Source 1:

• Stack, Steven. “Occupation and Suicide.” Social Science Quarterly, vol. 82, no. 2, 2001, pp. 384–396. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/42955727.
• Stack discusses four main influences on suicide in various occupations such as demographics, internal occupation stress, psychiatric morbidity, and occupations. Dr. Stack is a professor at Wayne State University, has a research interest in suicide and violence, and has written hundreds of articles, chapters, and books. I chose this source because the article explains why certain occupations, especially in the medical field, may be at a higher risk for suicide which is important for my research paper. The article was written in 2001 and is likely no longer relevant due to its age. I found this source in JSTOR, a database that Ohio State has purchased. I remembered using JSTOR in high school and that JSTOR was very helpful in finding scholarly works. I searched Google for JSTOR, logged into my OSU account, and searched keywords related to my topic.

Source 2:

• Chan, Kenny K., et al. “Understanding Financially Stressed Millennials’ Hesitancy to Seek Help: Implications for Organizations.” Journal of Financial Education, vol. 43, no. 1, 2017, pp. 141–160. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/90018423.
• This source discusses how financial situations affect Millenials in academics and mental health. Chan, Lassu, and Huang are all faculty at the California State University. Huang works in the Finance and Marketing department. I chose this topic because the article relates to one of my arguments on financial stress. Yes, this article covers a relevant time period because the article talks about millennials which is the generation before my generation. The article was written in 2017. I found this source in JSTOR, a database that Ohio State has purchased. I remembered using JSTOR in high school and that JSTOR was very helpful in finding scholarly works. I searched Google for JSTOR, logged into my OSU account, and searched keywords related to my topic.

Source 3:

• Hess, Laurie, et al. “You Think You Want to Be a Veterinarian: What You Wish You Had Known Then That You Know Now.” Journal of Avian Medicine and Surgery, vol. 26, no. 2, 2012, pp. 111–114. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41682469.
• This source interviews students/recent graduates of veterinary school and asks them varying questions about the stresses they experience, whether they feel the veterinarian field was a good choice, and if they would recommend veterinary medicine. These authors are experts because they are recent graduates of Veterinary School. They can speak with confidence about their situations, their feelings, and their opinions. I chose this source because veterinary students are the ones mostly experiencing the financial stress of school. Multiple perspectives for each situation is also helpful. This article was published in 2012 so it is still relevant. Tuition has increased, but the stress experienced from school remains. I found this source in JSTOR, a database that Ohio State has purchased. I remembered using JSTOR in high school and that JSTOR was very helpful in finding scholarly works. I searched Google for JSTOR, logged into my OSU account, and searched keywords related to my topic.

Source 4:

• Holland, Donna. “COLLEGE STUDENT STRESS AND MENTAL HEALTH: EXAMINATION OF STIGMATIC VIEWS ON MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING.” Michigan Sociological Review, vol. 30, 2016, pp. 16–43. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/43940346.
• This source discusses higher education students’ mental health, their willingness to use counseling services, and the students’ thoughts on counseling services. Holland has a Ph.D.  and is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Purdue University. I chose this source because I may be able to use the information in this article on my academic stress argument. This article was written in 2016 so it is still relevant. I found this source in JSTOR, a database that Ohio State has purchased. I remembered using JSTOR in high school and that JSTOR was very helpful in finding scholarly works. I searched Google for JSTOR, logged into my OSU account, and searched keywords related to my topic

My current thesis so far is, “Veterinarians face a high suicide rate when compared to the general public due to the stresses they experience in their profession. In order to help vet students and veterinarians changes in their support systems need to be made.”

