Many veterinarians in Canada are facing extreme burnout and declining mental health
Veterinarians in Canada say they are experiencing extreme burnout and plummeting mental health due to staff shortages, a booming number of animal patients and the round-the-clock stress of the job.
Neil Pothier, a veterinarian since 1985 who runs an animal hospital in Digby, N.S., said caring for animals has never been easy, but it’s a job he’s always loved.
“But now, all day long, people are talking about burnout and thinking of quitting," Pothier said following a meeting with veterinarians from across Nova Scotia. "We are struggling to try and make it.”
Mental health experts say Canada should have a three-digit suicide crisis hotline
Canada must make good on a long-standing promise to implement a centralized mental health crisis line that bypasses police and connects those in need with professionals who can help them, experts argued as a similar system went live in the United States.
The new 988 mental health hotline American authorities launched on Saturday will, once fully operational, offer residents struggling with suicidal thoughts an easy-to-remember number that will connect them with trained mental health counsellors rather than law enforcement personnel.