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5 Reasons to Attend Veterinary Conferences – Especially if They are in Your Own Backyard

Written by Veterinary Education Today on . Posted in Featured.

If you are anything like me, I am inundated with offers to attend veterinary conferences across the globe. And all of them seem to offer some great and interesting features and benefits for sure. But they are literally across the globe.  Why not consider something a little closer to home?

Conferences are an essential part of the veterinary profession, but with staff shortages, escalating prices, and a very busy schedule, it’s no wonder that many of you put off attending any conferences.  This, however, should not deter you, there are countless great reasons to attend a conference! Here are just 5 ways conferences can change your life. I’ve been doing a bit of a dive into the various benefits of conferences that I could share with the VET community and found some interesting benefits from ConferenceMonkey.org.  I’d like to paraphrase a few of these with you.   

Get to know, personally, the other people in your field.

Networking is very important for job hunting, obviously, but having a big network, benefits you in other ways too. Maybe you will need advice from an expert in another field, or you will want to ask a veterinary supplier about new technologies and industry updates. This is easier when you have a network to reach out to. It’s also helpful to have support from people who are at a similar stage in their careers to you and can empathize with the problems and struggles which you go through at work.

Hear about the latest research

If you want to know about the very latest findings in your field before they are even published in journals, then a conference is the place to be. Many researchers will present preliminary findings at a conference, or work which has not yet been published. These ideas can be great inspiration for your own quest for knowledge.

Visit a new place and have fun

Finally, it shouldn’t be overlooked that attending a conference is good fun! Although a conference is unequivocally a work event more than a leisure one, it can still be enjoyable. Travelling to a new place is a big part of the appeal of a conference, meaning that you get to see a different city, eat new food, and see some local landmarks or tourist attractions. You might even try out learning a little bit of a new language.

You’ll also have the chance to attend social functions as part of a conference, such as dinners, trips, or parties. With the opportunity to meet other veterinary professionals with similar interests to you, you can enjoy the company of others and you might even make some good friends.

Quality CE

Sure, you can jump on a webinar and listen to a lecture online, but it doesn’t have the same effect as a live, energetic, and passionate lecture. Make your notes, ask your questions, and hear what others are asking as well.

Trade Show floor

This is a time where you can explore the latest and greatest, the newest solutions and techniques and perhaps even negotiate better prices with existing suppliers.  This is a great time to re-evaluate inventory and equipment in your clinic. Research potential new equipment purchases, explore your options in finance, leasing or buying? Look into succession planning and look for potential new employees. 

As a Canadian veterinary professional, attending the Veterinary Education Today conference & medical exposition promises to meet these expectations and more. With 36 hours of RACE-approved CE, you can be sure that we have carefully curated the program and selected the best of the best speakers.

Join us at our networking reception, sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim. It promises to be an excellent way to meet and greet old acquaintances and new friends.

Advantage of your own backyard

Yes, whether you’re in Toronto or across Canada, the VET Conference is completely accessible. Minutes from Pearson International Airport, GO Transit, Major highways and free parking, makes VET an inexpensive, quality and fun event.

We hope to see you there!  For details on the VET conference please refer to www.VeterinarEducationToday.ca/Toronto 

2023 Practice Management Wish List

Written by Mike Pownall on . Posted in Blog.

What would make managing a veterinary practice in 2023 easier than it was 2022? Between running my own practices and helping others with theirs this has been a question I have been asking myself constantly. I guess what I am looking for is a 2023 veterinary practice management wish list.

The first is have less people get sick. Recent weeks have been brutal staffing practices with so many people off sick, getting sick again or staying home caring for sick family members. Covid keeps reminding us it isn’t gone yet and all the other viruses we kept at bay by wearing masks and keeping our distance are wanting some attention too.

Less inflation with lower interest rates would be my next wish. I’m not so worried about the impact of them on the day-to-day operations of our practices, but it is really affecting those that work with us, especially in urban areas where the cost of housing makes renting or recent mortgages so expensive. The strain on our staff is worrying when the price of a head of lettuce makes having a simple salad an extravagant treat.

Finally, I wish that some clients would remember their manners and what it takes to be par of a civil society. It is so upsetting that after all the messaging about the high veterinary suicide rate and vets and support staff leaving the profession some people still act like ogres. I’m tired of firing clients to protect my staff, but I’m glad our practices act to protect our staff at the expense of a little extra revenue. Staff comes first.

Some of the above we can’t control, so the best we can do is support our staff. Pay them as well as we can, don’t expect them to work when sick and not tolerating nasty clients can go a long way in taking the edge off of some of the larger challenges we face.

Here is to great health and happiness in 2023.

Staffing Up in 2023

Written by Mike Pownall on . Posted in Blog.

2022 has been called the year of The Shrinking Veterinary Practice. I don’t know one practice owner who hasn’t complained about losing a veterinarian or key support staff this year.

When we meet at veterinary conferences or meetings, we lament that we cannot attract new staff while wishing more of our veterinary colleges would quickly increase enrollment.

Rarely, do we step back and accept that while we have a problem attracting people to the veterinary profession, our bigger challenge is that we have a retention problem.

If we didn’t lose people, we wouldn’t need to replace them. Consider it a somewhat preventable disease.

So how do we prevent people leaving our practices?

The answer is simple, the challenge is getting there.

We need to create a business culture that encourages high employee engagement and develops emotional commitment. Employees with these traits go the extra mile and take ownership.  They are no longer a number and feel the success of the practice is their own.

How do we do this? Develop internal customer service.  Our employees become our first customer.  We bend over backwards to take care of our pet owner clients, and our employees should be given the same consideration.

Just like we have loyal clients that return year by year and tell their friends and family about our amazing veterinary practice that takes such great care of them and their pets, we should try to cultivate the same goodwill with our staff.

Loyal clients visit often and brag about the amazing service they receive from your practice.  We should try to cultivate the same goodwill with our staff. Employees come first. Without them we don’t have a business. Without them we can’t take care of our clients and their pets.

If your staff are happy and engaged, they will go the extra mile.  This sense of ownership develops loyalty, and it will take a lot for them to think of leaving.