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Dr. Jack O’Mara, President
Pro-Tem, MVMA delivered this message to the Class of 2011
during the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary
Medicine’s White Coat Ceremony at Virginia Tech University
on August 17, 2007.
Thank you. It is an honor to represent the Maryland
Veterinary Medical Association on this occasion and on their
behalf I extend congratulations to you on selecting
veterinary medicine as a career and welcome you at the
outset of four exciting years in the College of Veterinary
Medicine. This will be an opportunity for hard work, hard
play and forming friendships that will last a lifetime.
In a setting such as this, there is an urge to offer helpful
advice. Allow me a few minutes to share some observations.
In fours years you will have taken the veterinary oath. You
will be a veterinarian and a member of a profession. As a
member there will be an added responsibility to participate
in and contribute to the future of veterinary medicine. From
the beginning you will be called on to be engaged and it
will when there is serious competition for your time. The
inclination will be to let someone else do it. I make this
point because in the recent past, new graduates have not
stepped up and participated in organized veterinary
medicine. The reasons are the subject of conversation and
speculation, but facts are facts, resulting in a leadership
vacuum that continues to grow as we speak.
With your indulgence, I would like to take a few moments to
highlight some of the issues that you will be facing upon
graduation.
We all understand, but perhaps do not fully appreciate that
one of the constants in life is that most everything
changes. Veterinary medicine is no different, however some
will argue that we are slow or resistant to change. Each
generation has its own set of challenges, your generation
will be no different. There are skeptics among us who
speculate as to whether your generation has the gumption to
tackle this challenges. Some members of the psychiatric
community suggest your generation suffers from the malady
they identify as the entitlement epidemic. Symptoms include
the need to be constantly reassured, and a reticence to
accept responsibility for your behavior. I suggest two
characteristics critical to problem solving. I cannot
testify as to the validity of this concern, but to the
extent it is true, it casts some doubt on your generation’s
ability to work through with lies ahead.
Veterinary medicine at this point in its history faces
enormous structural challenges. I’d like to mention a few.
For some time now the profession has been extending its
influence beyond its traditional boundaries. Just in the
past year, Dr. Roger Mahr, immediate past president of the
AVMA, introduced the principle of “one world, one health”.
This policy advocates closer ties between human and
veterinary medicine. As a result of its implementation there
will be more educational and research collaboration between
the two professions to aid in the assessment, treatment, and
prevention of cross-species disease transmission. It is my
belief that in four years, at least half of your will
consider opportunities outside veterinary practice. You will
find that education, public health, biomedical research, or
public policy are areas that present interesting career
prospects.
On the other hand, those that select practice will find
change is the order of the day. There are many variables
currently in play that are changing the mechanics in the
delivery of high quality medicine. Just to name a few -
economic constraints, workforce dynamics along with the
steady consumer demands on the delivery of a high level of
clinical care. These forces will eventually put the one to
two veterinarian practice in the uncomfortable position of
struggling economically just to stay alive. A small practice
is constrained by the lack of flexibility with personal,
both professional and paraprofessional, and its ability to
justify the expense of sophisticated diagnostic equipment.
As you graduate and start in practice, it is more likely you
will be housed in a large veterinary hospital, staffed by a
dozen or more veterinarians. You will be working as part of
a team and will benefit developing teamwork skills in the
next four years. Your employers will likely be a large
corporation or a practice owned by many veterinarians as
stockholders.
No matter what you elect to do, today’s culture places heavy
demands on one’s time. Time management is imperative, not
just a good idea. Efficient time management will be critical
in your job productivity, personal life and ultimately
success in life. All professions are experiencing the gender
shift and its is an issue that we have to adjust to. The
AVMA has data showing that by 2012, 85% of the veterinary
workforce will be women. In my view, veterinary medicine has
not met this problem aggressively, presumably hoping that it
will eventually solve itself. While balancing professional
and personal responsibilities falls on both genders,
arguably the level of difficulty might be greater for women,
particularly for those of you planning to have a family.
These changes have created a conflict within the traditional
workforce structure of a veterinary practice struggling to
accommodate these demands consistent with the delivery of
quality clinical care. You will have to willing to be
creative and realistic in developing solutions.
As I bring this to an end, I’ll leave you with three
suggestions for your consideration, that will help in the
years ahead. Mentor ship, communication, and balance.
1. Seek out a mentor. I benefitted from the friendship of
two mentors. An invaluable experience. I also have had the
privilege of being a mentor to at least a half a dozen
veterinarians. Mentor ship is a win-win.
2. Communication. Regardless of tools available, electronic
and otherwise, the successful relationship in this world are
person to person. Personal networking is fundamental. I saw
on the Maryland State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners
for ten years. For those you not familiar with the function
of state boards, they serve as a licensing and regulatory
body in each state. They are the recipient of consumer
complaints brought against veterinary practitioners for
alleged misconduct. The point is, about 50% of complaints
are directly related to a communication breakdown between
the client and the veterinarian. We have to learn the skill
of maintaining a professional demeanor in the conduct of
clients relations. This is a no brainer.
3. Balance. Work on skills of time management. Decide what
is most important in your life and divide your time
accordingly. Simple in theory, but difficult to apply.
You have chosen a profession that will offer you advantages
and exceptional challenges. Remember you do not stand alone
and will be sharing with your colleagues the duty to
contribute to veterinary medicine’s future. Thank you and
good luck!. |
