The RCVS Mind Matters Initiative is sponsoring an upcoming webinar that will look at how veterinary students can look after their mental wellbeing during the ongoing pandemic.
The one-hour ‘Calm in the Corona’ webinar will take place between 11am and 12pm on Saturday 25 April and is being led by the VetKind team, a collaboration between the Association of Veterinary Students of UK and Ireland and SkillsTree Training.
It is being supported by Mind Matters, an initiative funded and run by the RCVS.
The session will examine common responses to uncertainty during the pandemic, with an emphasis on how to recognise and nurture “more adaptive or helpful responses that do not lead to heightened anxiety or distress”.
Key topics will include creating routines, setting boundaries and how to seek social support despite quarantine measures.
The webinar will reportedly build on the interactive approach from previous VetKind conferences, as students will be invited to share their coronavirus experiences, ideas and successes with their colleagues.
Jenny Moffett, managing director of SkillsTree and VetKind facilitator, said: “Although we’re all talking about social distancing right now, it’s more accurate to think of it as physical distancing.
“Social support is more important than ever, and webinars can be a really effective way to connect, and work together on a common challenge.”
He added: “We know that many students may be facing heightened stress and anxiety right now as they worry about the impact the pandemic may have on their own and their family’s health, their education, their finances, their housing and so on.
“We hope that this webinar will provide some effective coping strategies and an opportunity to share fears and worries and find constructive solutions to them.”
