A-Iss3_2010

F V M A ADVOCATE Issue 3 - 2010

Legislative Session Ends FVMA Savors Legislative Victories USDA’s Restructured Accreditation August 2, 2010 Is The Renewal Deadline FVMA’s 81st Annual Conference A Tremendous Success

www.fvma.com

Class

of 2012

Sophomore Coating Ceremony

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Dear Colleagues, 7131 Lake Ellenor Drive Orlando, Florida 32809 407.851.3862 phone 800.992.3862 toll free 407.240.3710 fax Info@FVMA.com www.fvma.com

Officers

Dr. Jan M. Hasse President Dr. James A. Kanzler President-Elect Dr. Richard B. Williams Treasurer Dr. Jerry P. Shank Past President Mr. Philip J. Hinkle Executive Director

District Representatives Dr. Charles P. Hall District 1 - Big Bend Dr. Richard C. Sutliff District 2 - Northeast Dr. Jerry L. Rayburn District 3 - Central Dr. Donald H. Morgan District 4 - Tampa Bay Dr. Mark D. Dew District 5 - Treasure Coast Dr. Ronald W. Todd Jr. District 6 - South Florida Dr. Richard M. Carpenter District 7 - Southwest Dr. James M. Brechin District 8 - Northwest Dr. Christine M. Storts District 9 - Space Coast Dr. Ernest C. Godfrey AVMA Delegate Dr. Larry G. Dee AVMA Alternate Delegate Ex Officio Dr. Glen F. Hoffsis, Dean College of Veterinary Medicine

FVMA Staff Sandra P. Brooks Accounting/Membership Director Ralph E. Huber Conferences Director Brynn Severance Financial/Membership Coordinator Beni Jean Price Executive Administrative Assistant Brenda Eggert Brader Communications & Public Relations Director Kevin R. White Multimedia Art & Design Director Dr. James E. Pennington Senior Consultant of Veterinary Affairs

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ow is the best way to describe the FVMA’s 81st Annual Conference recently held in Tampa. Phil Hinkle, his competent professional team, and Dr. Ernest Godfrey, need to be congratulated for all of their efforts in putting together the very successful meeting. The continuing education, with its quality of speakers, was diverse, practical and provided excellent value to all attendees. A number of the exhibitors expressed how this conference is becoming one of the key conventions in which their organizations want to be a part. We were blessed to have many out-of-state veterinarians in attendance.

Start planning now to be a part of the 82nd Annual FVMA Conference April 28 to May 1 as we move back to Orlando to the Buena Vista Palace Resort and Spa. Many activities are being planned to include our families as well as providing members with top notch continuing education opportunities.

The Florida Legislative session in Tallahassee ended April 30. Our legislators wrestled with fiscal cuts and shortfalls in the state budget. The FVMA Legislative Committee, led by Dr. Stephen Shores and our lobbyists, met with legislators in March and was able to successfully help scuttle the attempt to remove the sales tax exemption on veterinary purchases.

The FVMA defeated a bill that would have removed the prohibition in the Florida statute that prevents local governments from banning ownership of specific breeds. We were also successful in closing a loophole in F.S.474 that allows unlicensed veterinarians to practice in Florida.

This was a major victory for Florida veterinarians! (A complete legislative report is included on page 7.) The entire FVMA membership needs to continue to be ever vigilant on legislative issues that can have

2010 • FVMA ADVOCATE • Issue 3

lasting effects on our profession.

A new hurricane season began on June 1. Many experts predict a very active season. One of my goals, as president of the FVMA, is to see every veterinarian and every local VMA have a comprehensive disaster response plan. We learned after the storms of 2004 and 2005 those FVMA members who had a plan in place before the storm were able to recover and get back to some sort of order much faster than those who did not have a viable plan in place. Needless to say, this is a massive undertaking and many people are involved in making this happen. Dr. Terry Clekis, chairman of the FVMA Disaster Response Committee, is recruiting veterinarians from all areas of the state to help this become a reality. The Florida Veterinary Corps along with the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine VETS Team and the FVMA are all part of the total plan for responding to a major disaster(s) such as hurricanes, tornados and wildfires. Anyone who has an interest in disaster response may contact me, Dr. Clekis or the FVMA office for more information.

The FVMA leadership is excited to announce the launch of the FVMA’s new website that will debut the end of July. This long awaited membership service upgrade will allow the FVMA to better disseminate information to you -- the membership.

I am excited, honored and humbled to be serving as your president. Members of the Executive Board, Phil Hinkle and his entire staff and I, will work tirelessly in meeting the challenges and opportunities that confront this organization in the coming year. We need your help. Please consider serving on one of the various FVMA committees when asked.

Finally, I would like to thank our past president, Dr. Jerry Shank. His enthusiasm and unselfish efforts to promote organized veterinary medicine during difficult economic times should be applauded. His leadership has been an encouragement to all he has touched.

IN THIS ISSUE 4 | Installation of New Officers

and Executive Board

12

7 | Legislative Session Ends 12 | Closing the Gap

16

16 | FVMA Congratulates UF Class of

DEPARTMENTS

20 | FVMA’s 81st Annual Conference

10 | Members in the News

2012 - Sophomore Coating Ceremony A Tremendous Success

24 | FVMA’s Annual Membership

2 | President’s Message 30 | Calendar of Events

Recruitment & Retention Campaign

31 | Classifieds

27 | USDA Accreditation Deadline

IN REMEMBRANCE Kevin J. Anderson, Ph.D., 54, an associate professor of anatomy and neurobiology at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, died June 15, 2010 after a long and courageous fight with brain cancer.

