I am writing to encourage the Virginia Board of Veterinary Medicine to allow a set number of the 15 CE credits required to be filled by management/finance/business topics.  Veterinary practices continue to be one of the worst managed health-care based small businesses, based on profitability and staff turnover, and our veterinary schools are so overwhelmed with teaching medicine that they are unable to deliver the quality and volume of business knowledge necessary to be successful in today’s economy.  Given the steady increase in student debt and the number of older practitioners trying to retire and sell their practices, equipping the next generation of veterinarians with business/finance knowledge is critical to the health of the industry and to allowing our veterinarians to practice high quality medicine.

Sincerely,

Stith Keiser, Director of AAHA Career Development