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The VBMA Mission Statement

The Veterinary Business Management Association is a student driven organization dedicated to advancing the profession through:

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Letter from the President

Wish you had more exposure to business and financial information?

We would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to a new student organization established at The Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine (VMRCVM) with the intention of rectifying that all too-common sentiment. We are an active chapter of the National Veterinary Business Management Association, or VBMA, with the mission to advance the profession through increasing business knowledge, creating networking opportunities, and empowering students to achieve their personal and professional goals. By recruiting guest speakers, and by helping our members access business-related information, we aim to enhance the veterinary curriculum already in place and increase student awareness and knowledge of business, finance, management, and related topics.

In the year that the VBMA has been in existence at the VMRCVM, a number of renown speakers have discussed a variety of topics. These have included an overview of results from the Brakke Study that the AVMA commissioned emphasizing why business education is important for veterinary students; a discussion on legal liability during dinner with Dr. Jim Wilson, DVM, JD; and “Top Ten Stupid Things Veterinarians Do” presented by Mark Opperman. This past semester Doug Richey from Graduate Leverage spoke about student loan consolidation; Shawn McVey, an internationally known speaker at major veterinary conferences, spoke on transitioning a business from “Good to Great” and harvesting our innate leadership abilities; and Dr. Michael Watts, 2000 VMRCVM graduate and owner of Clevengers Corner Veterinary Care, addressed the daunting tasks needed to open his own practice. Additionally, group members have participated in the National VBMA conference held at NAVC in Orlando, Fl and we cosponsored a brunch with SCAVMA for the incoming Class of 2010 during Open House weekend.

While these meetings have been very successful and informative, there are many more topics to cover. We would like in the near future to have discussions on the decision to intern, adapting communication skills for different client personalities, and a full-day seminar on incorporating pregnancy and life-balance into our careers. Most importantly, though, we are looking to determine which topics would be of greatest importance to our business futures, as well as to providing future colleagues and employers with veterinarians who will contribute to and enhance the profession. In the March 2006 Town & Country Call newsletter published by the Virginia Veterinary Medical Association, there was an article published about the VBMA with a survey included for veterinarians to provide us with a sense of important topics and unfulfilled niches within our curriculum. The results of this survey will help us narrow our focus, ensuring that we are providing you with the most pertinent information to your career. Another benefit to working with the Virginia VMA is to ensure that as you graduate, there will be some value placed by Virginia VMA members on the fact that you have a higher level of business knowledge than the average graduate.

We look forward to the events planned in the upcoming months and hope that the information the VBMA provides to you is beneficial for your career. If you have any comments or suggestions, please feel free to contact any of the officers. For more information regarding membership, click here.