“On The Farm” Highlights Stress In Veterinary Careers

SUSAN M. COLLINS-SMITH

MAGNOLIA, MISSISSIPPI

Dr. Kim Klunk expected a certain level of stress when she began practicing veterinary medicine two years ago near her hometown of Magnolia, Mississippi.

“It’s one of those things that you hear other people talk about when you’re in vet school, but you don’t realize the complexity of all of it until you experience it yourself,” said Klunk, who works with her mother Dr. Rachel Bateman at her mixed-animal clinic in McComb.

It’s a common realization for many veterinarians who deal daily with financial concerns, work-life balance, compassion fatigue and client relationships among other stressful challenges of the profession.

Klunk and Pauline Prince, staff psychologist at the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine and manager of the college’s Mental Health and Wellness Program, discuss the challenges facing veterinarians in the film series “On the Farm.”

Produced by the University Television Center at MSU, the four-part film series highlights the industry and personal challenges of agricultural workers. The series is a partnership between the MSU Extension Service and the MSU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, with funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Mental health and wellness concerns for veterinary professionals are at the forefront of a growing body of research that indicates the inherent stressors of the profession can lead to anxiety and/or depression and burnout for some. These stressors can begin impacting students even before they earn their veterinary medicine degrees.

Both anxiety and depression raise the risk of suicide. The suicide rate among veterinarians is four times higher than the general population, according to a study published in The Canadian Veterinary Journal.

Further, one in six veterinarians have considered suicide, and one in three have clinically significant anxiety and/or depression. Less than one-third of them will seek help despite knowing they need it, Prince said.

The Mental Health and Wellness Program helps ensure students get the tools and support they need to be successful and healthy in school and later in their careers. The program provides access to counseling, academic support and professional skills enhancement to combat burnout, anxiety and depression -- reducing the chances students leave the field. Services are also available to faculty, staff, interns and residents.

“We’re here from the first day they walk through the door up to graduation,” said Prince. “We go into their classrooms so that we can know more about what our students face and how we can help them. For many sophomore surgery students, it’s the first time they are cutting into an animal. That can be very overwhelming. Often it reduces their stress just having us there.”

The work Prince, staff counselor Katie Cagle-Holtcamp and staff psychologist Kristin Tew, are doing through the program is important because it can help mental health professionals understand the needs of working veterinarians as well as students.

“There is nothing that tells mental health professionals how to work with veterinarians,” Prince said. “We collected data through needs surveys and then crafted evidenced-based strategies to meet those needs.”

The film highlights the unique pressures of large-animal medicine and Klunk’s experience as a new veterinarian.

“A lot of anxiety comes with being a new veterinarian, period, but stress is compounded and more difficult to manage as a new veterinarian,” Klunk said. “You have been unleashed with this wonderful education; now you need to learn to utilize all that you have been taught in real world situations.

“In the middle of a cow pasture, academic support is no longer right down the hall, equipment is often minimal, and clientele have needs, expectations and finances that all need management from you. You begin to understand how long and hard you have to work to make all of this come together in the scope of your professional and personal life,” Klunk continued.

The second season of “On the Farm” airs on Mississippi Public Broadcasting’s TV channel July 1 at 9 p.m., July 5 at 7:30 p.m. and July 7 at 4:30 p.m. Each of the four stories will air in full as a single, one-hour episode.

The films also spotlight resources and organizations that can assist agricultural workers in crisis and feature specialists from MSU in agricultural economics, family science and clinical psychology. These specialists connect the lived experiences of the farmers to scientific literature on rural and agricultural lifestyles.

Others profiled in “On the Farm” include Starkville farmer Sam McLemore, Sunflower County catfish producers Ben and Ed Pentecost and Sulligent, Alabama beef cattle producers David and Will Gilmer.

To hear more of Klunk’s story along with other stories about farm-related stress, watch the entire “On the Farm” miniseries at https://www.onthefarm.life.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or start a chat at 988lifeline.org.  ∆

SUSAN M. COLLINS-SMITH: Mississippi State University