Australian veterinarians who work with horses: attitudes to work and career

Objective To describe the attitudes to their work and career of those Australian veterinarians who work with horses. Method Questionnaires were mailed to 866 veterinarians who had been identified as working with horses, and 87% were completed and returned. Data were entered onto Excel spreadsheets, and analysed using the SAS System for Windows. Results The main attractions of veterinary work with horses were the horses themselves and the equine industries, but working outdoors and with rewarding clients, and the satisfaction of successful outcomes were attractions for many. The list of disadvantages was longer, and included unreasonable and disagreeable clients as well as those who provided inadequate facilities, could not control their horses or did not care for them. The physical demands and risks of injury, the amount of time required, low rates of return and difficulties in collecting payment, were other major disadvantages. Some mentioned concerns about litigation, unethical behaviour, and recruiting and retaining veterinarians competent with horses. For many in mixed practice, the difficulties in affording modern equipment, and of developing and maintaining their own competence with horses, was a real concern. More than three-quarters of the respondents reported that their careers had lived up to expectations and that they would become veterinarians again; 70% of equine veterinarians would become an equine veterinarian again. Almost all (93%) of the respondents were either very glad, or 'generally glad though with some misgivings' that they had done the veterinary course. Older veterinarians reported suffering less stress, and being more content with their career, than younger colleagues. Conclusions The advantages of doing veterinary work with horses outweigh the disadvantages for most veterinarians, especially those well advanced in their careers.

Not if but when: Out-group reactions to the timing of disclosure of an individual's same-sex attractions

One factor that research suggests impedes positive contact between outgroup members is the experience of anxiety that can occur when anticipating negative consequences of such interactions. Research examining attitudes and behaviour towards same-sex attracted individuals indicates that this intergroup anxiety is particularly evident when the anticipated interaction involves members of the same gender. The current studies investigate the effect of timing of disclosure of a person’s same-sex attractions in an effort to identify a means of reducing this anxiety. Study 1 uses a hypothetical scenario to gain insight into participants’ stated preferences for early or delayed knowledge of a person’s sexual orientation. Results reveal an association between experiencing close contact with gay individuals of the same gender in real life (but not opposite gender), and a preference for early disclosure. Results from an experimental study concur with these findings. After a face-to-face interaction task with a confederate of the same gender, participants sit further from the confederate for the late disclosure condition when compared with the early disclosure and no disclosure control. Future studies investigating the interaction between timing of disclosure of same-sex attractions and the intimacy of disclosure (casual vs. intimate), are discussed.