Ah, November. It’s chilly, it gets dark earlier, and it’s time for exams, turkey and gravy. It’s a time when many of us find ourselves in a mood to bundle up and hibernate. For this month’s CVM Wellbeing newsletter, we’re looking at how we can find balance this month with some activity and movement – a CVM Wellbeing Newsletter MOVE-ember Edition!
Movement and exercise can be a great way to help us manage stress, maintain our energy, and boost our mood and cognition. And here in Raleigh, there are some unique upcoming opportunities for us to get active and have fun!
As with any physical exercise you choose to partake in, listen to your body, stay safe, and participate at your own discretion. And enjoy the wellbeing boost!
If you head down the stairs near the east end of the hearth between CVM’s Main Building and the Terry Center, you’ll find a quiet, relaxing space that has had a special upgrade in recent weeks. The patio outside the William Rand Kenan, Jr. Library of Veterinary Medicine (just to your left as you reach the bottom of the stairs) now features amenities for the CVM community and their pets, part of an initiative called the PAW Patio, developed by the library staff. I recently got a chance to ask Peggy Gross, Director of the CVM Library, some questions about the new space.
Can you tell us, what is the PAW On the Patio? How did you come up with the idea?
PAW stands for Pets are Welcome! Ashton Reddish, our University Library Technician, thought of the acronym. The idea to bring more dogs to the patio was percolating ever since the first month I began as director a little over two years ago. I noticed how happy CVM students were when they had their dogs out there. About the same time, I adopted a dog after learning I could board her while I was working.
Ashton Reddish and Peggy Gross, of the William Rand Kenan, Jr. Library of Veterinary Medicine, developed the PAW Patio space.
I started bringing her to the library patio now and then while I worked on my laptop and immediately noticed how much happier and calmer I felt while she napped or people-watched next to me. I realized first-hand that the patio is a conducive place to buckle down and get some work done with my dog. So, the idea to foster that human-animal bond on the patio evolved organically and naturally.
Who can use the PAW Patio? If someone were to want to use it, is there anything they should know beforehand?
Anyone at CVM can bring their dog to the patio to hang out. The idea was that since they’re probably boarding over at the general practice kennel, the pup would already be on campus. Library staff set the pet amenities out in the early morning and pull them in around 4-5.
I’d suggest people bring their own water bowl. We’re tinkering with disposable bowl options to make it as hassle-free as possible. We’ve tried to make it very easy to simply pop over with your pup whenever you have a little break. We provide cold water for pets and people, mesh dog beds, cooling mats, short “pet parking” leashes to tie around the tables, pressure-activated cooling mats, and single-source protein treats (made in the USA). In the next week or so, we’ll have two outdoor bean bags for the human companions. All of it is self-serve, so everyone should feel free to borrow the amenities. So, if you’re looking for something listed above that you don’t see immediately on the patio, hook your dog leash to the patio table base and grab a bean bag from right inside, for example. Also, please let us know if there is something else you wish we had to make the patio a true “study with your buddy” spot. We’re open to feedback.
From our conversations, I know you are passionate about supporting wellbeing in the CVM community! In what ways do you see PAW On the Patio benefitting wellbeing at the CVM over time?
Social Support theory, one of three Human-Animal Bond theories, underpins the Pets are Welcome (PAW) on the Patio at the William Rand Kenan, Jr. Library of Veterinary Medicine. According to the research, the stress of caring for a dog while in veterinary school negatively affects students’ studies and well-being.1
A PAW Patio Patron enjoys some shade and refreshments.
Recent research published by our own CVM faculty revealed that approximately 74% of veterinary students report that care for their dog affects their school or study schedule at least weekly, and 41% of students report that care for their dog affects them daily.2 The schedule here is extremely demanding, and it keeps us apart from our dogs for longer hours than we’d like. Therefore, time with a companion animal while studying at the library patio can go a long way toward reducing our stress about them. Simultaneously, it fosters that human-animal bond the CVM community holds sacred. As a library director, if I can find simple ways like this to help lower the stress in people’s days, cortisol levels can drop …. and suddenly life just seems to feel a little easier. I think that’s a possible path to wellbeing, and it sits right outside the library door.
