President's Message

Gary Thompson, DVM, DABVP (Canine and Feline), President

It is with great pleasure that I bring news that Shelter Medicine Practice is now fully recognized. Previously it had provisional recognition since it was our newest specialty and our gratitude to all the people who have worked to bring this to the finish line - not the least of whom is our Shelter Regent Stephanie Janeczko. We all have heard that the petition for our newest specialty-Fish Practice has been provisionally approved. Thank you Mike Dutton and all of the organizing committee for you work on making this a reality. We are all thrilled to have our newest members. 

I am also looking forward to seeing everyone in Baltimore and want to thank all of the members of the Symposium committee again for their tireless efforts. We will be welcoming some new members to the Board of Directors and Advisory Council in Baltimore and I am excited for new faces and input into ABVP. I hope this finds everyone happy and healthy and hopefully getting a dose of spring time in your part of the world.

Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Update

Sonnya Dennis, DVM, DABVP (Canine and Feline), MOC Chair

• Get to all the MOC places you need when you log in to your diplomate portal (see photo above!) at abvp.com. 
   

• TIP OF THE MONTH: How to see what you have already uploaded, so you do not upload duplicates! 

  • Credentials -> My Certifications (left). Now you can see the list of what you have uploaded. 

  • To filter by Category, click the “filter” symbol on the right (it looks like a funnel) to see the “All Categories” box on the left. Choose what Category you want to see (Volunteering, Journal Club, etc.)

  • Link to visual How to see what you have uploaded and filter by category.
     

• If you are due to complete your Maintenance of Certification this year, you should have received an email from mocchair@abvp.com.  Check your spam folder, and add it to safe senders or your contacts to always get updates. 
   

• Journal Club: You can discuss the Journal Club articles with your fellow diplomates by signing up for Slack or the listserv (Google Group). 
   

• There are some changes coming soon to make claiming points for volunteering easier. Stay tuned! 

• Maintenance of Certification Workshop at the ABVP Symposium in Baltimore! Check the program for date, time and location!

Shelter Medicine Practice is Now Fully Recognized By ABVS!

During its March 7, 2023 meeting, the American Board of Veterinary Specialties (ABVS) voted to approve Shelter Medicine’s petition for full recognition as a recognized veterinary specialty!

The mission of the Shelter Medicine Practice RVS is to improve animal and human health and wellbeing through education, discovery, and promotion of clinical excellence. Our group was developed in response to an increasing number of veterinarians with interest and expertise in this field, and in the 8 years since receiving provision recognition we’ve grown to include 35 Diplomates and several active residency programs.

This milestone caps the efforts of so many individuals who have worked tirelessly over the years to establish, strengthen, and grow Shelter Medicine as a specialty. MANY thanks to the members of the organizing committee, our ABVP SMP Diplomates, ABVP’s leadership and all our colleagues for the immense effort that has made this moment possible!

ABVP – Fish Practice Becomes a Reality

In March 2023, the American Board of Veterinary Specialties granted provisional approval of ABVP’s twelfth Recognized Veterinary Specialty (RVS) in Fish Practice. Dr. John Shelley is the Fish Interim Regent. The specialty will cover the following areas of Fish Practice:

• Aquatic Environment and Life Support Systems
• Diagnostics, Treatments and Prophylactic Methods of Fish Disease
• Fish Husbandry and Industries
• Legislation, Regulations, and Policies
• Pathobiology and Epidemiology of Fish Diseases
• Principles of Fish Welfare
• Public Health, Zoonoses, and Seafood Safety
• Taxonomy, Anatomy, and Physiology

The credentialing and examination requirements mimic most of the other ABVP RVS groups and the ABVP application handbook will be updated shortly. Credentials deadline is January 15, 2024. Congratulations to the Fish Organizing Committee for all the work they have put into creating this new Specialty!

Assistant Instructors Needed

The ABVP Global FAST® Ultrasound lab at this April's ABVP Symposium will be held on Sunday morning April 23rd from 8am-12noon at the hotel. You will help teach AFAST®, TFAST® echocardiography, and Vet BLUE® lung ultrasound. The compensation is $300 and for instructors you have 2 options - listen to the LIVE lectures OR Greg will provide you with ONLINE access to the lectures to free up your Friday, April 21st ABVP day if you would like to attend other sessions.

Please reply to Dr. Greg Lisciandro ASAP if you are interested. A confirmation MUST be sent back to you for you to be officially part of the assistant instructor team. You are welcome to email or text or call - learnglobalfast@gmail.com and cell 210-260-5576. If Greg has not replied within 48-hours, please re-contact him.

ABVP Outreach Committee 

The April Outreach Committee will be held at the ABVP symposium AND be available to join virtually. Please join us on Friday, April 21st from 6-8 pm EST in person or via zoom. This meeting is open to any members interested in what Outreach does or how they can contribute. Become involved in student outreach, member promotion, and ABVP promotion.

April 20-23, 2023

• ABVP Symposium, Baltimore, MD

July 1, 2023

• 2023-2024 Diplomate and Emeritus Diplomate fees payable

July 15, 2023 

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

September 1, 2023

• Exam registration must be completed by 11:59 PM Central Time

November 4, 2023

• Certification Exam

Residency and Job Postings

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