VMAE’s signature program, the Power of Ten (P10), has expanded with four VMAs enrolling or graduating their first class. Congratulations to the Arkansas VMA, Kansas VMA, New York State VMS, and South Dakota VMA for joining 32 other VMAs that are deeply engaging and impacting recent veterinary graduates. Stephanie Quirini, communications director at the New York State VMS, commented about the successful launch of their P10 program, saying “I just wanted to share with you that NYSVMS graduated our first Power of 10 class last week (5 are pictured, 2 are...

The Veterinary Hospital Managers Association (VHMA) convened a critical issues summit in 2018 to address the question “How can veterinary practices adopt and implement more effective pricing approaches?” As an outcome of the summit, VHMA has released a white paper that can be downloaded for free. VALUE-BASED Strategic Pricing for Veterinary Practices introduces the core concepts, frameworks, and tools for pricing strategically in the veterinary services industry and is critical reading for any practice considering a new approach to pricing. The white paper addresses: Why strategic pricing is important for...

The Access to Veterinary Care Coalition (AVCC) has released their report, Access to Veterinary Care: Barriers, Current Practices, and Public Policy (available at http://avcc.utk.edu/avcc-report.pdf).  Michael J. Blackwell, DVM, MPH, FNAP, chairs the AVCC and provided the following comments about the issue and the report. “Through a generous grant from Maddie’s Fund®, the AVCC commissioned a national population study to better understand the barriers to veterinary care experienced by pet owners across the socioeconomic spectrum. The study also sought to understand the knowledge, attitudes, and practices veterinarians have regarding access to veterinary...

Brené Brown on Daring Leadership in the Workplace Dr. Brené Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston where she holds the Huffington Foundation - Brené Brown Endowed Chair at The Graduate College of Social Work.  She has spent the past two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy and is the author of five #1 New York Times bestsellers.  Her TED talk – The Power of Vulnerability – is one of the top five most viewed TED talks in the world.  Take a look here.   Are Your Learning Programs...

As a follow-up to information distributed yesterday to VMAE members about the Hill's Pet Nutrition recall of select canned dog food, VMAE is sharing two documents provided today by Hill's: A sample letter that Hill's has sent to their veterinary clients, and Appendices A (voluntary recall products) and B (voluntary withdrawal). The letter notes that "Both Hill's and the FDA encourage clinics to contact clients who have purchased recalled products, if they have the means to do so." The letter also provides contact information for consumer inquiries.  VMAE members seeking additional information...

VMAE was contacted today by Hill's Pet Nutrition with a request to distribute this notice to VMAE members for subsequent distribution to your VMA members.  The US Food and Drug Administration will be releasing information to the public, but in an effort to be proactive Hill's informed us of information already available on their website.  Click here to review the information; if you want to use the specific URL when providing this information to your members, it is https://www.hillspet.com/productlist....

VMAE’s signature program, the Power of Ten (P10), has expanded with three additional organizations having launched (or readying to launch) their leadership development program. VMAE congratulates and commends the Kansas Veterinary Medical Association, the New York State Veterinary Medical Society, and the South Dakota Veterinary Medical Association for their commitment to delivering this personal and professional development program focused on recent graduates. With the addition of these three VMAs a total of 35 organizations have launched P10 programs, demonstrating the exponential reach and impact of the P10 program. Ralph Johnson, CEO...

In his opening remarks at the 2018 AVMA Economic Summit, held October 23-24 in Rosemont, Illinois, Matt Salois, PhD and director of the AVMA Veterinary Economics Division, adroitly contrasted components of the economic ecosystem. “On one hand, the economy is growing – and growing at a very healthy rate; on the other hand, the amount of debt in the US is causing concern amongst economists. On one hand, the labor market is hot and in recovery from the 2008 recession; on the other hand, not everyone is benefitting from the...

VMAE is a Member Organization of the Pet Nutrition Alliance (PNA), which recently released its annual report to detail “new and innovative projects in 2018 to develop non-branded tools for the veterinary healthcare team that will help them and their clients make more objective decisions and nutrition recommendations for their patients.” PNA announced that its Manufacturer Information Project is well underway.  With the aid of veterinary students, PNA has requested information on key World Small Animal Veterinary Association recommendations (e.g. do they employ a nutritionist, do they have their own manufacturing...

Several resources for VMA executives have been added to the VMAE website: A one-hour webinar with Christopher O’Toole on the impactful and legal use of imagery in VMA communications – specifically, images to support your messaging about membership value. Two flyers sent by the Ontario VMA (and generously shared by their CEO, Doug Raven) instead of traditional letters, as part of their member recruitment process. These are excellent examples of tailored messaging for segmented audiences. Click on Member Recruitment Strategies for the flyers and “why they work” background. A board...