AVMA and MentorVet partner to launch innovative veterinary mentorship program

News provided by

American Veterinary Medical Association

May 03, 2023, 07:57 ET

SCHAUMBURG, Ill., May 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has joined MentorVet to launch MentorVet Connect, a structured mentorship program that connects early-career veterinarians with trained mentors who can offer invaluable support and guidance, providing new veterinarians with free access to an established and proven mentoring platform.

A positive mentor relationship can provide emotional and career support that makes a real difference in the success, satisfaction, and wellbeing of new veterinarians.

The MentorVet Connect program is designed to complement in-clinic mentorship when available, offering broader connections that span geographic and practice boundaries. In addition, the program offers access to a community of veterinarians at all career stages who have the desire to create a healthier profession through mentorship. Initially open to 2023 veterinary graduates as mentees, the AVMA expects to expand the program over time. Any licensed veterinarian with at least one-year of experience can sign up to serve as a mentor. MentorVet Connect will begin pairing mentors and mentees beginning July 1, 2023.

"We are thrilled to partner with MentorVet to offer this valuable resource to 2023 veterinary graduates," said Dr. Lori Teller, president of the AVMA. "We believe that a strong mentorship program like this will play a key role in helping new veterinarians build healthy and successful careers, while ultimately strengthening the veterinary profession as a whole. MentorVet Connect brought to you by AVMA is an excellent example of AVMA's commitment to addressing the needs of our members at all stages of their careers."

"Mentorship is vital at every career stage for all veterinary professionals and seems to be particularly important at career transition points," said Dr. Addie Reinhard, founder and CEO of MentorVet, a rapidly growing entity that leverages evidence-based approaches to empower individuals to thrive within veterinary medicine. "Our research suggests that positive mentoring has the potential to reduce burnout and improve overall mental health and wellbeing, so we are so excited to be partnering with the AVMA to expand availability of our evidence-based paired mentorship services to more individuals within the profession."

MentorVet Connect is designed to create one-on-one connections between veterinarians, offering support to early-career veterinarians by pairing them with trained mentors in a similar practice type. Together, the mentor and mentee create a customized mentoring plan that best suits the mentee's needs.

A positive mentor relationship can provide emotional and career support that makes a real difference in the success, satisfaction, and wellbeing of new veterinarians. MentorVet does extensive research on their mentorship programming, and their existing programming may help protect participants against burnout: In a study measuring burnout levels among recent veterinary graduates, MentorVet program participants showed lower exhaustion and cynicism levels over time, while non-participants saw significant increases.

To sign up as a mentee or mentor, visit MentorVet.net/Connect.

The MentorVet Connect program is free for participants, made possible through support from the AVMA and educational funders Merck Animal Health and Royal Canin.

To learn more about MentorVet Connect brought to you by the AVMA, visit avma.org/Mentor.

About the AVMA

Serving more than 100,000 member veterinarians, the AVMA is the nation's leading representative of the veterinary profession, dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of animals, humans and the environment. Founded in 1863 and with members in every U.S. state and territory and more than 60 countries, the AVMA is one of the largest veterinary medical organizations in the world.

About MentorVet

MentorVet is a rapidly growing entity that creates programs leveraging evidenced-based approaches to empower veterinary professionals, transforming veterinary medicine into a healthy profession for individuals and communities. MentorVet's flagship program, MentorVet Leap, is a mentorship and professional development program that promotes early career wellbeing by providing a centralized location for resources and support through online professional skills training, peer and paired mentorship, and mental health and financial coaching. MentorVet collaborates with a growing number of practice groups, veterinary medical associations, and corporations to make their programming possible. To read more about the early success of MentorVet, you can read their impact report in full by visiting www.mentorvet.net/impactreport. For more information visit www.mentorvet.net or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Michael San Filippo
Media Relations Manager
American Veterinary Medical Association
Cell/Text: 847-732-6194
[email protected]

SOURCE American Veterinary Medical Association