was used to measure compassion satisfaction (CS; a positive attribute), burnout (BO), and secondary traumatic stress (STS) in practice owners and nonowners both as scores and as score categories (low, moderate, and high CS, BO, and STS). For hypothesis tests, propensity score matching was used, with owners (n = 595) matched to nonowners (595) on several demographic and employment factors. Results Owners had significantly (P < .001) higher CS scores (mean ± SE, 34.1 ± 0.3) and lower BO scores (26.1 ± 0.3) than nonowners (32.8 ± 0.3 and 26.9 ± 0.3, respectively), but STS scores were comparable between groups (27.4 ± 0.3 and 27.5 ± 0.3; P = .55). The prevalence of low CS scores and high BO scores was significantly (P < .001) higher for nonowners versus owners (53.8% vs 42.7% and 51.6% vs 46.4%, respectively). Both owners and nonowners had a high prevalence of high STS scores (81.8% and 83.2%, respectively; P = .53). Clinical Relevance Results suggested that practice ownership confers a benefit to private practice veterinarians in terms of CS and BO, but not STS. The prevalence of poor CS, BO, and STS scores was higher than reported previously for 2016 to 2018, suggesting an impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The high prevalence of high STS scores in both groups warrants attention and action to protect the welfare of the veterinary workforce and support optimal patient care.

A comparison between veterinary small animal general practitioners and emergency practitioners in Australia. Part 2: client-related, work-related, and personal burnout

“…In our study, practice owners showed lower total burnout scores than associate veterinarians. This is in agreement to prior veterinary studies in Germany ( 54 ) and the US ( 55 ). The characteristics of the practice owner role gives these veterinarians greater decision latitude and autonomy.…”

Predictors of Suicide Risk and Mental Health Outcomes among Hong Kong Veterinarians: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…We believe it is crucial to improve the profession’s compassion satisfaction, and this can be facilitated through organizational efforts of each clinic [ 40 ]. Interestingly, while the literature suggested veterinarians often experience high secondary traumatic stress [ 2 , 4 , 12 , 13 ], our findings suggested none of our respondents have identified with high secondary traumatic stress. It is worthwhile to delve into the cause, as the outcomes from the current field of knowledge are incongruous.…”

“…Previous research suggested the complexity of veterinarians’ roles such as long working hours, heavy caseloads, engagement in euthanasia [ 1 , 7 , 8 ], the challenging nature of balancing clients’ expectations and medical interests [ 9 ], poor workplace culture [ 10 ], and isolated working conditions are predictors of veterinarians’ poor mental health status. Furthermore, studies have found that veterinarians with poor mental health are likely to experience burnout, higher levels of secondary traumatic stress, and lower compassion satisfaction [ 2 , 4 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ]. Studies have also highlighted the easier access to pentobarbital [ 15 ], a drug commonly used for euthanasia of animals, to be a significant factor in their suicidal behavior.…”

Veterinarian burnout demographics and organizational impacts: a narrative review

“…Associate veterinarians are twice as likely to develop feelings of reduced job satisfaction and are also more likely to experience burnout relative to practice owners (91,114). While both experience stress, veterinary practice owners exhibit far less burnout than non-owner associates (115). These findings are concerning as the rate of veterinary practice ownership has declined from 45% in 2013 to 36% in 2020 (114).…”