1. Do you feel that veterinary school is too stressful on students?
   • “Undergrad, yes. I am unsure about graduate school. From veterinary school students that I have talked to, you do not have time for a social life because you’re studying all the time and won’t contact families for weeks at a time”
2. Do you think changing the length of veterinary school could help reduce stress? (ex. from 4 years to 5 years)
   • “Maybe. Then you have a whole year of extra loans and debt. You shouldn’t have to learn about small and large animals. You should just work with what you want to specialize in. That would reduce stress. The first two years of vet school is small animal and you do not get to specialize until your 3rd or 4th year in vet school.”
3. Do you think there is any way to reduce the stress experienced by the debt gained while in school?
   • “Try to think you’ll be making money and get a job once you’re out of school and stay positive.”
4. Why do you think veterinarians have a high suicide rate?
   • “Veterinarians are misunderstood by society in thinking that vets don’t want to help the pets, and that they just want the money. They went through years if school to help the pets.”
5. Do you have any ideas on what could be changed to help veterinary students?
   • “Good support system. You need a lot of positive people around you. You need someone to pick you up when you’re down because school is hard.”
6. Why do you think veterinarians feel suicide is the best option?
   • “I wouldn’t say it’s the ‘best’ option. They feel really stuck and misunderstood. Isolated. The weight and pressure on their shoulders gets really tough.”
7. Why do you think veterinarians have high suicide rates when compared to the general public?
   • “Students loans. Misconceptions of society. Tolls in the field. Death and mistreatment of animals. There’s a lot of reasons. The list feels never-ending.”
8. Was it surprising to learn that veterinarians have a high suicide rate?
   • “At first, yes. You expect [veterinarians] to enjoy their jobs. Once you’re in the profession you can understand why veterinarians have a high suicide rate.”
9. Is too much expected from kids while in college? (ex. hard classes, volunteering, leadership, activities, clubs, homework, studying, work?)
   • “Yes. It’s a lot to handle on top of having good mental health, and be a person and enjoy your life. On top of trying to meet the requirements as it’s really stressful.”
10. Do you think anything can be changed to help veterinarians already in the field that are struggling?
    • “Society could be more sensible and educated. Veterinarians do not just want your money, and they do want to help your animals. They’d be more thankful for what veterinarians do.”

My expert is Maria DiFrancesco. Maria is an older student here at Ohio State and is the same major as I am. Her aunt is a veterinarian and she is currently a vet’s assistant so she knows a lot about the industry!

I can use the information Beth brought to the class by applying the information she presented by researching in a better manner. I was not aware of all the different types of sources and reasons why authors write their papers. Now that I understand the differences, I can hopefully better identify sources that will be useful for my future papers and projects. Before, I did not know that librarians could be approached to ask for help while researching. Now I will feel more comfortable asking for help when I need it. I also did not realize there were so many steps to the research process, and now I can better evaluate where I am in the process. I will be able to make plans about what I want to accomplish when I am at the library.

1. Do you feel that veterinary school is too stressful on students?

2. Do you think changing the length of veterinary school could help reduce stress? (ex. from 4 years to 5 years)

3. Do you think there is any way to reduce the stress experienced by the debt gained while in school?

4. Why do you think veterinarians have a high suicide rate?

5. Do you have any ideas on what could be changed to help veterinary students?

6. Why do you think veterinarians feel suicide is the best option?

7. Why do you think veterinarians have high suicide rates when compared to the general public?

8. Was it surprising to learn that veterinarians have a high suicide rate?

9. Is too much expected from kids while in college? (ex. hard classes, volunteering, leadership, activities, clubs, homework, studying, work?)

10. Do you think anything can be changed to help veterinarians already in the field that are struggling?

Here are some sources I used to gather some background knowledge on my topic:

1. David Leffler, Washington Post, “Suicides Among Veterinarians Become a Growing Problem” https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/suicides-among-veterinarians-has-become-a-growing-problem/2019/01/18/0f58df7a-f35b-11e8-80d0-f7e1948d55f4_story.html
2. Melissa Chan. Time, “Veterinarians Face Unique Issues That Make Suicide One of the Profession’s Big Worries” https://time.com/5670965/veterinarian-suicide-help/
3. Malinda Larkin, American Veterinary Medical Association, “Suicide Trend in the Profession Stretches Back Decades” https://www.avma.org/News/JAVMANews/Pages/180615c.aspx

I have a few ideas of the experts I might want to interview if they are willing:

1. Dr. Grum
2. Dr. Altizer
3. Dr. DiFrancesco
4. Dr. Stoner
5. An older animal science major student in my chemistry class

My current topic idea for the research paper is “Why do veterinarians and vet students have a higher suicide rate than the general public? What can be done to help vet students and veterinarians already in the field?” This is a topic that relates to my major,  is problem-based, and I can come to a conclusion about it.