The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) Mind Matters Initiative is inviting veterinary professionals to join their fourth series of Campfire Chats commencing this autumn. The Campfire Chats, which were first set up in January 2021, provide veterinary professionals with the opportunity to come together to chat about important topics impacting their mental health and […]
The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) has announced a new civility training collaboration with the RCVS VN Futures project to help tackle incivility in the workplace. The training will be delivered by VetLed. Having worked with VetLed previously in the year to deliver six successful online civility training sessions, MMI […]
The RCVS Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) is sponsoring the latest series of Veterinary Nurse Think Tanks, run by VetLed, a leading provider of ‘human factors’ skills training for veterinary professionals, supported by the British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA). The Veterinary Nurse Think Tank series is running as part of an ongoing collaboration between MMI and VetLed, […]
The RCVS Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) has awarded £20,000 to a research project investigating the effectiveness of online compassionate imagery intervention in improving the psychological wellbeing of veterinarians. The funding comes from the Sarah Brown Mental Health Research Grant, which was founded in 2019 in memory of RCVS Council member Sarah Brown, who passed away […]
The RCVS Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) has announced a new programme of fully-funded Mental Health First Aid training, which will be delivered in partnership with Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England. One of MMI’s key areas of focus is the mental health and wellbeing of students, and the new training programme follows on from previous […]
The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) will be working with Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England to deliver a free, online training programme for vets in isolated and rural areas across the UK, as well as vets working in ambulatory practice. The training programme has been launched in recognition of […]
Loneliness is a key driver of poor mental health and affects millions of people in the UK every year and, according to The Mental Health Foundation’s Pandemic research, this has been exacerbated by the pandemic. In this Mental Health Awareness Week Campfire Chat special, we came together to discuss why meaningful connection and having a […]
A new joint training initiative from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) and the Veterinary Management Group (VMG) will aim to educate veterinary leaders and managers on mental health in the workplace. The collaboration will be delivered by the VMG’s online learning platform and can either be taken as a free […]
Scott Kilpatrick BSc BVM&S MSc DipECVIM-CA MRCVS European & RCVS Specialist in Internal Medicine How did you stay connected with others over the pandemic period? Zoom really was a game changer! I was lucky in some ways that I still went into the clinic to work. Seeing my lovely work colleagues really kept me sane. […]
Dr Samantha Butler-Davies BVSc MRCVS Veterinary Clinical Services Manager How did you stay connected with others over the pandemic period? Pretty much all virtually. Be that from simple text/Whatsapp messages or video calls. Even just a one line “hello, how you doing today?” message was so important – to send and receive. I’ve tried to […]
This week (9 – 15 May) marks the UK’s Mental Health Awareness Week – an annual opportunity for us all to come together to talk about mental health and to help break down the stigma surrounding it. The theme for this year’s Awareness Week is loneliness. Loneliness impacts many of us at one time or […]
Lacey Pitcher RVN Mind Matters Senior Outreach and Engagement Officer How did you stay connected with others over the pandemic period? I joined online communities and kept an accountable weekly check-in. I also adopted a nanna through Mind. Is a sense of community important to you? Hugely important. For me, a sense of community is […]
The RCVS Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) is marking this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week with the launch of a competition about how we can remain connected with ourselves and others through the power of creativity. Mental Health Awareness Week (Monday 9 to Sunday 15 May 2022) was founded by the Mental Health Foundation 21 years […]
Macauly Gatenby Veterinary Nursing Student, British Veterinary Nursing Association Student Representative, Mind Matters Initiative Taskforce Member How did you stay connected with others over the pandemic period? The way I connected with others was through social media. As much as I hate the negativity it can cause, it was such a vital component of keeping […]
In this Campfire Chat, we explored Overcoming Self Doubt and Stressing Out. April marks Stress Awareness Month. It has been held every April since 1992 to increase public awareness about both the causes, signs and coping strategies for stress. According to a 2018 study undertaken by the Mental Health Foundation, 74% of people in the […]
The RCVS Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) has collaborated with VetLed, a leading provider of Human Factors skills training for veterinary professionals and the British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA), to lead a series of initiatives that aim to tackle incivility in the workplace and encourage work environments that make employee wellbeing a priority. The recently launched […]
In this Campfire Chat, which took place on Zero Discrimination Day, we came together to discuss what celebrating diversity means to us, explore how this links to mental health, and shared our thoughts on why – and how – we should all be working towards greater inclusivity, both in and out of the workplace. Zero […]
In this Campfire Chat, we explored the Joy of Creativity! Creativity is everywhere. It’s what makes life interesting, what keeps us all moving forward, and provides an invaluable source of escapism. But how can creativity be used to help support our mental wellbeing? Are we all creative? And why is creativity so important? Key discussion […]
We have launched a new suite of free training opportunities for the veterinary team based around feedback received from the professions in our recent consultations and surveys, as well as the MMI strategic aims. In total, four new courses have been launched, all of which are responding to areas of identified need and aim to […]