S2:E9 - James Russell - Vetlife

Welcome to this episode of The Underdog Vet Podcast! WARNING - THIS EPISODE BRIEFLY DISCUSSES THE SUBJECT OF SUICIDE, IF YOU NEED HELP WITH ANYTHING RAISED IN THE TALK, PLEASE USE THE LINKS PROVIDED IN THE EPISODE TEXT In this episode’s Animal Advocate Interview, I spoke with James Russell, the President of Vetlife. Vetlife is a charity that provides independent, confidential and free help for everyone in the veterinary community including vets, vet nurses, students and non-clinical staff. James joined the charity in 2016 as a volunteer, and in 2023 became the President of the charity. James started by telling me about the origins of the charity, why it was set up and how it’s being run today. We went on to discuss some of the unique challenges those who work within veterinary medicine face and how it can affect their mental health. We concluded our chat by talking about the importance of having a supportive workplace and recognising potential difficulties and what we can do to help both ourselves and our colleagues in those circumstances. Links: Vetlife Website: https://www.vetlife.org.uk/ Vetlife Helpline: 0303 040 2551 Vetlife Impact Report 2024: https://www.vetlife.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Vetlife-Impact-Report-2023-D4.pdf Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org/ Sophie's Legacy: https://sophieslegacy.com/