Results Presented at 2018 Veterinary Meeting
& Expo (VMX)
Merck Animal Health (known as MSD Animal Health outside the
United States and Canada) today announced the results of a large,
well-controlled study with veterinarians designed to definitively
quantify the prevalence of mental illness and stress in the
veterinary profession and compare the findings to previous studies
and the general U.S. population. Conducted in collaboration with
the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and Merck Animal
Health, the study found veterinarians age 45 and younger are more
likely to experience serious psychological distress and only 27
percent of them would endorse the profession to a friend or family
member.
“This survey is unique in that, for the first time, a nationally
representative sample of veterinarians in the U.S. were asked about
their wellbeing, which is a broader measure of happiness and life
satisfaction than mental health alone,” said study investigator
Linda Lord, Ph.D., D.V.M., academic and allied industry liaison
lead, Merck Animal Health. “Based on the survey results, we are
particularly concerned about younger veterinarians as they are the
future of our profession. We must work together to promote a
healthy lifestyle, including work/life balance, access to wellness
resources and debt reduction.”
According to the Merck Animal Health Veterinary Wellbeing Study,
about 1 in 20 veterinarians are suffering from serious
psychological distress, which is in line with the general
population. However, when segmenting the data by age, younger
veterinarians are more impacted by the financial and emotional
stresses of professional veterinary life, compared to both older
male veterinarians and individuals in the general population.
Depression (94%), burnout (88%) and anxiety (83%) are the most
frequently reported conditions.
Veterinarians are feeling overstressed and
undervalued
Among veterinarians, high student debt was the top concern
voiced, with 67 percent rating it as a critically important issue.
In 2017, the average veterinary student graduated with more than
$138,000 in student debt, according to AVMA, which is nearly twice
the average starting salary for a veterinarian, creating a
significant strain on the future of the profession. Following
student debt, respondents reported the other most serious issues
facing young professionals today are stress levels, reported by 53
percent and suicides rates reported by 52 percent. Poor mental
health is closely associated with the stresses of professional life
–excessive work hours, poor work-life balance and student debt.
Treatment gap: Awareness about resources for mental health
and wellbeing is low
Only half of veterinarians with serious psychological distress
are seeking help – creating a big mental health treatment gap. This
is compounded by the fact that only few employers offer employee
assistance programs. In addition, only 16 percent had ever accessed
resources regarding wellbeing and mental health through national or
state veterinary organizations.
“Veterinarians today cope with a physically and emotionally
demanding occupation that is undergoing changes from increased
competition to the declining ability of clients to pay for
veterinary care. Moreover, veterinarians often find themselves
giving up the things that improve wellbeing and provide a healthy
balance in life, such as family, friends and time for self-care,”
said Jen Brandt, LISW-S, Ph.D., director, wellbeing and diversity
initiatives AVMA. “As an organization that serves veterinarians,
our mission is to protect the health and welfare of our members and
the future of the profession. As part of these efforts we
continuously work to identify accessible resources and assistance
related to wellbeing and mental health. Studies such as the Animal
Health Veterinary Wellbeing Study provide helpful guidance on the
types of resources and education that may be most beneficial.”
Concern for the future: Only 24 percent of veterinarians age
34 and younger would recommend a career in veterinary
medicine
The survey showed veterinarians today do not strongly endorse
their profession. Only 41 percent of veterinarians overall would
recommend the profession to a friend or family member; even large
numbers of those that score high in wellbeing and mental health do
not recommend the profession. The endorsement rate drops to 24
percent for those 34 years old and younger. In contrast, 62 percent
of veterinarians age 65 and older would recommend the
profession.
“Merck Animal Health is proud to partner with AVMA to conduct
this important study to better understand the challenges facing the
veterinary profession,” said Scott Bormann, vice president, U.S.
commercial operations, Merck Animal Health. “We are committed to
working with AVMA and others to support veterinarians by raising
awareness and offering assistance and resources, including close to
$3 million in scholarships over the last three years, and will
continue to look for ways to positively impact the well-being of
practicing veterinarians, and enrich the possibilities for the
future of this profession.”
Survey Methodology
The online survey was conducted by Brakke Consulting in November
2017 among 3,540 of a sample of 20,000 randomly-selected
veterinarians in the U.S. For mental health, the study used the
Kessler Psychological Distress Scale to identify veterinarians
suffering from serious psychological distress. For wellbeing, a
customized index was created based on three widely recognized
measures. Data were weighted based on age, gender and region of the
U.S. All data were tested for statistical significance at the 95
percent confidence level. For the sample as a whole, the maximum
margin of error is +/- 1.62 percent.
The study also compared results from respondents to employed
adults in the University of Michigan Panel Study of Income Dynamics
(PSID), the longest-running longitudinal household study in the
world. A key strength of the approaches leveraged in this research
is the ability to benchmark findings from the veterinary population
against those found in other studies examining veterinarians, as
well as the general public.
About Merck Animal Health
For more than a century, Merck, a leading global
biopharmaceutical company, has been inventing for life, bringing
forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world’s most
challenging diseases. Merck Animal Health, known as MSD Animal
Health outside the United States and Canada, is the global animal
health business unit of Merck. Through its commitment to the
Science of Healthier Animals™, Merck Animal Health offers
veterinarians, farmers, pet owners and governments one of the
widest range of veterinary pharmaceuticals, vaccines and health
management solutions and services. Merck Animal Health is dedicated
to preserving and improving the health, wellbeing and performance
of animals. It invests extensively in dynamic and comprehensive
R&D resources and a modern, global supply chain. Merck Animal
Health is present in more than 50 countries, while its products are
available in some 150 markets. For more information, visit
www.merck-animal-health.com or connect with us on LinkedIn,
Facebook and Twitter at @MerckAH.
Forward-Looking Statement of Merck & Co., Inc.,
Kenilworth, N.J., USA
This news release of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J.,
USA (the “company”) includes “forward-looking statements” within
the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are
based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the company’s
management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties.
If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or risks or
uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially
from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.
Risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to, general
industry conditions and competition; general economic factors,
including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations;
the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and health care
legislation in the United States and internationally; global trends
toward health care cost containment; technological advances, new
products and patents attained by competitors; challenges inherent
in new product development, including obtaining regulatory
approval; the company’s ability to accurately predict future market
conditions; manufacturing difficulties or delays; financial
instability of international economies and sovereign risk;
dependence on the effectiveness of the company’s patents and other
protections for innovative products; and the exposure to
litigation, including patent litigation, and/or regulatory
actions.
The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any
forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise. Additional factors that could cause
results to differ materially from those described in the
forward-looking statements can be found in the company’s 2016
Annual Report on Form 10-K and the company’s other filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) available at the SEC’s
Internet site (www.sec.gov).
View source
version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180206005702/en/
Merck Animal HealthMedia:Kate Vossen, 732-675-8448Pamela Eisele,
267-305-3558orInvestors:Michael DeCarbo, 908-740-1807
Merck (NYSE:MRK)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2024 to Apr 2024
Merck (NYSE:MRK)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2023 to Apr 2024