Veterinary Wellness Briefs: Understanding Quality of Life Measures

The Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) scale was developed to measure compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress in health care workers and others within helping professions. The scale works by assigning separate scores to the three categories. For compassion satisfaction, which measures the good feelings derived from working as a caregiver, a high score is positive. For burnout, which measures feelings of hopelessness and fatigue related to one’s job, a high score indicates a negative experience. A high score for secondary traumatic stress, which measures the stress derived from helping or wanting to help traumatized people, also indicates a more negative experience.   

Factors That Impact QOL

Research shows that numerous factors impact veterinarians’ and other health care workers’ QOL. Long working hours and intense work pressure are strongly linked to lower QOL scores. Work during the evening or night decreases quality of life, as does low job satisfaction and a lack of meaningfulness in work. Support from colleagues and managers is associated with better QOL scores, as are safe and healthy work environments, fair compensation, and opportunities for career growth. 

When looking at personal predictors, resilience and mental health are critically important for QOL. Poor sleep hygiene and chronic illness negatively affect QOL scores. Although age and marital status can have an impact, study results are mixed on how they affect QOL. 

Preventive QOL Measures in Veterinary Practice

Organizations use QOL assessments to measure the efficacy of their preventive measures. Preventive QOL measures in veterinary practice often include improving workplace culture by promoting effective communication, providing supportive leadership, and fostering mutual trust and respect. They might also involve supporting work-life integration by implementing strategies to manage workloads, minimizing staff shortages, and providing more flexible scheduling options. By offering expanded access to mental health services and counseling, such as through the AAEP’s Healthy Practice Member Assistance Program, practices can help employees manage burnout, depression, and anxiety before they become overwhelming. Practices can also foster a more supportive environment by building a community in which everyone feels like they matter and belong to the team. Another effective strategy is to offer opportunities for skills development, continuing education, and career advancement. Lastly, the benefit of showing staff their effort is valued by giving recognition, competitive compensation, and generous benefits cannot be underestimated.  

Final Thoughts

Study results published in 2024 by the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Association of Equine Practitioners indicate equine veterinarians’ quality of life remains challenged by long hours, emergency duty responsibilities, and financial stressors, though some progress has been made. More than a quarter of equine practitioners would prefer to work fewer hours, even if it required less compensation in a field known for subpar salaries. As fewer new graduates enter equine practice and more veterinarians leave the field, those remaining often find their work hours and stress rising, leading to lower QOL scores. Veterinary practices that proactively adopt strategies to increase QOL are more likely to thrive than those that cling to outdated paradigms.  

Related Reading

• Are You Burned Out in Equine Practice?
• Veterinary Wellness Briefs: Understanding Compassion Satisfaction
• Veterinary Wellness Briefs: Understanding Compassion Fatigue

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