Vets deal with patients' deaths five times more than doctors — that takes its toll

Burnout is a common issue in many careers, but in springtime especially, spare a thought for your pressurised vet.

Pete the Vet: Burnout is a common issue in many careers, but in springtime especially, spare a thought for your pressurised vet.

Springtime is the busiest time of year for vets: the normal daily workload of clinical cases is supplemented by the seasonal surge of calvings and lambings (most young animals are born in the spring). Vets are often called after-hours to help when cattle and sheep get into difficulty. Caesarian sections commonly need to be done at night or in the early hours of the morning, and vets usually have to carry on with the normal working routine the following day. It’s no wonder that many vets are frazzled and less chatty than normal at this time of year.

In the past, this was just a seasonal issue: vets knew that they’d be hectically busy from March to May, but the pressure was offset by a slower pace of work in the summer and at other times of year.