MMI & BSAVA’s ‘resilience course’ pilot proves popular

In partnership with the British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA), the RCVS Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) will be piloting resilience training courses for veterinary professionals throughout February 2019.

These free, full-day courses count towards a veterinary professional’s continuing professional development and are designed to help attendees gain the tools to become more resilient in their working lives, and safeguard their mental wellbeing. The courses have proven incredibly popular, with all four location events reaching full capacity in a short space of time. This exemplifies the need for courses such as these, with an ever-increasing focus on the wellbeing of veterinary professionals.

Lisa Quigley, MMI Manager, said: “I am thrilled at the popularity of these resilience training courses, which goes to show that the veterinary profession is becoming increasingly proactive about improving wellbeing in the workplace. When it comes to mental health and wellbeing, resilience is only one part of the jigsaw; but it is an important part, and one that we can all take steps to build upon in our daily lives. I am delighted to be working with such fantastic training providers who are helping us reach veterinary professionals throughout the UK.”

 The courses will be held on the following dates:

• 1 February - Belfast Hilton – with Mary Bannon from PIPS Programmes
• 13 February - Elephant and Castle Hotel, Newtown Powys with Barry Lewis
• 26 February - Apex Waterloo Place Hotel, Edinburgh with the Samaritans
• 4 March - RCVS London with Work Psychology Group

The term resilience is not intended to focus on the individual ‘toughening up’ to better suit their workplace, but rather to focus on their overall wellbeing and general resilience throughout their lives, both professionally and personally.

Resilience is one of the most powerful tools to possess in a personal wellbeing ‘toolkit’. It allows adequate response to the pressures of everyday life and to ‘bounce back’ when things get tough. Building resilience can be particularly important in the veterinary profession, in which it is known that veterinary professionals display higher than average rates of depression and anxiety, and that, sadly, vets are at an increased risk of suicide.

Speaking about the workshops, BSAVA’s Senior Vice-President, John Chitty, said: "BSAVA is delighted to be joining with the Mind Matters Initiative in supporting this preliminary series of workshops. Mental health problems are a very serious problem in all sectors of the veterinary industry, and BSAVA are glad to be able to support these events that will enable participants to not only learn to help themselves, but also to take back to their practices and workplaces and help colleagues. BSAVA is looking forward to subsequently hosting a series of workshops based on feedback from this preliminary series that will be hosted across the BSAVA Regions over the next 12 to 18 months."

Please contact Mind Matters Initiative Manager, Lisa Quigley, for further information, or visit the Mind Matters website where you can also find links to register for upcoming courses via the MMI Eventbrite page.