Sources of pleasure in veterinary work: A qualitative study.

Abstract

Despite the rise in positive psychology within organisational settings, less is known about the positive factors associated with veterinary work and veterinarian well-being. This qualitative study investigated sources of pleasure for veterinarians. A subset of archival data from a larger study on veterinary well-being was analysed. The current study was based on data from 273 veterinarians responding to a Ten Statements Test (TST) and demographic questions. In the TST, participants provided up to 10 responses to the prompt, 'I derive pleasure in my work as a veterinarian when…'. Using the job demands-resources model as a framework, a total of 2536 responses were manually coded into themes relating to resources (positive responses) or demands (responses indicating a negative factor). In order of frequency, job resources are related to professional expertise (22%), positive outcomes (20%), job characteristics (19%), relationships (16%), recognition (10%), helping (7%) and personal resources (3%). Top job demands are related to stress and fatigue (17%) and poor work-life balance (16%). The results suggest that there are an abundance of positive factors in veterinary work associated with feelings of pleasure, which may support veterinarian well-being.