AVMA spotlights error culture in new ‘Mistakes Happen’ series: full analysis

AVMA’s My Veterinary Life podcast is introducing a new series, “Mistakes Happen,” featuring Dr. Jen Brandt, AVMA’s director of well-being. Based on the episode description and Brandt’s longstanding role in AVMA wellbeing programming, the series is positioned as an effort to help veterinary professionals talk more openly and constructively about mistakes, with psychological safety as a core theme. (avma.org)

That’s a notable editorial choice for AVMA because it builds on years of work tying professional wellbeing to workplace culture, not just individual resilience. Brandt’s background spans grief and trauma support, healthcare team communication, and veterinary wellbeing initiatives, and AVMA has previously used her work to promote cultures of belonging, help-seeking, and safer team communication. The association has also rolled out workplace wellbeing and inclusive-workplace programming in recent years, suggesting this podcast series is part of a larger strategy rather than a one-off conversation. (avma.org)

The broader context helps explain why this topic matters now. AVMA’s 2025 Economic State of the Veterinary Profession report says wellbeing remains one of the profession’s most important issues, and the average burnout score for veterinarians in 2024 was 26.4 out of 50, unchanged from 2023 and still within the report’s moderate-burnout framing. The same report also shows many full-time veterinarians in private practice outside companion animal practice average at least 50 hours a week, underscoring the workload conditions in which errors, near misses, and strained communication can occur. (ebusiness.avma.org)

Research on veterinary error culture remains thinner than in human healthcare, but what exists points in a consistent direction. A 2019 Frontiers in Veterinary Science study of 651 incident reports from three veterinary hospitals found that serious errors causing permanent harm or death were rare, at less than 2% of reported incidents. Even so, reporting systems revealed recurring patient-safety issues that organizations could analyze and address. Meanwhile, a survey of 606 veterinarians found 73.8% had been involved in at least one near miss or adverse event, with many reporting personal and professional distress afterward. (frontiersin.org)

Industry voices have been pushing similar themes. In prior coverage, dvm360 reported that communication failures are a major root cause of veterinary medical errors and that blame-focused responses can suppress future reporting. More recently, veterinary consultant Theresa Cosper-Roberts argued for destigmatizing errors and building a “just culture” where team members feel psychologically safe enough to speak up, disclose mistakes, and learn from them before patients suffer. (dvm360.com)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, a series like this could help normalize a more mature conversation about medical error, team recovery, and system design. In practice, that means shifting from “who messed up?” to “what conditions made this possible?” That’s especially relevant in a labor-constrained profession where burnout, long hours, and staffing pressures can amplify risk. If AVMA can translate these conversations into practical clinic-level habits, such as structured debriefs, clearer communication protocols, and nonpunitive reporting, the impact could extend beyond wellbeing into patient safety, team retention, and pet parent trust. (ebusiness.avma.org)

There’s also a reputational dimension. Veterinary medicine has historically had fewer formalized error-reporting systems and less published research on mistakes than human healthcare, which can leave practices to navigate incidents in isolation. A national professional body publicly centering mistakes as discussable, learnable events may help reduce stigma for clinicians and support staff alike. That doesn’t minimize accountability, but it does recognize that safer care often depends on stronger systems, better communication, and workplaces where people can raise concerns early. (dvm360.com)

What to watch: The next signal will be whether AVMA expands “Mistakes Happen” beyond podcast storytelling into toolkits, CE, or workplace guidance, and whether the series starts drawing visible engagement from practice leaders, technicians, and wellbeing advocates across the profession. (axon.avma.org)