References:
Drake, A. A., Hafen, M., Jr., & Rush, B. R. (2017). A Decade of Counseling Services in One College of Veterinary Medicine: Veterinary Medical Students’ Psychological Distress and Help-Seeking Trends. J Vet Med Educ, 44(1), 157-165. doi:10.3138/jvme.0216-045R
Kogan, L. R., Schoenfeld-Tacher, R., Hellyer, P., & Rishniw, M. (2019). Veterinary Student Stress, the Benefit of Canine Pets, and Potential Institutional Support of Dog Ownership. J Vet Med Educ, 46(4), 438-448. doi:10.3138/jvme.1017-148r
Support for mental health and wellbeing on campus is expanding. As part of a major UNC System initiative announced earlier this FallNC State is joining a statewide effort to train 10,000 students, staff, and faculty in Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), a training program that empowers individuals in the community to recognize and address mental health and substance use challenges and crises.
“Just like with physical first aid, people trained in Mental Health First Aid have the opportunity to save a life,” Shannon Dupree, Director of Wellness at University Wellness and Recreation explains in a recent NC State news story on NC State’s rollout of initiative. The program, which has already trained millions of people across the US, trains participants to recognize common signs and symptoms of mental health and substance use challenges, interact with and provide assistance to someone who is in crisis, and connect them to resources for help. With 1 in 5 adults experiencing mental illness in any given year, every person who completes the training can make a huge positive impact. “Just as CPR helps you assist an individual having a heart attack, Mental Health First Aid helps you assist someone experiencing a mental health or substance use-related crisis” according to the MHFA website.
Here at the CVM, Sheri Renno, Assistant Dean, CVM Human Resources and Julia Rice, Director of Wellbeing were among the first cohort of 16 faculty and staff at NC State to complete instructor certification to train others in MHFA. A second cohort of 9 faculty and staff followed, resulting in a total of 25 certified MHFA Instructors on NC State’s campus. The NC State instructor cohort is collaborating on the roll-out, and training dates are being offered as early as December 2021. NC State staff, faculty, students, and house officers can complete MHFA training free of charge, as a part of the UNC System Initiative.
Everyone can play a role in supporting mental health. The MHFA initiative at NC State aims to break down barriers for getting help, and in so doing, reduce stigma around mental illness.
MHFA Course offerings at the CVM will be announced at a later date. Those interested can read more about the initiative and its rollout at NC State, or reach out to Sheri Renno and Julia Rice (sarenno@ncsu.edu and jcrice3@ncsu.edu) for questions.
Sunday, September 26 is HR Professionals Day. Here at NC State CVM, our HR team is made up of 7 wonderful HR Professionals: Denise Healy, Patti Sajecki, Karen Mitchell, Bona Bame, Katy Wilson, Maranna Cole and Sheri Renno.
The CVM Human Resources Team. Counter-clockwise from top left: Maranna Cole, Denise Healy, Patti Sajecki, Katy Wilson, Bona Bame, Karen Mitchell, and Sheri Renno
As workplaces around the globe are working toward a focus on wellbeing as a result of the events of the last year, HR teams are playing a key role in informing how we move forward in this new era of work.
I recently connected with our HR Team and asked for them to share their thoughts in response to the question, “How does HR support community wellbeing here at the CVM?” A couple of our colleagues responded in their own words:
Katy Wilson
We inform employees about resources that support them through life events like personal illness, illness and care of a loved one, leave options and more. We also coach, strategize and support career development and career trajectory. We help employees understand their paychecks and can provide some clarity about benefits and explain costs. We also provide proactive and strategic coaching and techniques on communicating effectively, collaboratively and around conflict resolution. Finally, we help find training and development solutions that support learning and performance.
Bona Bame
In order to fully answer this question, I think it’s important to define what community wellbeing means to me. When I think of community wellbeing, I think of the combination of conditions that influence our ability to meet (or fall short of) both personal and professional goals. To help support this at the CVM, I try to engage in respectful dialogue, communicate frequently, and be as transparent as possible about any issues at hand.
