Purposeful Leadership: Cultivating an environment founded in diversity, equity, inclusion, & belonging (DEIB)

Course overview

Veterinary medicine is experiencing a turning point - historically our profession has been impactful in providing exceptional medical and surgical care for our patients but in doing so we have overlooked a critical component - it's people. We have not prioritized diversity, equity, inclusion or belonging (DEIB), in our daily practice and that has directly influenced our work norms and culture. Veterinary medicine also continues to be one of the least diverse professions in the United States. We must acknowledge that it leaves us culturally inept to diagnose and treat our patients when barriers exist. In 2021, the AVMA published, "Are we in a veterinary workforce crisis?" which highlighted stressors afflicting veterinary professionals that lead to twice the turnover than medical doctors and other health professions. Veterinary professionals and teams are faced with mental health issues (anxiety, stress, burnout), staggering income:debt ratio and poor work-life balance, which influence their work environments. A cultural renovation is needed within our profession, and this can begin as early as veterinary school. Academic institutions have the ability to prioritize and infuse DEIB in practice daily within their curricula, additional training, outreach and within their teaching hospitals. This will generate future veterinary professionals that will have the cultural humility to engage with the diversity of the people and animals we serve. Today's students are veterinary medicine's future potential specialists, practice owners, and industry leaders who can intrinsically motivate and positively influence the relationships veterinary medicine will have in our communities when cultivating a DEIB founded environment.