How Continuing Education Improves Your Practice & Your Career
How important is continuing education to a veterinary practice, anyway? What resources are out there to help you? Just ask Mary Berg, whose words of...
3 min read
Developments and discoveries in veterinary medicine haven't halted during the months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Find out where you can get the latest information about popular topics in veterinary exotics.
Isolation and practicing on an island is a feeling many have had during this period of COVID-related continuing education restrictions. Veterinary medicine is continuing to move forward with new discoveries and techniques being developed every day.
Embracing the technology currently available and searching for new treatments and techniques to use for difficult cases is a challenge we enjoy. But how do we do that when the world has virtually come to a complete stop?
Virtual Continuing Education Offerings
While many continuing education opportunities for companion exotic animals have been cancelled, other have gone virtual. The Exotics Conference or Exotics Con was to be held in Denver, but like many other conferences, it was canceled due to the COVID pandemic.
What to do? They went virtual, and the conference moved forward and provided a much needed boost to those suffering from cabin fever.
The Conference Is Over but the Lectures Live On
Although the event was held on three separate weekends in September into early October, the proceedings and virtual presentations are available through the Veterinary Information Network to those that paid for the conference registration.
This access the conference lectures is important for those who were working on an emergency case during the actual lecture presentation, for example. If you weren't able to access the latest veterinary medical information on companion exotic animals, you haven't seized the opportunity to increase your expertise in treating these exceptional patients.
Become a Member of a Companion Animal Association
The Association of Avian Veterinarians, the Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians, and the Association of Exotic Mammal Veterinarians are seeking veterinarians, young and old, that have an interest in companion exotic animals. This is a way to stay informed, network with colleagues that have a veterinary medical interest similar to yours, and build your confidence and knowledge regarding the treatment of these patients.
As a member, you have access to the association’s journal, information on upcoming events through email messages, newsletters, and membership discounts at conferences to name just a few of the benefits. Overall, all I can say that you will not be disappointed becoming a member of one or all three of these great associations.
What Did I Miss?
If you did not register for the 2020 Exotics Conference, you missed many great presentations. These presentations were relevant to the clinical cases we see on a daily basis. To mention a few:
Avian Presentations
- Companion parrot nutrition
- Sedation in birds
- The ADR backyard chicken
Reptile and Amphibian Presentations
- Reptile sedation and anesthesia
- Reptile Emergencies
- Reptile Behavior, enrichment, and emergencies
Exotic Companion Mammal Presentations
- Respiratory infections of exotic companion mammals
- Practical approach to rabbit anesthesia
- African pygmy hedgehogs: husbandry and clinical management
Who would not benefit from the information provided in the presentations above? Get on board and be part of the companion exotic team to expand your companion knowledge and medical expertise.
What’s Next?
Hopefully we will be getting back to in-person conferences that are what we consider “normal" soon. However, we have found that virtual conferences and presentations are also effective, without the need to travel. But meeting the speaker, asking questions one-on-one, and getting together with colleagues at conference events or dinner is special. This is what I have missed along with the real time excitement of learning and discussing with friends.
WVC Annual Conference
The WVC Annual Conference offers many presentations by leading companion exotic veterinarians. The 2021 WVC Annual Conference has been moved to September to allow for the COVID pandemic to subside and provide a safe environment for attendees. Look to start back on the path of conference attendance by registering for the 2021 WVC Annual Conference in Las Vegas and the Exotics Conference that will be held in Nashville, Tennessee. Your feathered, furry, and scaly patients will thank you for it!
Learn More!
Check out the new courses coming up in 2020 WVC Academy, taught by experts in state-of-the-art lab facilities!
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