AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by AABP members Dr. Jackie Graber, chair of the AABP Mental Health and Well-Being Committee, Dr. Gabe Middleton and Dr. Alissa Wilhelm. This podcast is brought to you by the AABP Mental Health and Well-Being Committee. Graber discusses the importance of this committee for AABP members and committee resources and activities. Find AABP committee resources on this page and information about the committee here. Volunteers are needed for this committee, and our guests encourage any members interested in the committee to go to the committee page and click on the email committee link to join! The committee has completed a survey on mental health which can be found here.

The committee has sponsored two presentations at the 58th AABP Annual Conference. The presentations will be delivered by Andi Davis, a registered veterinary technician from Flourish Veterinary Consulting. Find out more information about the conference schedule at this link. Registration is now open for the conference and can be found on this page. Reminder that all AABP conference sessions are recorded and available for members at no charge.

It is important for veterinarians to understand what challenges students and recent graduates face so that we can provide them with resources and opportunities. Mentorship is an important part of training veterinary students, but also for ensuring a successful transition as a recent graduate. Our guests discuss how to provide that mentorship and support, which will have positive impacts on mental health. This includes offering regular feedback, providing counseling resources, allowing them ample training opportunities in their areas of interest, and being proactive with reaching out to associates. 

AABP has a mentorship program to connect recent graduates to other AABP members. We encourage AABP members to sign up to be a mentor and recent graduates to request a mentor. Information about the mentorship program with links to sign up for the program can be found here. 

The Mental Health and Well-Being also has support group meetings every other week. All are welcome to attend the discussion. The AABP Virtual Discussion Group meets every other Wednesday night at 8:00 pm Eastern time. Upcoming dates are June 18; July 2, 16, 30; August 6, 20 and              September 3, 17.

Join the conversation by using the new link at: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85054147503?pwd=qCCY826nOiUmDYaXm51oa4sK3iNehl.1

Do you want to support the initiatives of the AABP Mental Health and Well-Being Committee? Consider a donation to the AABP Foundation mental health fund at this link.