Anderson had been a member of the UF CVM faculty since 1988, and taught gross anatomy to every veterinary student class since then. UF veterinary students chose him several times to receive their top teaching awards, given by individual classes and also by the Student Chapter of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

This past spring, he was named the college’s College Council 2010 Teacher of the Year, the highest teaching honor bestowed by the council based on criteria including knowledge of subject matter, clarity of presentation, concern for students’ mastery of subject, fairness, enthusiasm for teaching and overall interest in student welfare. Anderson also received the award in 1990.

In 1994, the college awarded Anderson its prestigious C.E. Cornelius Young Investigator Award for his

research. His most recent research focused on the biomarkers of traumatic brain injury, and had received funding support from the Veteran’s Administration and other sources.

Anderson received his undergraduate degree in biology and subsequently a master’s degree in zoology, both from Washington State University. His devotion to and interest in anatomy took him to the University of Kentucky where he completed a Ph.D. in anatomy in 1984. Subsequently, Anderson conducted four years of postdoctoral research at the University of California, Irvine.

Anderson served for many years as the faculty advisor and ride team leader for Team Vet Med, a group of cyclists that ride regularly throughout the year and also raise money for student scholarships. In recognition of Anderson’s contributions to the group, the scholarship funded by the annual Horse Farm Hundred ride was renamed in his honor last year.

A celebration of Anderson’s life will be held sometime in August when many of UF’s veterinary students will return to Gainesville. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Kevin Anderson Team Vet Med Scholarship at the UF veterinary college; to UF, to Haven Hospice, or to a memorial of your choice. www.FVMA ADVOCATE.com

Installation of New Officers and Board

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an M. Hasse, DVM from Sarasota, was installed as president of the Florida Veterinary Medical Association’s Executive Board on April 9 during the Awards and Installation Ceremony held at the 81st Annual FVMA Conference in Tampa.

Other installation of officers and board include the following: Dr. James A. Kanzler, president-elect, Dr. Jerry P. Shank, past president; Dr. Richard B. Williams, treasurer;

Jan M. Hasse, DVM - President

President Hasse, a 1977 graduate of Oklahoma State College of Veterinary Medicine, worked as an associate for one and a half years before opening a Sarasota Animal Hospital with his wife and fellow veterinarian, Dr. Debbie Hasse, in February of 1979. He and his wife owned and managed the exclusively small animal practice for more than 30 years, selling the AAHAcertified hospital practice in August of 2009.

“The FVMA is one of the most respected (state veterinary medical associations) in the country,” Dr. Hasse said.

“We are a resourceful group, especially in this economy. We will come out on top.”

The drive, ambition and vibrancy of the FVMA were shared by an enthusiastic Dr. Hasse at the installation ceremony. He has been a member of the FVMA since 1977 holding six positions within the organization before his current presidency. Dr. Hasse has served as FVMA District VII representative for six years, as co-chairman of the FVMA Disaster Response Committee, president to FVMA Foundation, chairman of the budget and finance committee for FVMA, Board of Governors of FVMA, and FVMA president-elect. He has been a member of the Southwest Florida Veterinary Medical Association since 1977, serving as secretary/treasurer, vice president and president.

Dr. Hasse has been a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association for 33 years.

Married for 34 years, Dr. Hasse has three grown children and four grandchildren. During his years of raising a family, he became a charter member helping to establish the Sarasota Baptist Church in 1984 where he has served as a deacon and as head of the finance committee.

Serving on past boards and taking on many responsible, leadership positions have prepared Dr. Hasse to be a strong and beneficial president for the FVMA. A member of the Sunset Kiwanis Club, he has served almost every office in that organization and served on the boards of the Faith Christian School and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. When not serving on a board, he enjoys fishing, hiking, snow skiing and his grandchildren.

2010 • FVMA ADVOCATE • Issue 3

Dr. Charles P. Hall of Tallahassee as the new District I — Big Bend representative; Dr. Richard C. Sutliff of Jacksonville, District II – Northeast representative; Dr. Richard M. Carpenter of Fort Myers, District VII – Southwest representative; and Dr. James A. Brechin of Destin who will fill the unexpired term for District VIII – Northwest representative left open by Dr. Wallace R. Belcher who moved out-of-state.

James A. Kanzler, DVM - President-Elect

The new FVMA president-elect is Dr. Kanzler of Bradenton, a graduate of Auburn University, Class of 1978. He started his general veterinary practice in 1980 and later limited it to a small animal medicine and surgery practice in 1985. Dr. Kanzler is also a past president of the Southwest Florida VMA, has served on the board of directors for the Southeastern Guide Dogs for many years, has been on the FVMA Executive Board for five years, and has been both a member of the FVMA and AVMA since graduation.

