Veterinary nurses are critical in animal healthcare. They participate directly in patient care and often manage multiple tasks, such as providing medical care, administrative assistance, and client interactions. However, chronic work-related stress is common among them due to the demands of their job, leading to job dissatisfaction and leaving the profession early.

The purpose of this literature review was to identify the factors contributing to burnout and its impact among veterinary nurses. With these findings, the authors provide potential strategies to help mitigate this issue within the veterinary profession. 

Burnout involves emotional exhaustion, depersonalization (detachment and negativity towards work and colleagues), and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment. It also has negative consequences on both physical and mental health, leading to issues like weaker immune function, heart disease, and depression. It negatively impacts work performance, increasing the likelihood of medical errors and reducing productivity, which can lower the quality of care for patients. Burnout can also have a negative economic impact on organizations. 

High workload, emotional strain from dealing with sick or dying animals, and difficult interactions with clients are some of the factors that lead to burnout in veterinary nurses. Individual factors such as age, gender, and sexual orientation can also influence the risk of burnout. Although research specific to veterinary nurses is lacking in this domain, existing data on veterinarians can be considered. Women, younger individuals, and LGBTQIA+ veterinarians have been shown to have higher rates of burnout. High workload combined with lack of control, low reward, limited support at the workplace, inequality, and a mismatch between personal and organizational values are also work-related risk factors for burnout.  

High workload is particularly stressful for veterinary nurses as it interferes with their ability to provide high-quality care for their patients and get the needed support during busy times. It can mean working longer hours or overnight to meet patient care demands. Providing job resources and reducing the workload by hiring additional staff or organizing tasks to increase work efficiency is crucial to prevent burnout in veterinary nurses.

Having a low sense of control in making decisions and low autonomy are other work-related factors that increase the risk of burnout in veterinary nurses. When nurses feel they have little say in their work processes and lack the ability to make decisions, or make their own schedules, they are more likely to experience stress, frustration, and emotional exhaustion. Clinics can increase the sense of control among veterinary nurses by adopting a collaborative relationship, providing training for new responsibilities, as well as involving nurses in the decision-making process to increase autonomy and job satisfaction.

Burnout can also occur because of insufficient rewards or poor labor conditions. This includes both financial rewards such as paid sick leave and fair pay increases based on experience, as well as non-monetary rewards such as recognition from supervisors and satisfaction from the job. Insufficient rewards can lead to feelings of being undervalued and reduce motivation and job satisfaction. Aside from fair pay, ensuring that veterinary nurses work on tasks they are trained for and that they perceive their work as meaningful can significantly increase their sense of personal achievement.

Community, or the sense of belonging and social support at work, is another important factor in reducing burnout. A strong and supportive community can ease the stress experienced by veterinary nurses, while poor relationships at work can increase feelings of isolation. Negative interactions with clients further affect work-related stress, increasing emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. Creating a supportive work environment through regular meetings and positive feedback is crucial in reducing the effects of negative interactions.

Fairness, or perceived equality at work, is another important factor. Favoritism and unequal treatment can cause stress and resentment. Applying transparent policies and maintaining open communication are important to build trust and ensure everyone is treated fairly. 

Last, it’s important that veterinary nurses feel their personal values align with their workplace’s mission and practices. A mismatch between personal and organizational values can lead to stress and increased job dissatisfaction. The most common factor related to values that leads to burnout is patient death and euthanasia. In order to increase job satisfaction, it’s essential to promote an organizational culture that aligns well with the personal values of the team to increase job satisfaction.

To address burnout among veterinary nurses, the review outlines various factors that clinics and shelters need to consider in order to come up with comprehensive approaches to increase and maintain job satisfaction. These approaches need to consider workload, sense of control, rewards, community, fairness, and value alignment to successfully address this problem. Animal advocates can use the insights from this study to push for systemic changes that improve the work environment for veterinary nurses, which ultimately benefits animal care.