AVMA President To Tackle Vet Med’s Financial Challenges

Dr. José Arce, the American Veterinary Medical Association's incoming president, announced that during his first year in office he will focus on removing financial barriers for those who wish to enter the field of veterinary medicine. He will also prioritize promoting the well-being of veterinarians, including veterinary students.

Arce said that high student debt and other “formidable” economic challenges threaten the wellness of professionals in veterinary medicine. He said he will work to improve the educational debt-to-income disparities by advocating legislators to propose low-interest or interest-free student loans so that veterinary degrees are more accessible.

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Arce is also prioritizing fostering an environment that promotes mental health, personal happiness, and the emotional well-being of everyone involved in veterinary medicine.

Arce notes that the pandemic has highlighted the essential role veterinary medicine plays in public health. He hopes to foster relationships with other global veterinary associations and intergovernmental institutions to support global public health, animal health and animal welfare.

Read more here.

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Keeneland’s Dr. Stuart Brown Named 2021 Recipient of AVMA Meritorious Service Award

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has named Dr. Stuart Brown, vice president of equine safety at Keeneland, as the winner of the 2021 AVMA Meritorious Service Award.

Established in 2001, the award recognizes a veterinarian who has brought honor and distinction to the veterinary profession through personal, professional or community service activities that are conducted outside the scope of organized veterinary medicine or research. The AVMA Board of Directors selects the recipient.

“With his long, exemplary, and ongoing record of service, Dr. Stuart Brown epitomizes everything that the AVMA Meritorious Service Award represents,” said Dr. Douglas Kratt, president of the AVMA. “Throughout his career, Dr Brown has established himself as a difference-maker in equine health and safety and proven himself more than qualified for this distinguished award.”

Dr. Brown has mentored countless veterinarians, served on numerous industry and veterinary boards and committees, and represented veterinarians on the national level. His recent appointments include serving as chairman of the Gluck Equine Research Foundation, trustee for the AVMA Insurance Trust, American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) delegate to the AVMA House of Delegates, director of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association (KTA) and Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (KTOB), member of the AAEP's Public Policy and Welfare Council, AAEP liaison to the Thoroughbred Safety Coalition, board chairman of the University of Kentucky Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory, board member of the Thoroughbred Club of America and member of The Jockey Club.

Prior to joining Keeneland in June 2020, Dr. Brown served nearly 30 years at Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, first as an intern and then as an associate veterinarian and a partner. With a primary focus on thoroughbreds, his areas of concentration included equine reproduction, foal evaluations, private/public purchase evaluations, herd health and preventative medicine, federally required import/export protocols and issues affecting the welfare and safety of equine racing athletes.

Dr. Brown, who received his DVM from Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine, has previously been honored with the 2014 Kentucky Veterinary Medical Association Veterinarian of the Year, the 2017 AAEP President's Award, and the 2019 Terry Mobley Philanthropy Award from the University of Kentucky.

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Mears: A Sobering Number Of Veterinarians Suffer From Mental Health Challenges; Yours May Be One Of Them

When I first began considering a career in veterinary medicine, I wanted to be sure I fully understood the profession. There's obviously more to being a vet than playing with animals. What I did not expect was the link between veterinary medicine and suicide.

In early March, our profession lost at least three veterinarians and one technician. Your social media accounts may have recently reflected an increase in mentions of veterinary suicide and the resources available to those within the profession.

One such resource is “Not One More Vet” or NOMV. NOMV was created in 2014 by Dr. Nicole McArthur as a online support group to discuss the good and challenging aspects of life as a veterinarian. Today, the private Facebook group has over 26,000 members and has expanded to include separate groups for vet students and support staff.

Another pair of resources is VIN Foundation's VETS4VETS, for vets and vet students, and SUPPORT4SUPPORT, for support staff. Backed by veterinarians and mental health professionals, VIN Foundation's resources offer mentor matching, private support groups, and additional support for those in recovery, battling cancer, or with mental/physical issues that affect ability to work.

