Student stress survey: a pilot study at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine

Abstract

This report presents the findings of a master of social work research practicum at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM). The research question for this study asks: “What are the stressors for the students at the WCVM, and what practices could potentially mitigate their stress?”. The purpose of this research study is to pilot a survey for the WCVM student population that assesses the student’s objective and subjective stress, causes and symptoms of stress, the student’s current coping mechanisms for stress, and the effectiveness of the current practices in place. The aim is to identify the causes of stress and provide recommendations to the WCVM that may help alleviate stress experienced by veterinary medicine students, interns and residents. The report begins with an introduction explaining the purpose and goals of the research practicum. It follows with a review of the literature, which includes an overview of the search terms, and further explores suicide in veterinary medicine and the contributing factors to suicide risk, the impact of euthanasia on risk factors and on students, contributing factors to stress and burnout in veterinary medicine, gendered differences in reported stress, student stress and coping strategies in veterinary colleges, and student stress examined. The methodology is presented including the survey development, data collection methods, participant recruitment, procedures used, and a data analysis. The findings are discussed, including the themes that emerged from the data analysis and an overview of the survey findings. This paper concludes with recommendations for the WCVM for a future study.