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 […]
The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) will be marking Neurodiversity Celebration Week (21 to 27 March) by launching a new ‘neurodiversity resource hub’ area of its website and adding new modules on the topic to its popular MMI Kite App. Neurodiversity Celebration Week is a worldwide initiative that challenges stereotypes and […]
A report has been published detailing the proceedings of last November’s Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) Research Symposium, where attendees from across the veterinary professions joined MMI for a day of virtual talks given by mental health and wellbeing researchers from across the globe. The symposium, which took place on 24 November 2021, was introduced by […]
To coincide with Mind’s Time to Talk Day (Thursday 3 February 2022), a day that encourages people to talk openly with friends and family about mental health, we are announcing a new series of our popular Campfire Chats. This series of informal discussions on matters related to veterinary health and wellbeing that was successfully launched […]
Macauly Gatenby is a third-year SVN who is serving on the Mind Matters Taskforce as the British Veterinary Nursing Association’s student representative. He has a strong passion for all aspects of mental health and wellbeing and hopes to use this opportunity to support and give a voice to all SVNs and RVNs. Towards the end […]
Today (19 January) the Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) and VN Futures have released a report which details the key discussions from their recent Student Veterinary Nurse (SVN) Wellbeing Discussion Forum and what next steps the profession needs to take to improve the mental wellbeing of student and recently qualified vet nurses. The event was organised […]
We often talk about career routes and every time it brings a smile to my face imagining what younger Lacey would think if she could see me now. I’d been a good student in school, worked hard and got on well with everyone often driving projects; yet growing up in the Valleys I’d been told […]
We’re delighted to introduce you to the newest member of the Mind Matters Initiative team, Lacey Pitcher. Lacey joins us as our Outreach and Engagement Senior Officer and will be involved with many of our ambitious and exciting projects for the year, including helping to create a new MMI training programme and leading on our […]