Many veterinarians ask whether attending a veterinary conference is worth the money, time, and effort. We are here to give you a resounding yes — and several reasons why it's worth the investment.
Earn Continuing Education Credits
CE credits are a reality of not only keeping your license but continuing to expand on the vast knowledge you already have. Veterinary professional development is a given at these conferences, as you'll gain new insight and information you can't get anywhere else.
Reduce Concern and Conflict at Your Veterinary Practice
Running a veterinary practice is challenging. Conflict and other concerns can take up much time and mental energy. The management of a veterinary practice comes with its own set of learning curves that are not unique to your routine but common to veterinary clinics. Veterinary conferences can be an excellent place to learn problem-solving techniques and understand how to avoid pitfalls before they happen. With the collective knowledge available at a conference, you can find strategies to help reduce concern and conflict at your veterinary practice.
Strengthen Your Practice Through Networking
One of the significant benefits of veterinary conferences is their ability to expand whom you know, as they serve as ideal networking events within the greater veterinary community. You'll connect with people from all over the country with similar goals and aspirations. The learning opportunities for innovative ideas, practical advice, and real-life solutions for running your practice are endless at a veterinary conference. Thanks to active collaboration with colleagues, you may make highly beneficial changes to your routine that you wouldn't have thought of before being exposed to such concepts at the conference.
Find New Products and Resources to Support Your Practice
Veterinary conferences are a great place to see vendors and new options available for your office. They often provide exposure to products that can make a big difference in supporting the health of animals in your clinic while also expanding on how you can keep your office's bottom line.
Veterinary conferences may also offer state-of-the-art surgical support so that you can learn more about best practices and how to provide optimal care to your clients. And, to cover all your bases, conferences are a great way to receive veterinary liability insurance support.
How to Select a Veterinary Conference
With many conferences coming up, deciding which one will be most worth your effort can be daunting. Begin your selection process by targeting experts in the field you'd like to learn more from and find out if they will speak at any upcoming conferences. Of course, logistics like travel distance, time off, and coverage at the clinic will all play a significant role in determining which panel is right for you.
Best Veterinary Conferences of 2023
To help you decide which conference to attend, we've listed a few in-person seminars to highlight and consider:
- The WVC Annual Conference takes place February 19-22 in Las Vegas, NV, and offers 900-plus RACE-approved CE Hours and 25 hands-on labs. You can't beat the opportunities provided in hands-on labs with other working professionals in the field.
- The Mountain West Veterinary Conference takes place June 1-3 in Twin Falls, ID, and offers large and small animal information and management sessions.
- The North Carolina Veterinary Conference, November 3-5 in Raleigh, NC, provides 116 CE hours for veterinarians and 136 for veterinary technicians.
- VMX Orlando offers in-person and virtual attendance and provides 1,200 CE hours. Although it took place in Orlando, FL, January 14-18, 2023, you have plenty of time to plan on attending it next year.
Optimizing Your Time at a Veterinary Conference
How do you make the most of this golden opportunity? Before leaving for the conference, reach out to people you'd like to connect with that you know are attending so they can make time to meet with you.
Once you have a list of the panels and topics offered, a plan for which events you will attend and arrive early to the conference to get a feel for the venue, what it's in, and how to get around.
Bring a binder and notebook to take notes. Save handout materials for reference afterward. Network when possible by striking up conversations with colleagues, but also take time to recharge between events to stay balanced.
Sign Up for a Veterinary Conference Today
And there you have it, the voice of authority from 360 Coverage Pros in support of attending veterinary conferences. You'll find the time well spent because it's an investment in your career and practice.
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