Not One More Vet

About

NOMV’s website is nomv.org and contains links to resources, program  information, volunteer opportunities, and ways to give. You can find NOMV on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram, or contact us via email at  info@nomv.org or call (669) 237-0403. 

NOMV’s Mission

Not One More Vet (NOMV) will transform the status of mental wellness within the profession so veterinary professionals can survive and thrive through education, resources, and support.

Who NOMV Serves

NOMV serves every member of the veterinary community with support services including: vet tech students, veterinary students, support staff, vet techs, and veterinarians. We also serve pet parents with education and empathy for the wellbeing of the veterinary teams that keep their beloved pets safe and healthy.

Why NOMV is Needed

1 in 6 veterinarians considers suicide at some point in their career (Nett et al., 2015).

Rates of relative risk of death by suicide of veterinary professionals to the general public (Witte, 2019):

  • Male veterinarians: 1.6x (2.1x, updated 2022)
  • Female veterinarians 2.4x (3.5x, updated 2022)
  • Male technicians: 5x
  • Female technicians: 2.3x 

Historical Context

This problem is not new. In a study of California veterinarian deaths from 1960 to 1992 the rate of death by suicide was 2.6 times as high as that for the general public (Miller, 1995). What has changed is that we are talking about it more. 

The most famous veterinarian of all time, James Herriot, is reported by his family to have struggled with depression (Johnston, 2010).

Underlying Causes

  • 91% of veterinarians polled faced an ethical/moral dilemma every week, and it causes them a great deal of stress. (Batchelor & McKeegan, 2012)
  • In 2020, the average educational debt for that year’s veterinary school graduates was $157,146 with the average debt for those with debt being $188,853 and over 30% had at least $200,000 in debt (AVMA, 2021).
  • Approximately 1 in 5 veterinarians surveyed by the AVMA in Fall 2014 reported that they had themselves been victims or knew colleagues who had been victims of cyberbullying. These incidents included threats of physical harm (AVMA, 2014).
  • Excellent data set can be found here: https://www.merck-animal-health-usa.com/about-us/veterinary-wellbeing-study

What NOMV Does

NOMV addresses wellbeing in veterinary medicine through multiple innovative pathways including: 

Get Involved

  • Thank your vet team — Send a postcard. Take cookies to your clinic. Send flowers.
  • Donate to NOMV — Every dollar donated helps NOMV provide support, education, and resources to veterinary professionals in need. Donate now at https://nomv.org/invest/
  • Race Around the World with us — NOMV’s annual fundraising event Race Around the World is a fun and healthy way to raise awareness and funds for NOMV. The race takes place every September (Suicide Prevention Month). Find out more at https://nomv.org/race/
  • Become a NOMV Advocate — Volunteering for NOMV is a rewarding way to participate in the mission. We have many volunteer opportunities for anyone interested in joining us. We begin all our volunteers as NOMV Advocates. This role has a flexible time commitment and can be customized to fit individual skills and interests. Advocates work in outreach, awareness, and fundraising. After a successful run as an Advocate, volunteers may be invited to participate in NOMV committees or other more involved roles. To volunteer go to https://nomv.org/apply-to-volunteer/

Resources

We respectfully request that all reporting on suicide be done thoughtfully and appropriately. Guidelines for reporting on suicide from the American Foundation for the Prevention of Suicide can be found here: https://afsp.org/reporting-on-suicide-prevention  

It is important to ensure that people have access to help. Listing crisis numbers is always a good practice. In the US the national suicide hotline is (800) 273-8255. Resources for other countries can be found here: https://nomv.org/crisis-numbers/

References

  1. American Veterinary Medical Association. “2021 AVMA Report on Economic State of the Veterinary Profession.” https://ebusiness.avma.org/ProductCatalog/product.aspx?ID=2000 
  2. American Veterinary Medical Association. “Online reputation management and cyberbullying” https://www.avma.org/resources/practice-management/reputation/cyberbullying-and-how-handle-it 
  3. Batchelor, C. E. M., & McKeegan, D. E. F. (2012). Survey of the frequency and perceived stressfulness of ethical dilemmas encountered in UK veterinary practice. Veterinary Record 170(1), 19-19.
  4. Johnston, Jenny. “James Herriot’s Private Hell: The Shocking Truth about the Man behind TV’s Most Famous Vet.” Daily Mail Online, Associated Newspapers, 24 Sept. 2010, www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1314863/James-Herriots-private-hell-The-shocking-truth-man-TVs-famous-vet.html 
  5. Miller, J. M., & Beaumont, J. J. (1995). Suicide, cancer, and other causes of death among California veterinarians, 1960‐1992. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 27(1), 37-49. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajim.4700270105 
  6. Nett, R. J., Witte, T. K., Holzbauer, S. M., Elchos, B. L., Campagnolo, E. R., Musgrave, K. J., Carter, K. K., Kurkjian, K. M., Vanicek, C. F., O’Leary, D. R., Pride, K. R. & Funk, R. H. (2015). Risk factors for suicide, attitudes toward mental illness, and practice-related stressors among US veterinarians. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 247(8), 945-955. https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.247.8.945 
  7. Witte, T. K., Spitzer, E. G., Edwards, N., Fowler, K. A., & Nett, R. J. (2019) Suicides and deaths of undetermined intent among veterinary professionals from 2003 through 2014. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 255(5), 595-608. https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.255.5.595 
  8. Veterinary Economics Division, AVMA. (2017). Student Financial Resources. American Veterinary Medical Association, www.avma.org/membership/SAVMA/financing-your-veterinary-medical-education#:~:text=The%20harsh%20reality%20is%20that,at%20least%20%24200%2C000%20in%20debt