Sources of pleasure in veterinary work: A qualitative study

Background: Despite the rise in positive psychology within organisational settings, less is known about the positive factors associated with veterinary work and veterinarian well‐being. This qualitative study investigated sources of pleasure for veterinarians. Method: A subset of archival data from a larger study on veterinary well‐being was analysed. The current study was based on data from 273 veterinarians responding to a Ten Statements Test (TST) and demographic questions. In the TST, participants provided up to 10 responses to the prompt, 'I derive pleasure in my work as a veterinarian when…'. Results: Using the job demands‐resources model as a framework, a total of 2536 responses were manually coded into themes relating to resources (positive responses) or demands (responses indicating a negative factor). In order of frequency, job resources are related to professional expertise (22%), positive outcomes (20%), job characteristics (19%), relationships (16%), recognition (10%), helping (7%) and personal resources (3%). Top job demands are related to stress and fatigue (17%) and poor work‐life balance (16%). Conclusion: The results suggest that there are an abundance of positive factors in veterinary work associated with feelings of pleasure, which may support veterinarian well‐being.