The Critical Issues in Veterinary Association Leadership workshop, held in Chicago on January 9, 2020 immediately preceding the AVMA Veterinary Leadership Conference, was a collaborative offering of AVMA and VMAE.  Facilitated by Glenn Tecker, the workshop attracted 108 VMA presidents, presidents-elect, and executive directors from more than 40 VMAs who desired to deepen their alignment and communication as leadership partners in those VMAs. The workshop was a success in multiple dimensions: Demonstrating collaboration between AVMA and VMAE to the broader professional community Symbolizing the joint commitment between AVMA and VMAE to...

The Veterinary Hospital Managers Association (VHMA) and VMAE are pleased to announce Courageous Conversations as part two of a new three-part webinar series on Defining and Developing Your Dream Team.  The practice-building webinars are available free of charge to your members, and VHMA will issue a one (1) hour continuing education certificate to the attendee for each session. Practice owners, managers, or supervisors can use the resources to initiate professional, appropriate, constructive conversations with team members that inspire, engage, and are well received. Understanding the importance of quality interpersonal communication is key for...

The third Thursday of each month – from 12:05 to 12:55 PM Mountain time – you’ll find VMAE members connected to VMAE | Live! sessions.  The live webinars connect VMAE’s special network for input, insight and inspiration while exploring association management and professional issue topics.  If you can’t make the live webinar, each session is recorded and placed in the webinar archive for your on-demand listening (see Previously Recorded Webinars at the bottom of this website page). Next Thursday (February 20) VMAE | Live! will feature two individuals possessing lots of...

VMAE members, volunteers, and staff were active and visible during the AVMA Veterinary Leadership Conference in January.  Here’s a sampling: Issues in Vet Med track – The educational debt playbook (see item above) was featured during the session “Beyond Dollars and Cents: Leadership in Student Debt Strategies” with playbook information and case studies presented by Candace Joy, Jack Advent and Ralph Johnson. The session also included presentations by AVMA and AAVMC, who along with VMAE co-lead the Veterinary Debt Initiative. Hot Topics track – “Time Consumption for YOU – How...

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 >...