Richard B. Williams, DVM - Treasurer

Dr. Williams of Jacksonville is the newly-elected FVMA treasurer. The former District II representative, he is a member of the Jacksonville Veterinary Medical Society since 1981, the continuing education chairman and a former president. Dr. Williams has been a member of the AVMA, FVMA and American Animal Hospital Association, all since 1981. He was named Veterinarian of the Year at the 2010 FVMA 81st annual conference held in Tampa in April.

OFFICERS

BOARD MEMBERS REPRESENTATIVE TO THE EXECUTIVE BOARD

Charles “Pat” Hall, DVM -District 1

Dr. Hall of Tallahassee is the new District 1 Big Bend representative for the FVMA Executive Board. He earned his DVM degree in 1976 from Auburn University, School of Veterinary Medicine and practices small animal medicine and surgery at Westwood Animal Hospital in Tallahassee. For 34 years he has been a member of the FVMA, the AVMA and the Big Bend Veterinary Medical Association.

REPRESENTATIVE TO THE EXECUTIVE BOARD Richard M. Carpenter, DVM - District 7

Dr. Carpenter of Fort Myers, appointed the FVMA District VII representative, is a 1974 graduate of Iowa State University School of Veterinary Medicine. He practiced in Iowa until 1986, relocating to Virginia where he was an assistant professor for the University of Virginia Medical School. In 1997 Dr. Carpenter established his first practice in Fort Myers and currently practices at the Animal Clinic at Kelly Crossing. Dr. Carpenter is a member and officer for the Caloosa Veterinary Society of Lee County, a board member for the Animal Rescue Center, a no-kill shelter, and a member of AVMA and the Iowa VMA.

Jerry P. Shank, DVM - Past President

Dr. Shank fulfilled his 2009 presidential year and is now performing the many past presidential duties that include the responsibility of the 82nd FVMA Conference Awards Committee chairmanship for 2010 to be awarded at the 2011 82nd conference at the Buena Vista Palace and Spa in Orlando on April 29 through May 1. Dr. Shank of Ft. Lauderdale earned his DVM degree in 1970 from Ohio State University and is president and chief veterinarian for the small animal practice at his Shank Animal Hospital.

REPRESENTATIVE TO THE EXECUTIVE BOARD Richard C. Sutliff, DVM - District 2

Dr. Sutliff of Jacksonville is the new District II Northeast representative for the FVMA Executive Board. He studied Organic Chemistry and Animal Science at New College in Sarasota and Morehead (KY) State University. Upon graduation, he became an insurance underwriter specializing in equine mortality insurance and farm owners insurance and was an emergency veterinary tech/adjunct college instructor at UNF. Dr. Sutcliff graduated with honors in 1999 from the UF College of Veterinary Medicine at the age of 36. He is the owner of the Scott Mill Animal Hospital since 2003. Dr. Sutliff has served as the secretary for the Jacksonville Veterinary Medical Society from 2004 to 2007, vice president from 20072008 and president 2008-2009.

REPRESENTATIVE TO THE EXECUTIVE BOARD James M. Brechin, DVM - District 8

Continuing to offer his services to the board is Dr. Brechin of Destin as District VIII Northwest representative to fulfill the unexpired term of Dr. Wallace Belcher. Dr. Brechin earned his DVM degree from Auburn in 1974 and practiced as an associate veterinarian in Jacksonville from 1974 to 1975 and in Nashville, TN from 1975 to 1977.

He has been the owner of the Destin Animal Clinic from 1977 to present. Dr. Brechin helped organize the Miracle Strip VMS in 1981, and served the MSVMS as president and CE chairman. He has held several positions including president of the FVMS since 2000, his local Destin Chamber of Commerce 1982-1983 as president and 1987-1988 as president of the Destin Rotary Club.

All new positions became effective April 12. www.FVMA ADVOCATE.com

Legislative Session Ends The FVMA Takes Its Place at the Legislative Table

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hen we tell you that nearly 2,500 general bills were filed jointly between the Florida House and Senate during the 2010 Legislative Session, it may surprise you that only 301 bills passed. Of the 301 bills passed, 16 of those did not survive Governor Charlie Crist’s veto. Only 12 percent of the bills made the cut.

With the state still plodding through a looming recession, thousands of bills were bogged down either by their fiscal impacts, their controversial nature or

by Governor Crist. The FVMA was “at the table” every step of the way. Our legislative team fought for and against bills until the last minute of the last day of session; demanding that state government keep its nose out of veterinary businesses.

Relationships were tested and strengthened as the FVMA learned that a “you’re either with us or against us” attitude does not hold true in the legislative session. We scrambled alongside the animal control group to kill breed-specific bills. Later we would oppose the same group wholeheartedly, as it pushed for using government funds to subsidize shelter spays and neuters for the public regardless of their ability to pay. Similarly, Sen. Nan Rich (D, Sunrise) and the sponsor of the anti-bestiality bill, carried one issue for us, but also supported the spay/neuter subsidies that would leave animal shelters with a financial advantage over veterinarians.

One issue FVMA got passed was done quietly in order to preserve its integrity. The bill demands that one must be licensed by the state to practice veterinary medicine. Although the law seemed clear about this necessary standard, many foreign-trained and out-of-state veterinarians were practicing in Florida temporarily without adhering to state standards, thus posing a safety risk to Florida’s animals and to Florida’s fragile economy.

