Leading veterinary organizations, including the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), agree that regular staff huddles can significantly enhance health and wellbeing for veterinary teams.
“Many veterinary teams—including those across the globally connected Mars Veterinary Health Network—already use huddles to check in with each other and coordinate care for the day, but they can also be a natural way to integrate wellbeing into your team culture,” said Lisa Stewart-Brown, Global Health & Wellbeing lead, Mars Veterinary Health. “Whether a mindfulness moment, movement exercise, sharing tips and resources, or asking questions to gauge how Associates are feeling, team huddles serve as an ideal setting to care for ourselves and each other, so we can better serve patients and clients.”
On World Mental Health Day today, Mars Veterinary Health published a free team huddle card resource for the profession to support veterinary mental health and foster a culture of safety for veterinary teams.
Our new Mental Health Awareness Huddle Card is available as a free downloadable PDF, and veterinary professionals are encouraged to leverage the resource and its content to integrate wellbeing into team huddles. It focuses on three areas:
- Recognition & appreciation
- Reducing stress & confusion
- Promoting wellbeing through self-care & resources
Download the Mental Health Awareness Huddle Card
In addition to fostering collaboration, focused huddles can encourage quick problem-solving, help prevent burnout, improve morale, and promote a psychologically safe environment where team members feel heard and valued.
Huddle cards provide structured prompts that can be used during team meetings to help guide discussions, encourage participation, and keep the team focused. They can include questions, reminders, and conversation starters tailored to specific goals—like celebrating wins, addressing challenges, or reinforcing key topics.
Over time, this can contribute to a healthier team culture and better patient outcomes, which ultimately advance our Purpose: A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS.
Visit marsveterinary.com/wellbeing to learn more.
