Dear VMAE Members: The pressures of the pandemic forced veterinary associations and their member hospitals to change how they conducted business. Association concerns heard during the VMAE | Fall Conference 2020 included how to drive association value, relevance and connectivity during COVID-19. Veterinary associations adapted how they defined and created value for their members, including remote continuing education and networking opportunities. While it is yet unknown which newer innovations adopted during the pandemic association members will expect to continue, what is clear is the need for resources to help veterinary hospitals thrive....

Greetings, colleagues – The message below was disseminated by AVMA to its members late on Friday, and is provided here for your reference and as a follow-up to my listserv post on Friday afternoon on the topic of veterinarians as vaccinators.  Thanks go to Dr. Ashley Morgan, AVMA’s director of the state advocacy division, for sharing this clear and helpful information – and additional thanks to AVMA for the successful effort to be afforded liability protection under the PREP Act.  Important details below. Cheers, Ralph The AVMA has been actively advocating at the federal...

Greetings, colleagues – AVMA and AAVMC have been working collaboratively over the past few days to put together a webinar next Thursday, to which VMAE members are invited.  You are also encouraged to share this information with those you believe will benefit from the content: Suicide prevention and mental health Thursday, March 18 – Noon to 2 PM Central time – Live webinar Save your seat now to join experts from the AVMA and the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) for a conversation about supporting mental health in the veterinary profession. This...

Greetings, colleagues - With enthusiasm and excitement I'm delighted to share that registration for VMAE | ThinkWORKS 2021 is now open! This edition of ThinkWORKS is about Harnessing the Power of the Pause. Our thought leader and facilitator is Mary Byers, CAE - whose brilliant mind and kind spirit will engage us in thoughtful foresight and planning to build stronger, more relevant and innovative organizations going forward. Mary will share insightful content, lead guided thought processes, provide a decision-making framework, and help you construct a 90-day post-event sprint. Plus you'll experience LightBox...

The last couple months have been energetic ones, thanks to you! From conferences to program launches and new member orientations to committee meetings, there’s been lots of terrific interaction and education. Take a look at this menu of offerings: VMAE On Demand In case you weren’t able to participate in a live session here’s an inventory of recent recordings that are available on demand: Leading Your Members Into the Next Normal – This virtual town hall was held on November 12 for VMA executives with Drs. Karen Felsted, Matt Salois, and Peter...

Greetings, colleagues – That subject line – Two Significant Dates – perhaps prompted you to think of upcoming holidays, and that’s good.  However, I’ve got two different dates in mind: January 7, 2021 – VMAE will be holding a virtual town hall from 4-5 PM Central time.  Typically at that time, we’d all have our scarves and mittens on in Chicago for the AVMA Veterinary Leadership Conference.  Since the VLC is necessarily virtual in 2021, so too will be the member gathering we typically hold during VLC.  We’ve picked a spot in...

Greetings, colleagues – VHMA and VMAE possess many characteristics in common, including the strategic commitment to help veterinary practices thrive.  As an expression of that commitment, VHMA and VMAE are collaborating to advance practice health by offering a third webinar series – New and Improved Pricing Strategies – that is free to your VMA and to your members.   Here’s the scoop: Of all the business decisions that a veterinary practice must make, those involving setting prices for products and services are among the most important and impactful ones. No other decision affects...

Three VMA executives were recognized with VMAE awards during the August 27, 2020 annual member meeting and awards celebration.  With the program delivered virtually, VMAE colleagues congratulated their peers’ achievements with a combination of waving hands, wild-looking though muted applause, and raised glasses!  VMAE | Awards 2020 recognized excellence on the part of these award recipients: Executive of the Year – Tim Atkinson, New York State Veterinary Medical Society Best in Business – Eric Boehm, El Paso Veterinary Medical Association Distinguished Service – Deloris Green Gaines You can read the award citations here, and...

During VMAE’s annual member meeting, held virtually on August 27, 2020, two significant matters were considered, and both were approved unanimously: Slate of nominees for officers and directors.  You can view the new Board of Directors here; their terms began at the conclusion of the annual member meeting.  VMAE congratulates each director on being elected to the board, and thanks them for their willingness to serve VMAE. Bylaws amendments.  You can view the newly approved version of the bylaws here, which incorporate various changes that were presented to members in digital form...