VMAE’s strategic framework calls for the formation of several work groups to advance the action plan, and VMAE members are invited to indicate interest in being appointed to serve on a work group.  The Board of Directors has approved a Role and Responsibilities document for each work group, which also contains information about the composition of the work group; these documents are available for review by following these links: Member Engagement Committee Practice Health Committee Succession Planning Task Force Wellbeing, Diversity and Inclusion Committee If you are interested in serving, please...

In-person opportunities to network with peers are coupled with professional development sessions at VMAE conferences, including the issue-oriented and future-focused learning that occurs at ThinkWORKS – which in 2020 is focused on “Reimagining the Veterinary Medical Association” to help VMAs face a challenging future by considering trends, impacts and solutions. ThinkWORKS will be held March 26-28, 2020 in Savannah, GA at the Kimpton Brice Hotel and will feature Dean West – a nationally recognized expert in association management and a Fellow of the American Society of Association Executives – delivering daily...

A joint commission created by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) has released a report identifying emerging trends that will affect the veterinary profession during the next generation, providing insights that may be used to adapt to the profession’s changing environment. “The Future of Veterinary Medicine,” produced by the AVMA and AAVMC’s Veterinary Futures Commission, was published following four face-to-face working sessions and more than a year and a half of research and investigation by the commission’s members, composed of experts from...

The Pet Nutrition Alliance (PNA) announced the annual update on its resource that helps veterinary healthcare teams make more informed decisions when recommending pet food for their patients. This new tool Dare to Ask: We Did! was created by compiling information about pet food manufacturers. With thousands of choices of pet foods, it is confusing for pet owners and the veterinary healthcare team to make informed decisions about the best pet food for an individual pet. Surveys show that practitioners are overwhelmed with the volume of food choices available and feel...

AVMA convened the seventh annual economic summit October 23-24 just outside Chicago.  Industry leaders, economics experts, educators, practitioners, and others (including yours truly!) gathered for an in-depth look at issues impacting the financial health of veterinarians and the veterinary profession.  JAVMA News in the December 15, 2019 issue contains extensive coverage of the key topics and take-aways from the summit: Why they buy: Making sense of client spending – Consumer behavior explored at AVMA Economic Summit Understanding, enticing pet owner spending – Veterinarians can take a larger portion of the...

The American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF) has awarded Claire Holley, Executive Director of the North Carolina Veterinary Medical Association, with the AVMF "PAWS UP" award. The award is given to an individual or organization in recognition of exemplary actions in support of AVMF's programs and mission.  Read more >...

Goodnewsforpets.com, launched by VMAE Affiliate member Lea-Ann Germinder in 2000, is celebrating its 20th anniversary.  It combines an award-winning website and social media channels to curate news of interest and importance to pet owners, veterinary professionals and the pet industry.  It is celebrating by highlighting organizations and innovative leaders that were part of Goodnewsforpets and made a difference in veterinary medicine and the pet world; a consumer contest will be features in February....

MemberSuite has released a new infographic identifying the top six member “wants” – and the first four correlate to value proposition statements identified by the VMAE Marketing Task Force (see VMAE’s website resource Starting the Conversation).  The top four?  #1.  Relationships.  #2.  Community.  #3.  Information.  #4.  Knowledge.  You can download the infographic here....

The American Veterinary Medical Association, American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) and Zoetis teamed up to present the 2019 Veterinary Wellbeing Summit, "Putting the WE in Wellbeing,” Nov. 16-19 in Rosemont, Illinois.  Veterinary Debt Initiative (VDI) leadership was on hand to educate attendees on the wide-ranging importance of addressing educational debt— from the wellbeing of individual veterinarians to the viability of the profession itself. The VDI session “The Collaborative Approach to the Veterinary Debt Initiative,” outlined the VDI’s strategy for addressing this issue as well as multitude of debt-related...

Malinda Larkin of JAVMA News summarized the comprehensive results from the AVMA survey of the 2019 graduating class presented by Dr. Bridgette Bain, AVMA Associate Director of Analytics. Financial planner Isaiah Douglass summarized his key learnings from the AVMA Economic Summit in the Oct. 31 blog post “AVMA Economic Summit-Takeaways” and “The Veterinarian Success” podcast Episode 21, “Disability Insurance 101 & AVMA Economic Summit Review." Amy Snyder, Amanda Bates, and Andrew Rotz shared their highlights from the 2019 AVMA Economic Summit in the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine podcast Season 2, Episode 10....