education l BUSINESS GUIDES l MVMA NEWS

Annapolis to Host MVMA's Winter Conference January 13

6 CE Credits • Doubletree Annapolis Hotel • Annapolis, MD

MVMA’s 2011 Winter Conference will be held January 13 at the Doubletree Annapolis Hotel in Annapolis, Maryland. The conference offers six CE credits and focuses on four topics from speakers Celeste Clements, DVM, DACVIM and Lisa Paull, DVM, DACVIM. Clements will discuss Advances in Diagnosing and Treating Canine Pancreatitis, and Answers to Your Most Common Internal Medicine Questions. Paull will cover A Case-Based Approach to Feline Anemia, and Feline Pancreatitis: Advances in Diagnosis and Management..
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Ski Seminar Heads Back to Telluride, Colorado
March 29 - April 2, 2011 • Camel's Garden Hotel • Telluride, Colorado

MVMA’s 2011 Ski Seminar will be held March 29-April 2 at the Camel's Garden Hotel in Telluride, Colorado. The seminar will feature 18 CE credits along with spectacular Colorado skiing and scenery. Session times will be 7:15 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m., leaving the time in between to enjoy Telluride.  REGISTER ONLINE TODAY

FROM THE LEADERSHIP

Bright Prospects for 2011
by John A. Kable, DVM - MVMA President

I hope winter finds you and your families well. Traditionally at this time of year we slow down a little to enjoy the holiday season and to take stock of our blessings. 2010 has been a year of transition for most of us. Economic challenges face all of us in our personal and business pursuits. Uncertainty prevails as we look to the future. It is an opportune time to evaluate where we have been, where we are, and where we are headed into the New Year. DETAILS

Strategic Planning Committee Refocuses MVMA's Mission
by Tom Armitage, DVM - MVMA President-Elect

On a very warm Saturday and Sunday this past July a heterogeneous group of association members and a very generous and patient moderator, Jason Canapp, donated a summer’s weekend for the purpose of redefining our association’s mission, values, goals and future direction. An underlying key focus was to increase the value of membership as we reach out to the wide diversity of veterinary medicine in our State. DETAILS

EDUCATION

News from the Center for Public and Corporate Veterinary Medicine

Greetings from the College Park campus of the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine (VMRCVM)! We have been busy working on expansion of the center to meet the goals of increasing the national and international visibility of the center, and increasing opportunities and experiences for veterinary students.  DETAILS

Training Veterinarians for Careers in the Federal Government

There are more than 3,000 veterinarians working in the Federal government, not including federal meat inspectors. In 2009 the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of the Congress, issued a report stating that government lacks a comprehensive understanding of its veterinarian workforce needed to ensure sufficient capacity for protecting public and animal health. One of the primary objectives of the Center for Public and Corporate Veterinary Medicine (CPCVM) is to prepare veterinarians for careers in government, that is, public veterinary practice. DETAILS

Surgery by the Book

When you hear the words “veterinary surgery,” what do you think of? Most of us conjure up images of spays, neuters, and exploratories. However, when the Maryland State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners (SBVME) thinks of veterinary surgery, several other issues also come to mind. There are several regulations that specifically address the facilities that we, as veterinarians, use when performing surgery. Our state regulations require that, “If surgery is performed, appropriate facilities and equipment shall be provided and the operating area shall be run in accordance with accepted surgical practice.” On a day-to-day basis, this means that surgery should be conducted with care and attention to detail. DETAILS

NAVMEC Seeks Your Input

MVMA members are invited to comment on the draft final NAVMEC report and recommendations, “Roadmap for Veterinary Medical Education in the 21st Century: Responsive, Collaborative, Flexible.”  DETAILS

American Board of Veterinary Specialties Considers Two New Members

The ABVS is reviewing the petitions of two groups seeking their recognition: The American College of Animal Welfare (ACAW) and the Specialty of Parasitology within the American College of Veterinary Microbiologists (ACVM). The ABVS will consider the relevance and importance of these groups to the enhancement of veterinary medicine, as well as the integrity and suitability of the training and certification procedures for the group. They will solicit opinions from the general membership of the AVMA and from allied specialties, colleges and experts, amongst others, in a formal evaluation process that may take years for completion.  DETAILS

VMRCVM to Conduct Interviews for Class of 2015 in January

The Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine will conduct interviews for the Class of 2015 on January 27, 28 and 29. The college anticipates interviewing 275 students for 95 positions. All of our candidates will be interviewed on the main campus at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.

