Prioritizing Well-Being in Veterinary Medicine Education

Well-being is key to maintaining health and happiness. Developing knowledge and skills related to well-being will be a key feature of Clemson Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) curriculum and the planned student support services. Gaining experience and competence in this area is necessary to prepare new graduates for successful careers in veterinary medicine.

Dr. Nicki Wise, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, is dedicated to elevating this topic at the CVM and beyond. Wise also sits on Clemson's Well-Being Council as the CVM representative. This is a multi-disciplinary group of university leaders committed to improving the well-being of everyone on campus.

"Well-being at Clemson is not just essential to the success of Clemson Elevate, our university strategy, but vital for our colleges to advance thriving in their staff, faculty, and students," said Anna Fitch Courie, Chief Well-Being Officer. "The College of Veterinary Medicine is leaning into this vision of thriving veterinarians and integrating tenants of well-being into all that they do. This is how we grow thriving individuals who transform the world."

Wise will be featured in an upcoming promotional video about this initiative. She discussed what health and well-being mean in her professional and personal life, how she would encourage others to prioritize their well-being and, most importantly, how important this topic is in the world of veterinary medicine.

"Veterinarian and veterinary student well-being is a well-researched topic and one that is very important to our mission at the CVM," said Wise. "Being a veterinarian can be challenging at times, and we want to be as proactive as we can in helping students, faculty and staff prioritize their mental and physical health and well-being. We want the Clemson CVM community to be built on the tenets of community and belonging which requires an understanding of well-being."

Strategies recommended by Clemson's Healthy Campus experts to prioritize well-being include:

• Set healthy routines and habits and prioritize self-care
• Create a time management strategy
• Spend time in nature
• Connect with others
• Eat well and get plenty of rest