New blog announcement

Editor's note: Check out a new blog composed of rich stories, considered "a national veterinary treasure," written by Dr. Donald F. Smith. The blog, Perspectives in Veterinary Medicine, also has contributions from others, including vet students. Read Veritas' below announcement for more.

Anna, the experimental dog used to develop the corrective surgery for blue baby syndrome. Check out this story and more in the new blog.Veritas is pleased to announce Perspectives in Veterinary Medicine, a growing collection of stories written in celebration of AVMA’s 150^th anniversary.   These stories explore years of progress in veterinary medicine, offer thoughts on what the future holds, and share insights anticipating the path forward in this dynamic and fascinating profession. 

Perspectives  stories are written by Donald F. Smith, Dean Emeritus and professor of large animal surgery at Cornell University and can be found at www.veritasdvmblog.com.  In addition to the stories’ appeal to all members of the veterinary profession and others who find animal and human health fascinating, there are often stories that have particular appeal to students.  These include ones such as:

• ·      A Veterinary Student’s Summer Experience with Mountain Gorillas in Africa (posted 6/10/13)
• ·      AVMA 150th Anniversary Student Summit Symposium: Understanding our Past to Transform our Future (posted 6/9/13)
• ·      The Veterinary Class of 2013 (posted 6/4/13)
• ·      Advice to New Veterinary Students: Class of 2017 (posted 8/11/13)
• ·      Letters of Recommendation for Application to Veterinary College (posted 8/22/13)
• ·      Writing a Better Essay for Your Veterinary College Application (posted 8/28/13)

Perspectives is a part of the Veritas web site created through the public/private partnership between Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine, and Zoetis.  Veritas provides online learning opportunities through peer-reviewed continuing education, informative pet owner information, and features such as Perspectives in Veterinary Medicine.  Check it out!

AVMA alliance invests in future with new student program

Editor's note: please read the below press release on how EACH vet school's SCAVMA will be receiving up tp $7,000 from the AVMA and SAVMA! In this time of decreased funding, we at SAVMA are so excited be able to give back to our members in this way.

(SCHAUMBURG, Illinois) September 26, 2013—The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the AVMA Professional Liability Insurance Trust (PLIT), and the Student AVMA (SAVMA) are launching a two-year pilot program to help fund local student chapter activities. The new pilot program—ALL for Students (ALL standing for Achieving, Leading and Learning)—will provide up to $7,000 annually for activities at each student chapter. First-year payments of $7,000 were distributed to student leaders during the Student Chapters of the AVMA (SCAVMA) Leadership Conference at AVMA Headquarters in Schaumburg, Ill. on Sept. 20.

“The students who make up SAVMA are absolutely essential in shaping the future of the profession and this association. It would be impossible to find a more worthy cause in which to invest, because today’s students are tomorrow’s leaders and visionaries,” explains Dr. Walter R. Threlfall, vice president of the AVMA. “Unfortunately, during the recent economic downturn, it’s become harder for our student organizations to raise the funding needed to support all of their worthwhile programs and projects. ALL for Students will help ensure each SAVMA organization will be able to continue the activities that provide the foundation for the success of their members.”

ALL for Students is supported this year by AVMA and the AVMA PLIT, which each contributed $100,000 to the program, and SAVMA, which committed $33,000.

“ALL for Students provides a unified message of support to our student members. This financial contribution will go toward developing student leadership skills, community outreach events and other programs. These programs will help make them better veterinarians and more successful leaders,” explains Dr. Janet D. Donlin, CEO of AVMA PLIT.

In addition to the funding, the AVMA will provide guidelines on the most effective ways that each student organization might use this financial support. This may include a specific example of a successful program already being developed and implemented by another student chapter that works well within the ALL for Students mission.

SAVMA programs that will be supported with ALL for Students funding include events focused on community outreach, leadership training, professional development, and wellness.

Leaders of the student organizations must submit annual reports detailing how the funding is spent. The two-year pilot program could be extended into a multi-year program after an evaluation of its success.

For more information about the AVMA, please visit www.avma.org.

Increasing your Employment Prospects

Partners for Healthy Pets is an alliance of more than 20 leading veterinary associations and animal health companies committed to a vision of improved overall health for pets. As SAVMA is an associate member, The Vet Gazette will be regularly posting updates. Visit thier website to learn more!

Part 2: Gaining Practice Team Alignment on Preventive Healthcare Recommendations

As stated in Part 1 of this “Increasing Your Employment Prospects” series, there is a lot of competition for the best jobs, especially if you are limited in geographic locations.

Employers are looking for good clinical skills along with good communications and interpersonal skills. With the quality of education in veterinary colleges today, most of the 1,500 new entrants to the market have these skills. Given that, what else can you bring to a practice that will differentiate yourself from other applicants?

Click to read more ...

Whale Mosaic

Entry, Creative Corner
Jennifer Norman, UC Davis

New SAVMA Scholarship

A new scholarship from SAVMA's Education and Professional Development Committee (EPDC) was created at this years AVMA convention:

NAVLE Study Package Scholarship: We are offering up to $300 to be used to purchase a NAVLE prep package. This scholarship was created in response to the annual NAVLE Survey, which shows that over 80% of fourth years use digital review services to study for the NAVLE.  To be eligible you must be a current 3rd year or entering 4th year and planning on taking the NAVLE in Fall of 2014. The winner of the award must also complete the annual NAVLE survey following the completion of the exam.

Prompt:

What does “professional development” mean to you? What would you suggest to an incoming first year who had no idea how to begin their veterinary school career? What are some key steps in becoming a successful veterinary professional? (250 words or less)

Time Line

Open Scholarship: March 1st, 2014
Close Scholarship: April 15, 2014
Award Scholarship: May 15, 2014

Please email savma.epdc@gmail.com