Daniels professor’s research and Executive Education program focus on professional employees’ mental wellness
Mental health awareness entered the forefront of public discourse when Simone Biles withdrew from the U.S. women’s gymnastics team finals during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The conversation topic was long overdue. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S., according to the CDC, and some professionals are particularly affected. Male veterinarians were 2.1 times, and female veterinarians were 3.5 times as likely as the general population to die by suicide, according to a study of suicide deaths from 1979 through 2015 published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. The profession’s long hours, heavy workload, practice management responsibilities and client expectations were contributing factors.
“What we’ve found is that the extent to which a professional reports they’re thriving is related to three things: the support the business is providing them, the support the profession is providing them, and the kind of relationship they have with clients,” Fukami said.
Like many trades, the veterinary profession is increasingly focused on reducing costs, leading to pressure to see more patients.
“We have this romantic view of veterinarians lovingly caring for our pets, and we romanticize the personal sacrifice veterinarians may be making to provide this service,” Fukami said, noting the starting salary is around $60,000 to $70,000 per year for veterinarians, who typically graduate with six figures of debt from student loans.
Fukami’s research is under review at a scholarly journal. Her study and the JAVMA analysis were conducted pre-COVID.
Brandon Daruna (MBA 2018) adapted a curriculum that focuses on reducing cortisol because professionals dealing with chronic stress can develop psychiatric and physical health problems over time due to elevated cortisol levels. He said it’s critical to understand mental health is a struggle for everyone. Daruna teaches in the Public Safety Leadership Development program in Daniels’ Executive Education, which offers training for law enforcement, fire and EMS professionals. Executive Education provides customized training on suicide awareness for one of its biggest clients, the Veterinary Management Group.
Daruna also is chief of the Gilpin Ambulance Authority and a 20-year EMS veteran. A near-fatal motorcycle accident in college brought him to the profession.
“The only memory I have from the event was the paramedics. Afterward, I took an EMS class and thought it was an incredible opportunity to be able to meet and help other people,” Daruna said.
It took months to recover the use of his hands, which was possible because the surgeon on duty had expertise in hand and forearm reconstructive surgery. Rather than focusing on the drunk driver who nearly took his life, Daruna points to his “good luck” in landing the resident who put him back together. But, when outcomes aren’t optimal, professionals—whether an EMT at the scene of an accident like his or a veterinarian treating a companion animal—can be personally impacted.
“When a human is exposed to tragic situations there’s no escaping this without effect. The challenge is being trained and having an idealistic viewpoint about how you can impact the situation. Then, in positions that don’t seem solvable, they’re not able to change the outcomes much,” Daruna said. “Getting it out in the open is one of the best things we can do to help solve this. If I broke my leg today, nobody would say to me, ‘Is your leg really broken?’ But if I said, I feel suicidal, they maybe wouldn’t believe me or would say it was my problem. We need to normalize people’s emotional health just like we do physical health.
