In a recent episode of the Modern Veterinary Practice Podcast, we sit down with Jason Spendelow, a clinical psychologist and consultant specialising in workplace wellbeing within the veterinary profession.
We explored burnout, performance pressure, and what it really takes to build veterinary practices where people can perform at their best without sacrificing their mental health.
You can listen to the full episode here:
The Psychology of Practice: Rethinking Performance, Pressure & What Healthy Really Means – Episode 52 – Veterinary IT Services
One theme came through very clearly. Burnout in veterinary teams is often treated as an individual issue.
More resilience.
Better coping strategies.
More support.
But this way of thinking can miss a much bigger part of the problem.
The Misconception That Holds Practices Back
Because burnout shows up in individuals, it is easy to assume it is caused by individual factors. How someone copes. How resilient they are. How they manage pressure.
But that is only part of the picture.
Burnout is influenced just as much by:
- Workload and time pressure
- Team culture and behaviour
- Leadership decisions
- How the practice is structured and run
Focusing only on the individual can lead to well intentioned but ineffective solutions. It can also place unfair pressure on people who are already struggling.
A more useful approach is to recognise that burnout sits at the intersection of the individual and the environment they work in.
The Reality of Pressure and Performance
Veterinary teams are no strangers to pressure.
And interestingly, not all pressure is a bad thing.
Research shows that a certain level of performance pressure can improve focus and productivity. It can help people stay engaged and perform at their best.
The problem comes when that pressure becomes excessive.
Every individual has a tipping point. Beyond that point, pressure stops being helpful and starts becoming harmful.
When workloads are consistently too high, or expectations are unrealistic over long periods of time, performance declines rather than improves. Fatigue builds, mistakes increase, and motivation drops.
This is where many practices find themselves without fully realising it.
What feels like pushing for better performance can actually be driving the opposite outcome.
What a Psychologically Healthy Practice Looks Like
If burnout is not just an individual issue, then what should practices be aiming for instead?
A useful way to think about this is through the idea of a psychologically healthy organisation. In simple terms, this is a practice that is designed to support both performance and wellbeing at the same time.
There are four key areas that underpin this.
1. Organisational support and autonomy
Do people feel supported by leadership? Do they have the tools, structure, and clarity they need to do their job well?
2. Team collegiality and safety
Are relationships within the team respectful and professional? Is there trust, good communication, and a sense of psychological safety?
3. Sustainable work demands
Is the workload manageable over time, not just in the short term? Are expectations realistic across weeks, months, and years?
4. Engaged performance and balance
Are people able to stay motivated and find meaning in their work without sacrificing their health?
When these elements are in place, practices are far more likely to see both strong performance and healthier teams.
The Role of Leadership
Leadership plays a central role in shaping all of this.
One of the most important responsibilities is defining what a sustainable workload actually looks like. Not just for the next busy week, but over the long term.
This is particularly important in a profession where burnout and early career attrition are ongoing challenges.
Another key factor is how performance is measured.
If performance is judged purely on hours worked or output volume, it can quietly reinforce overwork. A more effective approach is to focus on productivity and outcomes rather than time alone.
Just as importantly, leaders need to model the behaviours they want to see.
If leaders consistently work late, skip breaks, or appear constantly under pressure, it sends a clear message to the rest of the team, regardless of what policies say.
What leaders do matters more than what they say.
Small Changes That Make a Big Difference
Improving wellbeing does not always require large scale change.
In some cases, small adjustments can have a meaningful impact.
One example is something very simple. Encouraging and protecting short breaks during the day.
This helps in several ways:
- It allows people to recover mentally and physically
- It improves focus and productivity when they return to work
- It reinforces that taking care of yourself is acceptable within the team
In many practices, people avoid taking breaks because they feel they should push through or worry about how it will be perceived.
Changing that behaviour, even in small ways, can start to shift the culture.
Rethinking Where the Real Problem Sits
Many veterinary practices are actively trying to improve wellbeing, which is a positive step.
But if the focus remains only on individuals, the results are likely to be limited.
Sustainable improvement comes from looking at the bigger picture.
That means examining how the practice is structured, how work is distributed, how performance is defined, and how leadership behaviours shape the culture.
Because in the end, the goal is not just to reduce burnout.
It is to create an environment where people can perform at their best and stay healthy while doing it.
And that starts with the system, not just the individual.
