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Home / Equine Research Bank / Aust Vet J / How management of grief associated with ending the life of a...
Australian veterinary journal2020; 98(8); 356-363; doi: 10.1111/avj.12960

How management of grief associated with ending the life of an animal is taught to Australasian veterinary students.

Abstract: Veterinarians have an important role in supporting and understanding their clients' grief. Veterinary schools have a duty to teach students how best to manage grief - both that of the students/future veterinarians and the clients. This study explores how grief management, associated with ending the life of an animal, was taught to students in eight Australasian veterinary schools. Methods: A questionnaire-style interview guide was used by a representative at each university to conduct structured interviews with educators in a snowball sampling approach. Educators were interviewed about the teaching of grief management for four categories of animals: livestock, equine, companion and avian/wildlife. The terms used by participants to describe what they taught were grouped into common themes. Teaching was defined by individual participants and included structured and unstructured approaches. The stage in the degree (preclinical or clinical years) that grief management was taught in the veterinary curriculum and by whom (e.g. clinicians or psychologists) is also described. Results: Grief management was taught more in preclinical than clinical years. However, due to how grief was characterised, much of this teaching was general 'nonspecific' teaching that included all categories of animals. Client grief was taught more generically, whereas, grief of veterinarians was taught using specific examples given by clinicians. Conclusions: A more robust end-of-life (EoL) management curriculum that includes all aspects of grief management is likely to increase job satisfaction, client happiness and professional satisfaction.
© 2020 Australian Veterinary Association.
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Publication Date: 2020-05-27 PubMed ID: 32458445DOI: 10.1111/avj.12960Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research explores how veterinary students in Australasia are taught to handle grief related to euthanasia or end-of-life care. The study is based on interviews conducted with educators in eight veterinary schools across the region.

Methodology

  • The researchers used a questionnaire-style interview guide to conduct structured interviews with educators in eight Australasian veterinary schools.
  • This interview guide was provided to a representative from each university, who then used a snowball sampling approach to keep upping the interview process.
  • During the interviews, educators shared how they taught students to manage grief related to four types of animals: livestock, equine, companion, and avian/wildlife.
  • The researchers categorized the responses based on common themes in the language used by the participants.
  • The way teaching was defined was unique to each participant and ranged from structured to unstructured approaches.
  • The researchers also noted the stage in the student’s degree where grief management was being taught (either during the preclinical or clinical years) and who was teaching it (clinicians or psychologists).

Results

  • Grief management was taught more in the preclinical phase of the degree than in the clinical years.
  • However, much of the teaching was general ‘nonspecific’, cutting across all categories of animals. This implies the grief associated was not specifically tailored to the type of animal.
  • The grief of clients was taught more generically, without animal-specific context. On the other hand, teaching about the grief experienced by veterinarians itself was based on specific examples given by clinicians.

Conclusions

  • The study concludes that a more comprehensive end-of-life curriculum, covering all aspects of grief management, could enhance job satisfaction, client satisfaction, and overall professional gratification.
  • Effective grief management is a crucial skill that veterinarians must learn to adequately support their clients and manage their own emotional wellbeing. Therefore, incorporating relevant and expansive content on this topic in veterinary education can yield significant benefits.

Cite This Article

APA
Littlewood KE, Beausoleil NJ, Stafford KJ, Stephens C, Collins T, Fawcett A, Hazel S, Lloyd J, Mallia C, Richards L, Wedler NK, Zito S. (2020). How management of grief associated with ending the life of an animal is taught to Australasian veterinary students. Aust Vet J, 98(8), 356-363. https://doi.org/10.1111/avj.12960

Publication

Australian veterinary journal
ISSN: 1751-0813
NlmUniqueID: 0370616
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 98
Issue: 8
Pages: 356-363

Researcher Affiliations

Littlewood, K E
  • Animal Welfare Science and Bioethics Centre, School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand.
Beausoleil, N J
  • Animal Welfare Science and Bioethics Centre, School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand.
Stafford, K J
  • Animal Welfare Science and Bioethics Centre, School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand.
Stephens, C
  • School of Psychology, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand.
Collins, T
  • School of Veterinary Medicine, Murdoch University, South Street, Murdoch, Western Australia, 6150, Australia.
Fawcett, A
  • Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, New South Wales, 2006, Australia.
Hazel, S
  • School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 5005, Australia.
Lloyd, Jkf
  • Discipline of Veterinary Sciences, College of Public Health, Medical & Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, 1 Solander Drive, Townsville, Queensland, 4811, Australia.
Mallia, C
  • School of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, Charles Sturt University, PO Box 789, Albury, New South Wales, 2640, Australia.
Richards, L
  • School of Veterinary Science, University of Melbourne, 250 Princes Highway, Werribee, Victoria, 3030, Australia.
Wedler, N K
  • School of Veterinary Medicine, Murdoch University, South Street, Murdoch, Western Australia, 6150, Australia.
Zito, S
  • Animal Welfare Science and Education Department, Royal New Zealand SPCA National Office, 3047 Great North Road, Auckland, 0640, New Zealand.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Curriculum
  • Education, Veterinary
  • Grief
  • Horses
  • Humans
  • Schools, Veterinary
  • Students
  • Veterinarians

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Citations

This article has been cited 2 times.
  1. Xu Q, Bai Y, Wang K. A practical study on improving the professional happiness of clinical teachers. BMC Med Educ 2025 Nov 18;25(1):1618.
    doi: 10.1186/s12909-025-08112-8pubmed: 41254621google scholar: lookup
  2. Wheatley F, Yon E. Prevalence and impact of grief among student veterinary nurses: A cross-sectional study. Vet Rec 2025 Oct 18;197(8):e5596.
    doi: 10.1002/vetr.5596pubmed: 40488221google scholar: lookup
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