Since the 2010 Session came to an end, we have had time to reflect on what occurred and where things now stand in the world of veterinary medicine. We have outlined our successes and failures in the paragraphs below. Please take the time to read them, and make note of your profession’s place at the political table. » Breed Specific Legislation Early on in session came discussion of a bill boldly filed that would allow city and county governments the right to ban a specific breed of dogs from living in their communities, solely based on breed. The bill sought to remove the prohibition in Florida Statute that prevents local governments from banning ownership of a specific breed of dogs. The FVMA carried the message to the legislature that education and enforcement of current law was the real answer to this problem.

The bill was not only poor in its conception, but it had many fundamental issues. As expected, most of the public hearings made mention of pit bulls over and over again. However, there was no notable strategy for handling dogs that are part bulldog or part pit bull. We brought forward concerns that other large breeds could be banned, while smaller breeds with smaller bites may not be. The FVMA’s biggest concern was that families would hide their animals or not assure proper veterinary care because they would be afraid their pets would be taken away.

The committee hearings lasted for hours and received a good bit of media coverage.

Nearly all of the animal welfare groups were opposed to the measure to overturn the prohibition on government deciding “which dogs rule and which dogs drool.” These concerns were enough to kill the bill before it made it to the House and Senate floors.

However, this issue is not going away and our firm will

www.FVMA ADVOCATE.com

continue to take a strong position on this bill and any others that would limit personal rights to own dogs.

Miami-Dade County currently has a ban on pit bulls.

This is the only county in Florida that currently has such a ban. » Bestiality Bill Sen. Nan Rich, (D, Sunrise) finally put to rest a fellow senator’s confusion on the definition of animal husbandry and why “are people taking animals as their husbands?,” for the third year she filed a bill that would have made having sexual activities with animals a first degree misdemeanor. The FVMA worked diligently with the senator again this year to pass this important animal protection bill.

A no-brainer in concept, the bill traveled through all of its committees of reference with few snickers or questions. Later the bill traveled to the Senate floor where it passed unanimously sending it over to the House to await a hearing. The bill was a victim to the legislative process. As House members spent the last two days of the legislative session arguing a bill that would require women to pay for ultrasounds prior to having abortions, many bills died. The emotional party line debate consumed a great amount of time in the last few days of the 2010 session, only to be vetoed by Governor Crist. In the final hours of session Sen. Rich was able to amend her bill to a number of Senate bills, but they failed to pass. We are sure that Sen. Rich will decide to tackle this bill again in 2011. If she decides not to run the bill again, the FVMA representatives will find another bill sponsor for the 2011 legislative session. » Closing Loopholes … Protecting the Public The FVMA’s highest legislative priority is to protect the public from individuals who practice veterinary medicine below the standard of care. Such was the case of 23 polo horses that died in Palm Beach who were under the care of a Venezuelan veterinarian not licensed to practice in Florida. The veterinarian ordered compound drugs that had contradictions and interaction that proved lethal.

Florida law (474 F.S.) provides an exemption that allows veterinarians and many others from other states and countries to practice in Florida. Those traveling with sports teams and owners of certain sports animals could come to Florida, practice and bypass Florida licensure. The FVMA adamantly opposes this practice. During FVMA Legislative Days, the participants found an opportunity to begin closing this loophole. Meeting with Rep. Rodolfo Garcia (D,

2010 • FVMA ADVOCATE • Issue 3

Miami) and Rep. Joseph Abruzzo (D, Palm Beach), as well as the staff from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, the Department of Agriculture and others, the group crafted an amendment to Section 474 F.S. that eliminated part time and independent contractors from practicing veterinary medicine in Florida without a Florida license. The FVMA gratefully acknowledges Dr. Scott Swerdlin for initiating this legislative effort. This was a major victory for Florida veterinarians!

There is still much to be done to correct this issue.

The FVMA will be hard at work this summer and fall preparing to amend other laws that allow for unlicensed veterinary practice in the state. » Save Veterinary Medicine’s Tax Exemption Veterinarians who dispense drugs for treatment of animals enjoy a tax exemption on their purchase. For the last two years legislative committees have examined this exemption as they have struggled to fund the state budget. Even though the tax would be passed on to the consumer it would have a significant impact on veterinary medicine. A tax on veterinary medicine could result in fewer client veterinary visits and a reluctance to treat animals with needed medications due to the increased cost. Clients would automatically pay a substantial six percent or more tax increase.

Other clients would simply buy more of their pet drugs on the internet thereby circumventing the law.

The cost of the collection and accounting for the tax would be an added cost for the veterinary practice. The FVMA will remain vigilant and continue to work to kill any proposal that would impose a tax on veterinary medicine.

The FVMA will work over the summer to plan a strategy for the coming year to be proactive, especially when laws are proposed that will impact the veterinarians’ practices, patients and clients. With the continued hard work of the FVMA executive director, staff, board and legislative team, we will work diligently to improve veterinary medicine in Florida.

Report submitted by the firm Mixon and Associates, the FVMA’s lobbyists

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FVMA MEMBER NEWS

By BRENDA EGGERT BRADER FVMA Communications and Public Relations Director

Dr. Ernest Godfrey Named Distinguished Alumnus

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UBURN, AL – The Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine has named Dr. Ernest C. Godfrey Jr., DVM of Largo, as a 2010 Wilford S. Bailey Distinguished Alumnus in honor of his contributions to animal welfare, the profession, and his community.

