Safety Claims At Australian Veterinary School
The Australian authorities are investigating claims that Murdoch University, one of the country’s seven veterinary schools, has unsafe working conditions.
The allegations, raised by the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) on behalf of various employees at the University, suggest that unnecessary suffering to both staff and animals may be occurring.
During the university investigation, which began on May 6th, the NTEU described the hospital as having “extreme health and safety concerns”. They also noted reports of staff contemplating self-harm due to “extreme” stress and having car accidents due to a lack of sleep.
A spokesperson for the university, Andre Gasper said: “The NTEU made a number of statements with which we disagree and we will be inviting them to provide evidence or correct the record and apologize…Notwithstanding the claims of the NTEU, there have been no substantiated examples of staff injuries from a lack of resources.”
Read the story here.
DVM Student Enrollment On The Rise
According to the annual data report curated by the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges’ (AAVMCs), veterinary enrollment is on the rise in the U.S.
AAVMC’s 2021-2022 Annual Data Report shows a total enrollment increase of 4.7% over last year.
The data also highlights an improvement in racial diversity (at long last)!
With the number of students, who enrolled, from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, being higher than ever at 23.2%.
However, the annual report also found that the percentage of men enrolling in veterinary medicine has continued to decline.
Find out more here.
Dr. Joan Arnoldi Passes Away, Aged 87
The veterinary community mourns the loss of Dr. Joan Arnoldi, a leader in veterinary medicine, who passed away aged 87, on May 10th.
Dr. Arnoldi paved the way for many women in the veterinary field through her contributions serving as the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s (APHIS), the first female Deputy Administrator and Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) of the United States, as well as APHIS Associate Administrator.
“Throughout her long and decorated career, Dr. Arnoldi was a champion for women’s rights. She was a pioneer and visionary in veterinary medicine and public service who made long-lasting and significant contributions to the field and to APHIS,” APHIS said in a release. “We offer our deepest condolences to her family and friends.”
Read the full article here.
AVMF Raises Over $500,000 for Ukraine Animal Relief
The American Veterinary Medical Foundation—the charitable organization adjoined to the American Veterinary Medical Association has received over $500,000 in order to provide help and relief to those affected by the war in Ukraine.
In a statement, Douglas Kratt, (DVM), the chairman of the AVMF, said “The generosity of the veterinary and animal-welfare communities has never been more evident, or more appreciated,”
“These significant grants from the Doris Day Animal Foundation, Ethos Veterinary Health, and People, Pets, and Vets, plus all the individual donors stepping forward to help, will support veterinary professionals in caring for animals in crisis due to the war in Ukraine,”
Find out more here.
We Celebrate Vet Nurse Awareness Month
Across England, the month of May marks veterinary nurse awareness month (VNAM). VNAM was first launched in 2005 by the British Veterinary Nursing Association to raise awareness of the work veterinary nurses do.
17 years later, the tradition pursues, and we continue to dedicate May to recognizing and celebrating the skills veterinary nurses bring to the veterinary profession.
This year’s theme for VNAM is “#OurProfessionMyResilience”, which aims to put a spotlight on the crucial role that nurses play in practice and the wide array of jobs that Registered Veterinary Nurses (RVN) are involved in.
Find out more about it here.
Grounding Exercises That Could Help You Relax
Grounding, also known as ‘earthing’, is a therapeutic technique that aims to electrically reconnect you to the earth.
Essentially, grounding is maintaining direct contact with the surface of the earth with bare skin. The ideology behind this is that the electrical charges from the earth will positively impact the body.
Types of grounding include:
- Walking barefoot
- Submersing in open water
- Laying on the ground.
Though very understudied, researchers that have looked into the effects of grounding, found that it helped with chronic fatigue, pain, poor mood, anxiety, depression, and even sleep disorders.
Find out more about it here.