When schedules are full and we seem to need to constantly shift from one important task to the next, our workload may fill more hours of the day and spill over into the weekend. We may feel like we can never catch up, but at the same time, desperately need a break. Having time away from work can actually make us more effective on the job by giving ourselves an opportunity to renew our minds and energy. It’s good to remember: there’s nothing productive about burnout!
It’s good to remind ourselves of practices that can help us keep healthy work-life boundaries, both for ourselves and for those with whom we live, work and learn.
Here are a few considerations to keep in mind.
Honor the Off-hours: As mentioned above, time away from work can help us actually perform better at our jobs – in the off-hours, we must allow time for the valuable and important work of rest and renewal to take place. Support a culture that protects everyone’s valuable off-hours by limiting communications outside of the normal workday. Whenever possible, try and avoid sending emails in the evening and on weekends by using tools such as the schedule send feature on Gmail. If you’re working late and the message isn’t urgent, you can check that email off your to-do list while respecting your colleague’s personal time by delaying the message’s arrival until they’re back in the office.
Meeting Mindfully: When schedules are busy, sometimes the only available meeting times are the 12:00 noon hour and at the end of the day. Be mindful when scheduling meetings during these times. If scheduling a meeting at noon, you may be asking folks to give up their chance to eat lunch in order to meet with you. If it’s ok for attendees to eat during the meeting, openly invite them to bring their lunches when scheduling. If the 4:00 or 5:00 hours are your only open time frames, be mindful of those who may have family obligations at those times. Try to avoid scheduling 4:00 or 5:00 meetings on Fridays, when folks might need the time to wrap up their work week and reflect on what’s needed for the week to come. Your participants may not be in a good frame of mind to meet at the very end of a busy week and will appreciate the consideration!
Empathy Everywhere: There’s hardly anyone who has come out of the last year unscathed. Whether navigating working from home while supervising children, feeling the emotional pain of racial injustice and political conflict, grieving a loss of a loved one in the midst of the pandemic, or experiencing feelings of uncertainty, disconnect, interruption and isolation, the past year has been a trying time for everyone. More than ever, this is a time to approach others with kindness and consideration of what they might be going through. Check in with colleagues you haven’t connected with in a while to let them know you’re thinking of them. If you feel comfortable doing so, share your experience and invite them to share theirs. Think about how you would like to be talked to and interacted with if you were in the other person’s position. Think about what grace and understanding you may need to offer as you navigate your work with each other. Check your assumptions and expectations – are they appropriate, given the circumstances? We never know what someone brings with them to work, but we can do our best to help each other thrive as best as possible during trying times.
Packing it up: If you’re working from home or perhaps have seen your workload increase onsite, the boundaries between our work life and our home life can become blurred in busy times. We might be missing the commute that gave us time to process the day and put physical distance between our day at work and our time at home. We may have a packed schedule that makes it harder to decompress and let go when the workday ends. Creating a routine or a ritual that marks the closing of the workday is a helpful way to signal to yourself that you’re leaving the workspace and entering the home space. This might look like packing up your work materials at the end of the day so they’re out of sight. It might be leaving the room, shutting off the lights and closing the door. It may be changing your outfit, taking a shower or putting on some music and doing a dance. It may even be simulating the distance a commute time provides by going for a walk at the end of each workday. Whatever method works best, consider adapting a closing ritual to help you pack up your workday so that you can enjoy time at home, and benefit from the rest and renewal you need and deserve.
cooling mats, short “pet parking” leashes to tie around the tables, pressure-activated cooling mats, and single-source protein treats (made in the USA). In the next week or so, we’ll have two outdoor bean bags for the human companions. All of it is self-serve, so everyone should feel free to borrow the amenities. So, if you’re looking for something listed above that you don’t see immediately on the patio, hook your dog leash to the patio table base and grab a bean bag from right inside, for example. Also, please let us know if there is something else you wish we had to make the patio a true “study with your buddy” spot. We’re open to feedback.
Recreation explains 
