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The path to enlightenment is paved with lecture halls and PowerPoint presentations. Or we can try something different. In the end, we need to be engaged, excited and current.

The continuing education myth is the fallacy that attending CE events keeps veterinary professionals current with contemporary standards of practice. Remember when your professor told you that half of everything you learn today will be obsolete in five years? Man, was she right! Lifelong learners, that’s what we all aspire to be. In fact, we […]

The evolution of veterinary education and successful practice requires open-mindedness and a willingness to change. Universities, employers and students all have key roles to play.

The cries from longtime practitioners and from the lectern at last summer’s AVMA House of Delegates meeting cast light on a startling accusation: New and recent veterinary school graduates lack practice readiness. The fingers are being pointed at academia and the students themselves. But, we ask, is that fair? We believe that U.S. veterinary schools […]

The flourishing import market poses genuine health threats. Certifying large commercial U.S. breeders could be a worthwhile solution.

Mark the summer of 2019 as when the United States finally took seriously the issue of how many dogs, mainly puppies, were being allowed into the country illegally each year and the perilous condition of their health. To understand the situation, we need to step back and understand where we’ve been. A 2015 Moore Information […]

“A hospital that offers excellent mentorship and a positive practice culture is certainly a viable option for a first-year veterinarian like me even in the absence of room for advancement.”

Nearing the final stretch of my DVM program at Ross University — my January graduation date is fast approaching — I have been considering career opportunities and employment contracts more critically. As a soon-to-be new graduate, the job market is favorable, as veterinarians are in high demand in the United States and abroad. I am […]

Four-year programs? No. Blockchain technology? Yes. Income sharing? Perhaps. We have a lot to learn about education and how knowledge is shared and absorbed.

How can we better prepare the veterinary student of the future, and do it more cost-effectively? Let’s get provocative and toss out 10 ideas for consideration, debate, improvement and adoption. We’re ready for the tomatoes to be launched. We don’t claim to have all the answers. 1. Hybrid Distributive Model In this model, which is […]

Veterinary medicine is slowly becoming a female-dominated profession. The reasons are many. Having more role models and promoting the value of a college education are ways to draw males back in.

Every so often I field a call from a veterinarian inquiring about the declining numbers of men in the veterinary profession. These callers are mostly genuinely interested in the factors that have led to just under 20% of DVM students identifying as men. Occasionally, such calls devolve into suggestions that diversity programs have disadvantaged young […]

Make way, boomers and Gen Xers. Millennials and Generation Z are remaking how Americans view pets and veterinary care.

Every generation has its own approach to work and life. How these different groups interact with family, pets and lives are profoundly reshaping our world and professional landscape. This is particularly true of the generation I call PetGen. I define PetGen as the combination of millennials and Generation Z, or anyone under about age 38. […]

A “four eyes” approach to drug security and a well-publicized employee assistance program are two crucial steps your practice can take today to help prevent suicide.

Suicide in veterinary medicine is too big of a problem to ignore. At this point, almost all of us have stories of practice owners across town, technicians on weekend shifts and veterinarians we went to school with ending their lives. That’s a lot of loss to accept in any profession, much less one known for […]

Starting conversations about diversity and inclusion isn’t easy, but the payoff is well worth the time and effort.

Talking about diversity and inclusion is hard; it is uncomfortable sharing your innermost thoughts about how you see difference, what it means for you (or not) in day-to-day interactions, and how you think that might affect the way individuals move through the world. Talking about diversity sparks strong emotional responses around how we view fairness, […]

New York lawmakers approved the first statewide declaw ban and, along with New Jersey, is looking at imposing rules on groomers. Who’s next?

2019 is a watershed year for politics and the pet care industry. Issues that drew scant attention for decades have caught the public eye or, better yet, the eager eyes of politicians wanting to tap into the surge of interest in pets. New York and New Jersey are prime battlegrounds for the issues of declawing […]