Dr. Godfrey received his doctorate of veterinary medicine from Auburn in 1968. The Florida Veterinary Medical Association awarded Dr. Godfrey, co-director of St. Petersburg Animal Emergency Clinic and owner of Pinellas Animal Hospital and Seminole Boulevard Animal Hospital, its top honor – the Distinguished Service Award – in 2001. In 1990 the FVMA named Dr. Godfrey Veterinarian of the Year; in 2008, a Champion of Veterinary Medicine; and in 2010 presented him the FVMA President’s Award.

“Dr. Godfrey exhibits dedicated and unselfish service to the veterinary profession,” said Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine Dean Tim Boosinger. “His involvement occurs at the local, state, and national levels.”

2010 Distinguished Award Program Winners Named

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he owner of a Miami-area attraction and the developer of three pet-related businesses joined a retired Jacksonville veterinarian and a small animal surgeon on the list of those honored as 2010 Distinguished Award winners by the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. All doctors are FVMA members.

Sponsored by the college’s alumni council, the program offers recognition to deserving alumni, faculty and others who have contributed meaningfully to UF and/or to the veterinary profession.

Dena Baker, DVM of Naples, received the college’s Alumni Achievement Award. Baker graduated from the college in 2000 and started Mobile Pet Vet in 2003. She provides full-service, in-home veterinary care to Naples 10 2010 • FVMA ADVOCATE • Issue 3

He is a current FVMA delegate to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), a member of the FVMA Executive Board, the FVMA CVM Advisory Committee, the FVMA Legislative Committee, and he serves as FVMA Program Chair.

Since 1976 Dr. Godfrey has served on the board of directors for the Central Florida Academy of Veterinary Medicine and since 1983, the Pinellas Animal Foundation. Since 1997 he has actively participated in Pinellas Animal Partners, a group of animal welfare organizations that work to help animals in Pinellas County.

He has been involved with the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Congressional Advocacy Network since 1992 and is a current member of the VMA (AVMA) State Advocacy Committee. Dr. Godfrey is a supporter of the veterinary technology program at St. Petersburg College in Pinellas and for many years served on the AVMA’s Veterinary Technician Testing Committee.

The distinguished alumni award is named in honor of Dr. Wilford S. Bailey, a veterinary parasitologist, who held a 50-year continuous faculty appointment at Auburn University after receiving his veterinary degree in 1942, serving in positions from instructor to university president.

Other distinguished alumni award recipients were J. Russell Lindsey, DVM, of Birmingham, AL, and Gary B. Beard of Auburn, AL. This story was provided to the Advocate courtesy of the Auburn University website.

◣ Dr. Kristin Kirkby, left; Dr. Russell Snyder, Dr. Dena Baker & Dr. Bernard Levine were named the 2010 UF College of Veterinary Medicine Distinguished Award winners. (Photo courtesy Sarah Carey)

area pet owners. She also cofounded, in 2004, Innovative Veterinary Products, a company that makes disposable items used by veterinarians. Baker recently started a third business, Neapolitan Gourmet Pet Food, that produces high quality, veterinary formulated diets. She is in the process of opening a new pet resort and wellness center with an attached veterinary clinic for dogs and cats.

The Outstanding Young Alumnus Award went to Kristin Kirkby, DVM, a board-certified small animal surgeon and 2003 graduate of the college. Kirkby received undergradu-

ate and master’s degrees from UF and stayed at the college to complete her residency in small animal surgery in 2008.

During her training, Kirkby developed a keen interest in physical therapy and postoperative rehabilitation -- treatment methods well known in human medicine but less developed in veterinary medicine. As a result of her efforts, the college received funding to implement a physical therapy service, complete with a state-of-the-art underwater treadmill. Kirkby now is a certified canine rehabilitation therapist and serves as director of UF’s Small Animal Rehabilitation and Fitness Center.

She also is pursuing a Ph.D. at the college, focusing on the effects of low-level laser therapy on intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury in the rat.

Russell Snyder, VMD, a retired veterinarian from Jacksonville, received the Distinguished Service Award. Since helping with the original plans to establish a veterinary college at UF several decades ago, Snyder has remained an active advocate of the school. He has actively supported the college through local and state veterinary associations as well as politically in the legislature. As president of the Jacksonville Veterinary Medical Society, Snyder played a key role in establishing two scholarships to benefit UF veterinary students. He also contributed personally and solicited additional private support from colleagues to help build UF’s new small animal hospital.

He has served on the college’s admission committee and has been a member of its advisory committee for more than 25 years.

Bernard M. Levine, DVM, owner of the Parrot Jungle Island tropical theme park in Miami, received the Special Service Award. Levine received his bachelor’s degree from UF and his veterinary degree from Auburn University. He has supported the UF veterinary college for years by serving on its capital campaign committee and by providing his park as a venue for continuing education and fundraising activities to support UF’s new small animal hospital.

He has supported scholarships for UF veterinary students and has worked to expand the college’s outreach not only in Miami but throughout the state.

The awards were presented May 29 at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts during college commencement exercises.

