President's Message

Renee Rucinsky, DVM, DABVP (Feline), President

It’s been over 20 years since I took my Feline exam, but there’s something about November and exam time that still makes me nervous and excited. By this time next month, we should know how many new Diplomates we have across all of the RVSs. I love this time of year! And because I’m super weird, I also get excited about credentials season, which is just around the corner. I love the thought of having new specialists in our world.

At the end of September, I had a wellness coach/therapist come and spend the morning with me and my staff. We were all facing some burnout challenges, some increased stress, some general grumpiness. Several hours were spent discussing how to best support each other, how to take things less personally, how to try to find the good in our lives. The activity that has stuck with our team the most, however, is our practice of gratitude every day. We were tasked by the therapist to personally list ten things everyday for which we are grateful.  My entire staff has struggled with reaching such a high gratitude count. But the more time goes on, the better we are getting at this exercise. In addition to our own personal lists, we’ve started an end of day staff list every day. The personalities on my staff are about as diverse as you can get, from the super happy new kennel employee that loves everything, to the registered technician with decades of experience that tends to think most things are below her standards, to the front desk person who some days has the patience of a gnat when it comes to dealing with clients. It has been interesting to see how contagious the daily positivity is. Some days it’s VERY slow to get going. In the beginning, we couldn’t think of too many things, especially new things every day. But now I see my peeps writing post it notes during the day for items to bring up for gratitude. I see the customer service person focusing on the people who are nice to her, not the people who aren’t. And I see them working harder to make each of their team members’ days a little easier. I was skeptical, but it truly seems to be changing the overall demeanor of the place.  There’s less negative competition, and more positive competition.

Positive competition is how I like to think about growing our organization and our specific RVS groups. I’ve known Diplomates over the years who look at our process of becoming a specialist as a way of keeping people out. I just don’t understand that philosophy. Shouldn’t it be a way to include people? Shouldn’t it be a way to embrace an “all ships rise with the tide” philosophy? Of course we need to have standards and goals, but if we can help other vets be better, shouldn’t we? If we change our brains to focus on the positive, to embrace the process of learning to be better, we can improve not only the way we ourselves work, but also the way people around us work. For our ABVP colleagues, that means understanding that none of us know it all. That especially new and aspiring specialists don’t know it all. That discussing our different ways of approaching a problem (whether it’s case summaries or case reports or journal club discussions) will help all of us be better.

I’m grateful for my colleagues who provide positive competition to me every day. And I’m really looking forward to welcoming more of them into ABVP very soon.

DEI Committee Update

Brita Kiffney, DVM, DABVP (Canine and Feline), DEI Chair

Please take a moment to log into your American Board of Veterinary Practitioners account and make sure your contact information is up to date and consider answering an optional, anonymous demographic survey under your member profile. In order to better serve our members, we need a clear understanding our demographic make-up. Just like routine wellness checks are an important part of ensuring the health and well-being of our veterinary patients and herds, data collection is fundamental to understanding the health and well-being of an organization, workplace, university or nation. Collecting information on race, ethnicity, sex, disability status, sexual orientation, and other factors is necessary to create evidence-based policies that address key disparities in access to becoming a board-certified veterinarian. Indeed, it is impossible to measure progress towards a more diverse veterinary population without data on the underlying makeup of our members. This survey will be voluntary, confidential, and anonymous. Diplomates may choose not to take part in the study or to stop participating at any time, for any reason, by closing the web browser without penalty or negative consequences.

Find Step-by-Step Screenshots Here

Veterinary Hope Foundation

As dedicated veterinary professionals, we often overlook the importance of caring for ourselves. The demanding nature of veterinary medicine requires that we are mindful of our wellbeing.

The Importance of Self-Care

Self-care is not a luxury. Nor is it an item that is for sale. Self-care is a necessity for maintaining our professional effectiveness and personal fulfillment.

Incorporating self-care practices into our daily routines can significantly enhance our overall wellbeing. Researchers Rock and Siegel pioneered “a framework for creating and maintaining mental wellbeing.” Today this framework is commonly referred to as the Seven Essential Activities:

• Focus Time: closely focusing on tasks in a goal-oriented way
• Play: playfully enjoying novel experiences
• Connection: with others and with the natural world
• Physical Activity: move our bodies
• Time In: quietly internal reflection
• Down Time: intentionally doing nothing
• Sleep: an average of 7-9 hours for most people

Together, let's prioritize our wellbeing and create a more sustainable and fulfilling path on our veterinary journey.

Join an upcoming support group:

• All Veterinarians Support Group: Thursdays at 8:30pm ET beginning January 11
• Veterinarians: Urgent & Emergent Support Group: Wednesdays at 8pm ET beginning January 17
• Veterinarians: Early Career Support Group: Tuesdays at 9pm ET beginning January 23
• Veterinary Team Support Group: Thursdays at 8pm ET beginning January 25 

This message has been included at the request of an ABVP Diplomate (Emeritus) who sits on the Board of the Veterinary Hope Foundation and approved by the ABVP Board of Directors.

Residency and Job Postings

Don’t forget that ABVP has classified listings for open positions all over the USA!

View Residency & Job Postings

December 31, 2023

• Final date to be called a Diplomate for those who failed to MOC on time

January 15, 2024 

• Credentials deadline for both Initial Applications and Re-Applications. All documentation must be submitted online by 11:59 PM Central Time

• Swine Health Management Entry Exam registration and fee deadline. Registration must be completed online account by 11:59 PM Central Time

• Semi-Annual Residency Logs deadline. Logs must be submitted online by 11:59 PM Central Time

April 25-28, 2024

• ABVP Symposium, New Orleans, Louisiana

July 1, 2024

• 2023-2024 Diplomate and Emeritus Diplomate fees payable

July 15, 2024 

• Semi-Annual Residency Logs deadline. Logs must be submitted online by 11:59 PM Central Time