On this page you will find my posts related to cognitive ergonomics, which deals with mental processes, such as perception, memory, reasoning, and motor response, as they affect interactions among humans and other elements of a system.
The Spay Neuter Textbook is Here!
Those of you who have spent any time with me during the past 2 years have probably heard about my work as the editor of the long-awaited Spay Neuter Textbook. Well, it’s finally here! The e-book version has been available for a few months, but the print copies just arrived at the publisher’s this week. … Continue reading “The Spay Neuter Textbook is Here!”
Complicated, Part 4
Three weeks ago, I went to see my surgeon, the ob/gyn who performed my hysterectomy last fall. The last time I had seen her was in January, the day my complication was diagnosed. In my mind, though, she had been present throughout my various procedures and recovery, even after the urologists took over my care … Continue reading “Complicated, Part 4”
Complicated, Part 2
While I can only speculate about the causes of the surgical error in which I was a participant but not a witness, I do know a few things about errors in surgery. One of the most confounding things about surgical errors (besides figuring out how to recover from them) is why they happen at all. Why, … Continue reading “Complicated, Part 2”
Complicated, Part 1
On the same day my article on coping with complications was published online, I met with my doctor. I was recovering slowly from my hysterectomy and eight weeks along, my belly was still sensitive and swollen. A week later, I was in the hospital, one tube draining my belly, another in my left kidney. My … Continue reading “Complicated, Part 1”
Coping with Complications Webinar
Here is a webinar version of the article and blog post I published recently regarding veterinarians emotional reactions and coping strategies for adverse events in spay neuter. Enjoy!
Resilience or Trauma: How Veterinarians Cope with Complications
You may remember that a while ago, I wrote about a study I was working on, about veterinarians and their emotional reactions and coping strategies for complications and patient deaths in spay neuter practice. I’m excited to say that it has just been published! The official version is available on the Anthrozoös website, but if you … Continue reading “Resilience or Trauma: How Veterinarians Cope with Complications”
Veterinarians’ Emotional Reactions and Coping Strategies for Adverse Events in Spay-Neuter Surgical Practice
This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Anthrozoös on February 5, 2018, available online here: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2018.1406205 Veterinarians’ Emotional Reactions and Coping Strategies for Adverse Events in Spay-Neuter Surgical Practice Sara C. White, DVM, MSc Spay ASAP Inc., 163 Clay Hill Road, Hartland, Vermont, 05048 sheltervet@mac.com Conflict of Interest Statement: … Continue reading “Veterinarians’ Emotional Reactions and Coping Strategies for Adverse Events in Spay-Neuter Surgical Practice”
Wellness and Complications
5/14/16 Edit: This post is two parts: mental health statistics in veterinarians, and veterinarians’ experience of adverse events. My writing about the stress and distress that can surround complications isn’t meant to imply that complications are the cause of veterinarian suicide, but rather that they are a predictable, and predictably stressful event that veterinarians encounter and that we … Continue reading “Wellness and Complications”