Story courtesy of Sarah Carey Public Relations UF College of Veterinary Medicine

FVMA Executive Board Retiring Members The FVMA recognizes its recently retired executive board members who have given of their time and talent to serve the FVMA and its 3,200 members.

Dr. John R. Bass has served the FVMA Executive Board as District III Central representative for two terms from 1998 to 2004, and served the FVMA in the treasurer’s position for another two terms from 2003 to 2009.

He has also served as president, secretary and treasurer of his local association, the Volusia County Veterinary Medical Society. Dr. Bass was honored by his peers this year in being presented with the Distinguished Service Award at the conference.

Dr. Michael J. Pridgeon, who practices veterinary medicine at the Westwood Animal Hospital in Tallahassee, has left the executive board after serving three years as the District I Big Bend representative. Earning his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1999 from the University of Florida, Dr. Pridgeon was named a Gold Star recipient in 2005. He is a former president of his area association, the Big Bend Veterinary Medical Association.

Selling his Westside Animal Hospital in Pensacola and moving to Alabama, Dr. Wallace R. Belcher resigned his position as the District VIII Northwest representative for the FVMA Executive Board this year. He earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1975 from Auburn University and practiced large and small animal medicine in his more than 30-year career. Unable to attend the recent conference, Dr. Belcher was recognized and appreciated for his service to the board from 2007 to 2010 at the awards ceremony. www.FVMA ADVOCATE.com 11

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By BRENDA EGGERT BRADER FVMA Communications and Public Relations Director

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uniors enrolled in the University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine “closed the gap” by sharing questions and dialogue with members of the Florida Veterinary Medical Association. The FVMA members volunteered some quality time sharing their experiences with the students in a roundtable forum called “Closing the Gap” at the FVMA’s 81st Annual Conference in Tampa on April 9.

Students Tricia Fiebrandt, Ian Birkbeck and Brandon Culbertson shared some insight into their selected field of study. One of the students decided upon a career in veterinary medicine because she always liked science.

“I always used science a lot, liked animals and medicine and decided veterinary medicine would be for me,” said Birkbeck, who plans to work in a small animal hospital.

Joining a practice Culbertson wants “to keep my options open. I may go to another state, but not to too far North.”

Fiebrandt plans a career as a veterinarian in the U.S. Army.

Shannon Skevakis is treasurer for the University of Florida, Veterinary Business Management Association, and the organization that helped sponsor the forum.

“I think you have to love animals and they

need a voice,” Skevakis said about deciding to be a veterinarian. “As a child, I was either going to be a teacher, a vet or go into art. My parents were teachers and they were always asking what I wanted to be when I grew up.

I always took science and had to know how everything works. I like problem-solving. I am big on customer service and I love to help people. I was brought up to be a compassionate person.”

Angela Avok, a member of VBMA, compares being a veterinarian to “being a pediatrician,” Avok said. “Animals don’t talk. I used to be a kennel technician and when I got my pay check I thought, you mean I get paid for doing this? This is the coolest thing. I am a second career veterinary student. I was working at Disney and decided I wanted to be a veterinarian. I took a few science classes to see if it was really something I wanted to do. It was.

So I made arrangements to live without a job and I got accepted into veterinary school.”

And that’s what the Closing the Gap roundtable was all about. It was a sharing of backgrounds, concerns and the exploring of the profession through the give and take of knowledge and advice of the practicing veterinarians. Students were given the opportunity to grasp an insight into how everyone goes through the same challenges and fears after college graduation.

Four topics were selected for discussion. Through rotation, each student and veterinarian moved to another table during scheduled breaks in the session so everyone could discuss the information. Topics included business education for the practice, how to run a practice, do students have enough business education when they graduate and what do they wish there was more of a focus on? A second topic dealt with what practitioners look for and don’t look for when hiring graduates; the third, mentorship versus internships for students and the last, marketing yourself and your practice.

The discussed information overlapped and doctors eagerly shared more and more about their practices, their first years of work and advice, lots and lots of inspired advice.

Dr. Richard Wilkes urged students to get experience. Practice, in this case, may make perfect.

“Go to an emergency clinic,” Dr. Wilkes said. “You are under fire there.

Go do 15 spays on your day off at the humane society. Then every day of your life you will be able to do this. Attend veterinary Wet Labs. Stick with it until it is imprinted as part of your life.”

◥ UF students Tricia Fiebrandt, left; Ian Birkbeck and Brandon Culbertson talked about their veterinary medicine at the Closing the Gap program.

“I wanted some knowledge base and even as a student there is a chance to volunteer after hours and on weekends,” Dr. Jo Ann Daniels said. “That way you are not stumbling through something because you are not seeing something that you haven’t seen before.”

High on the priority list of procedures in the practice was caring and friendliness.

“That first year is all about learning and confidence,” Dr. Wilkes said. “Have a good attitude. Walk into a (exam) room, shake hands and make sure the client knows that you care about their animal that is there.”

“Always show you care,” said Dr. Dani McVerly.

In a daily practice, a veterinarian must be careful to not get too clinical in detail to turn off his or her clients.

“Be professional, but don’t get too professional,” Dr. Daniels said. “If the doctor talks to all (clients) in a similar fashion (as that of the client) the more they are going to relate to you and you gain their trust.”

