A burnout rethink asks veterinary teams to start with why

Version 2 — Full analysis

Burnout in veterinary medicine is getting another close look, this time through a lens that questions the usual advice. In a November 19, 2025, Vet Blast Podcast episode and related dvm360 commentary, Aaron Shaw and Jennifer Edwards argue that veterinary teams aren’t suffering because they haven’t heard enough about wellness. Their point is that many professionals already know the recommendations, but struggle to apply them in workplaces shaped by heavy caseloads, ingrained expectations, and limited room to change daily routines. (dvm360.com)

That framing reflects a broader shift in how the profession is talking about burnout. For years, veterinary medicine has expanded continuing education, wellness seminars, and mental health resources. National organizations and support groups now offer tools ranging from suicide prevention training and peer support to mentorship and workplace wellbeing programs. But the persistence of burnout has pushed the conversation beyond awareness and toward implementation, culture, and the structural realities of practice. (vmae.org)

The latest workforce data help explain why the topic keeps resurfacing. AVMA’s 2025 report found the average burnout score for veterinarians in 2024 was 26.4 out of 50, unchanged from 2023, with variation by role. Associate veterinarians saw burnout jump early in the pandemic and then trend downward, while relief veterinarians have seen burnout climb in recent years. At the same time, veterinarians reported stronger satisfaction with their jobs, compensation, and lifestyle than with the profession as a whole, suggesting a disconnect between individual positions and broader professional sentiment. (ebusiness.avma.org)

Research published in 2024 adds more nuance. A survey of 4,636 veterinarians from an AVMA-provided sample found that work-life balance, positive clinic culture, and effective coping strategies were significant predictors of better wellbeing and reduced burnout. The same study also found serious psychological distress was more common among veterinarians than in the general population. Taken together, those findings support the dvm360 episode’s core argument: the issue isn’t just whether professionals know the right habits, but whether their environment supports them in sustaining those habits. That’s an inference, but it is consistent with both the study and the podcast’s framing. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

The dvm360 discussion itself centers on a mindset shift. Shaw and Edwards say burnout work should start with clarifying a person’s “why,” then identifying what blocks action. That approach may resonate because it avoids treating burnout as a simple failure of discipline. Instead, it acknowledges that veterinary professionals often operate inside cultures where self-sacrifice is normalized, breaks are inconsistent, and “should” language can reinforce guilt rather than change. dvm360 has been building that theme across its Resilient Vet series, which has also covered physical durability, nutrition during long shifts, and the connection between individual wellbeing and practice culture. (dvm360.com)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, this is useful not because it offers a brand-new diagnosis of burnout, but because it points toward a more actionable one. If burnout persists despite years of education, then practices may need to look harder at staffing models, schedule design, break coverage, mentorship, psychological safety, and the expectations placed on associates, relief veterinarians, technicians, and leaders. The practical takeaway is that wellbeing efforts are more likely to work when they’re built into operations, not added as an extra responsibility for already strained teams. (ebusiness.avma.org)

Industry and association resources suggest the profession is moving in that direction, albeit unevenly. AVMA-linked wellbeing initiatives, NOMV support programs, MentorVet, and peer-based services all reflect a broader recognition that burnout is multifactorial and that early intervention matters. What remains less clear is which interventions clinics can adopt at scale, and which groups in the workforce are still being missed, especially as relief veterinarians and other segments report different experiences over time. (vmae.org)

What to watch: The next phase of this conversation will likely focus less on telling veterinary professionals what they should do, and more on whether practices, employers, educators, and industry groups can redesign work in ways that make healthier choices realistic. (dvm360.com)