Citation

Cake MA, Bell MA, Bickley N, Bartram DJ. J. Vet. Med. Educ. 2015; 42(3): 184-193.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Institute of Agriculture, University of Tennessee)

DOI

10.3138/jvme.1014-097R1

PMID

26075621

Abstract

We present a veterinary model of work-derived well-being, and argue that educators should not only present a (potentially self-fulfilling) stress management model of future wellness, but also balance this with a positive psychology-based approach depicting a veterinary career as a richly generative source of satisfaction and fulfillment. A review of known sources of satisfaction for veterinarians finds them to be based mostly in meaningful purpose, relationships, and personal growth. This positions veterinary well-being within the tradition of eudaimonia, an ancient concept of achieving one's best possible self, and a term increasingly employed to describe well-being derived from living a life that is engaging, meaningful, and deeply fulfilling. The theory of eudaimonia for workplace well-being should inform development of personal resources that foster resilience in undergraduate and graduate veterinarians.

Language: en