Dr. Jenifer Chatfield reminded students -- “don’t baby talk to animals, but show caring. Just do the best job you can do and that is the best the client can expect.”

The veterinarians discussed their practices and the choices of being an associate or an owner. Others shared their thoughts on seeking an internship or work with a mentor after graduation.

Dr. Stephen Joiner thinks associate veterinarians should be paid fairly and based on how hard they work. He uses $69,000 as a base salary. In his practice, if an associate is not good he will not be there after a year.

“I have some associates that have been there 12 years and have a generous package,” Dr. Joiner said. “I would recommend that students go talk to our associates and they will tell you how it works.”

“I had one associate that had a loan debt and she was so www.FVMA ADVOCATE.com 13

scared,” said Dr. Michael Morgan of Pensacola who shared the size of his loan debts with the associate. The size of his debts made her debts seem not as bad.

The scariest part in looking at a low-paying internship is when you look at the numbers (to have to pay back the college debt), Dr. Morgan said.

“I couldn’t afford to work as an intern,” Dr. Joiner said. “I found a doctor to mentor me. He taught me a lot. I learned that the owner can’t walk away from the business if it fails, but an associate can and that it is not good in a practice that changes people every year. They (veterinarian owners of practices) want someone to stay.”

“I looked for an internship with great mentors (when she graduated),” said Dr. Erica Lacher. “I spent a lot of time there. When I got done, I could do whatever walked into the door.

I was ready to start. You have to be ready on a daily basis.”

As owners of their own veterinary practices, there are multiple duties to tackle on a daily basis and things may be very busy.

Dr. Christine Storts noted “it is important for you guys to realize a single practice gets busy.

We (doctor owners) are there, but we may not always see that you need help.”

Dr. John Bass says he does bookwork on Saturday mornings when he is closed. That is work

◤ Top: Dr. Jerry Rayburn, left, FVMA District III representative; Dr. Mike McIntire, consulting veterinarian for Hill’s Pet Nutrition and Dr. Stephen Shores, AVMA alternate delegate to the FVMA Executive Board and PAC chairman, share advice with University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine students.

◢ Below: Dr. Karen Felsted, conference speaker on practice management, rear center with Dr. James Dee, center right, discuss practice issues with students.

14 2010 • FVMA ADVOCATE • Issue 3

that must be done and he has to do it when the practice is not open.

“For some veterinarians medicine is just a job,” Dr. Bass said. “For others, it is going to become your life.

He also noted that, “In the beginning, you don’t know what type of practice you are going to want.”

Concluding comments by the veterinarians indicated how thrilled they were to participate in the roundtable.

“I am impressed that they (students) care about those things – business and such,” Dr. Bass said. “I was impressed. If they only knew how we are as excited to talk to them as they are to talk to us.”

Dr. Jerry Rayburn enjoyed sharing and liked the exchange of the two age groups.

“Anytime you take two generations and put them together to talk, it can’t help but get better,” Dr. Rayburn said.

But Dr. Wilkes summed it up by sharing some wisdom with some students.

“The first four years are critical to give you the foundation and don’t ever give up,” Dr. Wilkes said.

VETERINARY STUDENT BUSINESS CLUB HOLDS FIRST-EVER FORUM AT FVMA CONFERENCE GAINESVILLE — This year’s annual meeting of the Florida Veterinary Medical Association featured a first-ever forum focusing on the business concerns of students and practitioners, in a sort of speed-dating style venue that encouraged discussion among participants across a range of topics.

University of Florida veterinary students who attended hope at least some lasting unions with future employers will result.

Members of the UF College of Veterinary Medicine’s chapter of the Veterinary Business Management Association, a student club, came up with the idea after attending the national VBMA meeting in Orlando in 2009. That meeting’s focus had been veterinary student debt.

“We thought those debt-related discussions were helpful, but wanted to take some of the concepts in a different direction,” said Laura Seheult, VBMA president and a member of the UF veterinary college’s Class of 2012.

A committee was formed within UF’s VBMA chapter to further pursue what might be done.

“We decided we wanted to address four topics,” Seheult said. “One was business education in the veterinary curriculum; the second was qualifications of graduates and what practitioners are looking for; another topic was mentorship and internships; and finally, we wanted to discuss marketing yourself and your practice.”

The result was the “Closing the Gap” seminar.

“All in all, this was a hugely successful event that we hope to improve and repeat annually at FVMA,” said Stephanie King, a member of the UF CVM’s Class of 2010 and VBMA’s senior advisor. King chaired the committee that organized the event.

“Phil Hinkle (FVMA’s executive director) was especially amazing at helping us coordinate this effort, and I think that with this event, the students can start to feel a real presence of the FVMA in their career progression.”

Practitioners, industry representatives, FVMA board members and even some UF CVM faculty participated in the forum, Seheult said.

“To accommodate the number of people, we decided

to have 16 tables, four tables per topic, and that individuals would stay with each topic for 20 minutes, then move to the next topic table,” Seheult said. “We even played the Jeopardy theme song to help the transition. At the end of each session, we collected sheets from each table to summarize the points discussed by each group.”

The group’s goal had been to have between 60 and 80 practitioners and industry representatives present, and the FVMA helped the students advertise the event in registration flyers.

“We ended up with 45-50 participants and were very pleased with that,” Seheult said.