Both NOMV and VIN Foundation offer veterinary professionals the opportunity to be heard. When the struggles of practice may feel too overwhelming, both groups are there to connect those individuals with mental health resources.

I've struggled to find the words to express my feelings in light of the recent losses. Veterinary professionals are hurting. It's statistically likely the veterinarian that treats your family pet(s) may be struggling. A 2018 study by the CDC found that “female veterinarians were 3.5 times as likely, and male veterinarians were 2.1 times as likely, to die from suicide as the general population.” Seventy-five percent of veterinarians who died by suicide worked in small animal practice.

It's natural to ask, “Why does this happen?” The truth is, it's a lot of reasons all layered on top of one another. According to AVMA, the average student loan debt of a new vet is around $180,000. Due to interest and salary factors, many people will take 20+ years to repay that debt, all while also saving up for a huge loan “forgiveness” tax. Hours are long, vacations are few. Many clinics are understaffed and busier than ever.

Additionally, veterinary medicine has become this odd blend of practicing medicine and customer service. It can be difficult to manage cases appropriately when everyone has Google at their fingertips. We often hear how, as veterinarians, we are backed by big corporations and are in their pocket. I can assure you that's not the case. In a world where just about everything is instant, we want our pet's medical care to follow that same timeline.

On top of all that, we aren't kind to ourselves. Not only are most veterinarians just hard on themselves in general, but within our profession we are, at times, entirely too hard on one another. Just recently we suffered loss after loss after loss after loss. We felt that strain, we worked to raise awareness. Then a few days later, I read messages of veterinarians arguing amongst themselves and placing blame in regards to what is the appropriate salary for a new graduate veterinarian just entering practice.

If we cannot be kind to ourselves and one another within our profession, can we expect those outside of our profession to be kind? Maybe in a perfect world, but I'm not going to hold my breath.

I'd say hug your veterinarian but 1) that's weird and 2) we're still in a pandemic. So instead I encourage anyone reading this… be kind. Be kind to yourself and others in your profession. Be kind to your veterinarian and each and every one of their staff members. I am by no means a perfect human being, but my goal each day is try to be a semi-decent one. Join me on that journey. Let's be semi-decent and just a little kinder together.

Dr. Rebecca Mears is an equine veterinarian practicing at Brenford Animal Hospital in Delaware. She is also a veterinary advocate with a focus in improving financial literacy and encouraging wellbeing among her fellow veterinarians.

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Certificate Program To Assist Vets, Local Authorities During Disasters

Veterinarians rely heavily on first responders during national disasters, where hundreds or thousands of animals can be impacted. There is no training offered to vets for emergency planning or response at the local level; the vets often must rely solely on emergency management, extension agents and animal control officers to put a plan of action in place

Vets who volunteer as part of a local or regional disaster response team are often are frustrated with their inability to help immediately upon arrival. To streamline the process and build on the American Veterinary Medical Association's (AVMA) legacy in disaster relief, a certificate program for veterinary first responders is being created.

The American Veterinary Medical Foundation will provide $80,000 in funding for the program. The AVMA Committee on Disaster and Emergency Issues (CDEI) will identify competencies every vet responder should have. From there, organizations, including the AVMA and veterinary schools, can develop new or modify existing courses to satisfy one or more of the core competencies required for certificate completion.

The program will be overseen by Dr. Warren J. Hess, an assistant director in the AVMA Division of Animal and Public Health, who also serves as the AVMA's disaster coordinator. Hess noted that some vet schools are already providing disaster response training.

The program is expected to be fully operational by Spring 2022. Once a veterinarian or vet student completes courses that meet all core competencies, they will be issued the Basic Veterinary Responder Certificate. This certificate will reassure state and local agencies that the vets providing assistance at the scene of a disaster have the education and training required to work well within the response network.

Read more at AVMA.

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