Lesley G. King, MVB, Diplomate ACVIM & ACVECC
Here at Today’s Veterinary Practice, we are proud to develop great relationships with organizations that share our goal: to provide the highest quality continuing education for veterinarians and veterinary team members.
This issue marks our third anniversary, and our already established partnerships include collaborations with the Companion Animal Parasite Council, American Heartworm Society, American College of Veterinary Nutrition, and Banfield Pet Hospitals. With this issue, we are privileged and excited to announce our new partnership with the North American Veterinary Community (NAVC).
Shared Values
Many of you are already familiar with this well-established nonprofit organization. You’ll recall that the NAVC began as the Eastern States Veterinary Conference. Over the years, it developed into the NAVC Conference, now the largest veterinary conference in the world, growing in 2014 to an attendance of 16,300, including more than 6000 veterinarians, 1500 technicians, and 4000 exhibitors.
The goal of the NAVC is to provide world-class continuing professional development that is targeted to the global veterinary community, and it has grown into an enterprise that educates and connects veterinarians all over the world, all year long.
Their core values are completely in line with ours at Today’s Veterinary Practice, including a commitment to exceed customers’ expectations, embrace change, and drive innovation.
Intense Education
The NAVC offers a variety of ways for veterinary professionals to learn: the NAVC Conferences, online opportunities through VetFolio, and even expeditions to world destinations, such as Brazil, Africa, and Antarctica. While we are all familiar with the format of the flagship NAVC Conference, many of you may not know about the NAVC Institute.
The NAVC Institute, which offered its first courses in 2001, presents a different kind of educational opportunity, with intensive, small group courses that focus in detail on specific areas within individual disciplines. These courses are taught by exceptional faculty who are respected as experts in their fields, and the Institute courses all occur simultaneously during a week in the summer.
Institute in Print
Today’s Veterinary Practice and the team at the NAVC Institute are working together to provide, in this and future issues, the new column Practical Techniques from the NAVC Institute. This column, written by experts from the faculty teaching at the NAVC Institute, will give you, our readers, the opportunity to experience the courses presented at the NAVC Institute.
You’ll be able to see the quality and level of detail presented in the courses, and we’re hoping that it will make you curious about the NAVC and all that they have to offer.
Now Introducing
I’d like to introduce Dr. David Senior, who serves as the Conference Coordinator for the NAVC. Dr. Senior was born in Australia, and he has had a long and illustrious career here in the U.S. He has incredibly strong credentials as an educator, and many of you will remember him as a member of the veterinary school faculty at the University of Florida and Louisiana State University.
My favorite quote from Dr. Senior’s bio refers to growing up in Australia: “Cricket required the most courage of any sport I played.” David: this does make us wonder what other games you played growing up—Tiddlywinks? Just kidding!
With that, I’ll turn this editorial over to Dr. Senior, who will tell you more about the NAVC Institute. Welcome aboard, NAVC!
—Lesley King, Editor in Chief
Mastering Medicine, Implementing in Practice
David Senior, BVSc, Diplomate ACVIM (Small Animal Internal Medicine) & ECVIM (Companion Animal)
North American Veterinary Community
Veterinarians are confronted by a barrage of continuing education (CE) opportunities, which allow us to meet our state-mandated professional development requirements. But how often does CE substantially alter the way we think about and work within a discipline, and change the way we function in our practices? Does it make a significant impact on practice scope and profitability?
Focused & Hands-On
With over 10 years since its inauguration, the NAVC Institute offers a unique departure from the typical approach to CE.
Offered over a 5-day period (selected courses take place over 3 days), at least 8 courses, covering a wide range of topics—from ultrasound and cardiology to orthopedic and soft tissue surgery—provide a learning experience that allows veterinarians to develop a high level of proficiency in focused areas of expertise.
Each course is composed of a series of lectures and hands-on labs devoted to development of defined skills and mastery in a selected topic. Frequent transition from classroom to hands-on learning allows rapid assimilation of both the fundamental scientific underpinnings of a discipline and practical application.
Apply It in Practice
The purpose and structure of courses offered by the NAVC Institute is to provide expertise in important disciplines that is directly applicable in today’s veterinary practice. Courses are designed by top specialists who determine the most useful and practical learner objectives in their discipline, which veterinarians can take back to their practices and implement immediately.
This purpose aligns the NAVC Institute, as well as the NAVC, with Today’s Veterinary Practice, whose tagline—read it today, use it tomorrow—captures the importance of providing practical, state-of-the-art information on pertinent clinical topics that can immediately be applied in practice.
Therefore, in this and following issues of Today’s Veterinary Practice, the column Practical Techniques from the NAVC Institute will feature a technique, diagnostic approach, or procedure from each one of the courses presented at the NAVC Institute 2014. This series will provide insight into an educational opportunity that can dramatically alter the way we individually practice veterinary medicine.
A New Audience
One of the key components of the NAVC Institute is the “small group” learning environment—course registration is limited to 32 or less, which allows everyone to receive individual attention and the opportunity to learn one-on-one with the world’s best.
However, through this new column in Today’s Veterinary Practice, a much larger audience will be able to benefit from the latest techniques and high quality education provided at the NAVC Institute and, like its attendees, become better veterinarians and increase their skill set and practice offerings.
For Our Patients
The veterinary profession continues to grow, and one of the ways to initiate positive change—change that benefits the patients under our care—is to collaborate on innovative ways to share and exchange the highest quality information within the veterinary community. This new column is the product of such a collaboration.
Ultimately, the Practical Techniques from the NAVC Institute column will lead up to the NAVC Institute 2015, to be held July 26 to 31, 2015, in Orlando. We invite you to join us next year!
—David Senior, Conference Coordinator