The Multiple Mini Interview process, which was implemented last year, is a structured, objective process that assesses the non-clinical skills that prospective students should possess, such as communication, critical thinking, problem solving and ethical judgment. These skills, along with a strong academic standing, are predictors of how successful our students will be during their academic training but also during their professional lives after graduation. We are able to interview all candidates in a two-day period using faculty, staff, community members and practitioners as facilitators.

If you would like to learn more about our interview process or would like to participate as a facilitator, please contact Dr. Jacque Pelzer, Director of Admissions at jpelzer@vt.edu.

VMRCVM Basketball Outing

The Alumni Association of the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine is hosting a pregame tailgate January 20 before the Virginia Tech-Maryland basketball game. The tailgate begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Avrum Gudelsky Center, University of Maryland. Game time is 9 p.m.

The tailgate costs $15 per person for adults and $10 per child agents 6 to 12. Children five and under are free. Game tickets are $45 each.

Register by January 13 to reserve your tickets. Contact Lynn Young, director of alumni relations and student affairs for VMRCVM at youngl@vt.edu or 540-231-5809 if you have any questions or comments.

BUSINESS GUIDES

Choosing an Online Pharmacy

For years, clients purchased prescription drugs and other products from their veterinary clinic. There was no price shopping, no “market pricing”: they trusted us to be fair, and their trust was not unfounded. Now with price comparisons only as far away as their laptops or smart phones, clients are more informed than ever about the availability and pricing of medications. Pet owners are constantly being bombarded with advertising for “cheap” online drugs. This method of drug distribution is new and has brought a new level of visibility to veterinary drug pricing. However, clients really don’t know what other aspects of pharmacy to look out for when they are shopping online for drugs. DETAILS

INDUSTRY NEWS

Announcing the Maryland Veterinary Industry Council

The Maryland Veterinary Industry Council (MDVIC) has been approved by, and is partnering with, the Maryland Veterinary Medical Association (MVMA).
The mission of the MDVIC is to establish and enhance open communication between members of the MVMA and industry representatives, and to help achieve the goals of both organizations. DETAILS

AVMA Revises Veterinarian's Oath

AVMA has revised the Veterinarian’s Oath—which all graduates of U.S. veterinary schools take—to stress the importance of animal welfare. DETAILS

MVMA NEWS

Welcome New Members

MVMA welcomes the following members who have joined since our last newsletter was published.

MVMA Classifieds

MVMA's most recent job listings and listings for practices and equipment for sale. DETAILS

News from MVMA

Here is the Winter 2011 issue of The Maryland Veterinarian. You can find an archive of MVMA's newsletters in the members-only section of our web site.

Coming Events

January 13, 2011

MVMA Winter Conference

Doubletree Annapolis Hotel

Annapolis, Maryland

March 29 - April 2, 2011

MVMA Ski Seminar

Camel's Garden Hotel

Telluride, Colorado

March 31 - April 1, 2011

Mid-Atlantic States Conference for Bovine Practitioners

Hagerstown, Maryland

May 12, 2011

Mid-Atlantic States Veterinary Clinic

Howard County Fairgrounds

West Friendship, Maryland

June 25-28, 2011

MVMA Summer Conference

Clarion Resort Fontainebleau Hotel

Ocean City, Maryland

November 2011

MVMA Fall Conference

Timonium, Maryland

MVMA Leadership

Board of Directors

Executive Director

Ronald H. Sohn

Association Coordinator

Brittany Sohn

MVMA Headquarters

8015 Corporate Drive, Suite 5

Manchester, MD 21102

443-507-6500 ext. 106

Fax: 443-507-6519

mvma@ managementalliance.com

www.mdvma.org

Relief Veterinarians

Click here for MVMA's List of Relief Veterinarians

Contributions

The Maryland Veterinarian is the quarterly publication of the Maryland Veterinary Medical Association.

Editorial Contributions

Editorial contributions are welcome. Click here to submit an article.

The opinions expressed by the authors published in The Maryland Veterinarian are not necessarily those of the MVMA, its officers, directors or members and should not be construed as legal advice, medical advice or a recommendation of conformity.