In our Leadership Update column, CVMA leaders provide their perspectives on the veterinary profession in Colorado and the changing world around us. This column was written by Stacee Santi, DVM, CVMA president 2019-2020.
With summer wrapping up and more than halfway through 2020, we are in the midst of the final stages of the pandemic: Acceptance. It reminds me of the stages of grief: Denial, blame, anger, then acceptance. It brings a new perspective of clarity and confirmation that business, life and the world is fragile and can be disrupted with something smaller than a red blood cell.
The veterinary profession is faring better than most but not without consequences. Across Colorado, veterinary business revenue is soaring with 14.22% year over year gains according to the Veterinary Industry Revenue Tracker by VetSuccess.
But the downside is that the staff side is suffering due to split teams, scared employees, and excessive workload finally taking a toll on the team. Leaders and CEOs of businesses are grappling with, do we hunker down and ride this thing out until normal life returns or is it time to accept this as normal and implement long term operational solutions in the new world?
Your CVMA stands with you facing this challenging time. Traditionally, CVMA has been dependent on two main sources of revenue to fuel the organization: Membership dues and continuing education events. With no government funding currently available through the Payroll Protection Program for 501(c)(6) non-profits like CVMA, and with the cancellation of the in-person 2020 CVMA Convention, CVMA has joined other organizations facing the question of, “What does the future look like for us?”
Throughout history, hardship fuels innovation. In this technology revolution of Zoom and remote work life, CVMA has pressed forward to implement new revenue streams by quickly certifying and implementing the Substance Use Prevention Training required by DORA this year for any veterinarian in Colorado seeking license renewal who prescribes opioids. By providing this training free to members, we are able to bring continued value to our organization and also drive revenue from a non-member avenue.
CVMA also made a quick decision to pivot the 2020 CVMA Convention to go online as an educational series. The new “2020 UN-Convention” is open for registration and offers 30 CE hours to help you meet the CE requirement for your license renewal. As always, members will receive best pricing on registration.
Like you, we are innovative and determined to figure out how to emerge stronger and more impactful than ever before.
What can you do to help? Now is the time, more than ever, to engage and support the advocacy and educational arm of your profession as a veterinarian in Colorado. Here are 3 things you can do to help:
- Sign up for UN-Convention CE (as a member, you get a discount!)
- Renew your membership early (and recruit a colleague to join)
- Register for Substance Use Prevention Training (remember, it’s free for you as a member!)
I also would like to say thank you for letting me be your president during this challenging time. I would like to share this quote with you:
“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.”
-Physicist Marie Curie
All the best,
Dr. Stacee Santi
