Compassionate Care Counselor Program
Does compassion need a helping hand?
The very nature of veterinary medicine requires a high level of compassion each and every day. While caring for patients and the people who love them can be rewarding, it can also be demanding. We began asking questions about the state of compassionate care in the veterinary industry:
- Are veterinarians and technicians getting the support they need?
- Do they have resources to help them gain the soft skills needed to manage terminal cases and pet euthanasia?
- Are there guidelines, protocols and education to help them effectively cope with End-of-Life cases and decisions?
- How do they deal with compassion fatigue?
New industry research reveals important answers.
To find answers, Virbac Animal Health commissioned both research among practicing veterinarians and technicians that revealed significant unmet needs.
Read the key findings.
To get the full reports, please click here to request a copy.
The first steps to a more compassionate future.
To help address the unmet needs in the area compassionate care, Virbac launched a comprehensive Compassionate Care Initiative in 2011. Our initial step was to assemble a Compassionate Care Advisory Council, a 7-member panel that includes key opinion leaders, general practitioners, an academician and a leading veterinary technician with specialized training in this area.
Vision:
- To provide veterinary professionals with a comprehensive and ongoing resource to support and strengthen compassionate care within their hospitals with a focus on End-of-Life Care, Pet Euthanasia and Compassion Fatigue.
- To provide veterinary professionals with resources that help improve communication and deepen relationships between veterinary teams and clients in order to enhance compassionate care.
Next Steps for the Compassionate Care Initiative:
- Develop a Compassionate Care Counselor Program for veterinary professionals.
- Develop a series of Virbac University Continuing Education courses.
- Develop support tools and programs in focus areas of compassionate care.
- Inform the industry of new resources as they become available.