What was the biggest problem they experienced? People engaged so much at their tables that they didn’t want to have to get up and move to the next discussion.

“Participants said in their feedback that they needed more time, that they were just having really good discussions,” Seheult said, adding, “It’s the first time we’ve ever done this as a club and we were just so excited about the results.”

Feedback showed that for many students, one of the biggest issues involved the question of internship vs. mentorship.

“Students expressed that they are planning on doing an internship because they do not feel confident or experienced enough to go straight into a private practice after graduation,” Seheult said. “But the practitioners gave the feedback that for them, mentorship could be just as good as an internship and might even be a better way to get to know the practice and how they run it.”

For Seheult, that feedback was especially meaningful.

“Practitioners were saying, ‘you guys aren’t confident at all, but we support you,’” Seheult said. “I came away from this event feeling like I have a very good support network. Additionally, the FVMA let us know that they were here for the students, that they want to be involved in our education and help us grow. For me, that was so reassuring.”

Story courtesy of Sarah Carey Public Relations UF College of Veterinary Medicine www.FVMA ADVOCATE.com 15

the

Class FVMA CONGRATULATES of 2012

Sophomore Coating Ceremony Class of 2012 listed in alphabetical order alongside their respective Coat Presenter(s)

A

PLEDGE of PROFESSIONALISM

s a student of veterinary medicine, I understand the need to develop and protect a professional identity, ethical behavior and honor. The development of this identity, a vital process in my education will help ensure that I am true to the professional relationship I establish between society and myself. Integrity must 16 2010 • FVMA ADVOCATE • Issue 3

be an essential part of my everyday life. I understand professionalism does not commence with graduation; rather it begins with my membership in the academic college community. I will strive to practice my profession with honesty and pledge to uphold these standards as I advance in my professional studies.

Class of 2012

Coat Presenter(s)

Melissa Adams. . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Anne Scholl-Mealey Michael Alber . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Murray Brown William Alex Alvarez. . . . . . . Dr. Marije Risselada Sandra Anderson. . . . . . . . . . Dr. Heidi Goss Johnattan Arango. . . . . . . . . Drs. Anderson & Lewis Lauren Bamberger. . . . . . . . . Drs. Diane & Scott Delmain Jason Barnes . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. James Bailey Chad Bearden. . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Bucky Bearden Alexia Berg. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. David Allred Megan Brown. . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Ray Mobley Jessica Burgess. . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Murray Brown Kathleen Colby. . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Molly Pearson Seth Colman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Traci Krueger Alisa Corser. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Stephanie Meyer Ashley Cristelli. . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Rosanna Marsella Jennifer Davies. . . . . . . . . . . . Drs. Greiner and Estrada Jason De La Paz. . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Arthur Donovan Alissa Deming . . . . . . . . . . . . Drs. Greiner and Wellehan Misha Dunbar. . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Louis F. Archbald Kiri Dunn. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Elizabeth Jolin Sareena Enloe . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Jeff Abbott Jeremy Faris. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Richard McKinniss Kyle Farrell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Heather Price Nicci Fisher. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Jennifer Kern Liesl Flandermeyer . . . . . . . . Dr. Don Samuelson Diane Fletcher . . . . . . . . . . . . Drs. Dow & McCollough

Susan Fogelson . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Ruth Francis-Floyd Ellen Gray. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Heather Price Nika Grigsby. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Drs. Dennis & Debra VanRoekel Morgan Guoan. . . . . . . . . . . . Drs. Anderson & Norman Mila Henderson. . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Dawn Miller Jared High . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Jim Kanzler Julie Hilligas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Moody McCall Jill Honiker. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Amy Stone Eric Hostnik . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Amy Stone Jared Jaffey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Heather Wamsley Brady Jorth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. David Chapman Stephanie Kane. . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Richard Kane Jimmy Kidwell. . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Rick Alleman Rachel Lande. . . . . . . . . . . . . Drs. Estrada and Gibbs Katie Levesque. . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Caleb Hudson Kristen Lewandowski . . . . . . Dr. Ellis Greiner Len Lucero . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Amanda House Annie Martin . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Colin Burrows Erin McGill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Dale Porcher Erin McKee-Hughes. . . . . . . . Dr. Patti Gordon Christa McKinley . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Melissa Webster Morgan Menasco. . . . . . . . . . Dr. Rick Alleman Kelly Meyer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Drs. Isaza and Robertson Jaimie Miller. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Drs. Greiner and Spalding Brooke Minton. . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Jennifer Wallace Alexandra Orlova. . . . . . . . . . Dr. Ellis Greiner Pete Otovic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Terry Curtis Brianne Phillips. . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Jenny Meegan Michael Piccione . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Luisito Pablo

Nicki Puza. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Caleb Hudson William Bo Rainbow. . . . . . . Drs. Anderson and LeBlanc Erin Ramsdell. . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Jael Gladnick John Rand. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Erin Holder Eryn Roberts. . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Steven Roberts Teresa Rodina. . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Luisito Pablo Eric Rubin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Janine Tash Stephanie Sabshin. . . . . . . . . Dr. J. Roy Brooks Jessica Scott. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Richard Sammy Laura Seheult. . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Neville Sookra Jason Siegelheim. . . . . . . . . . Dr. Mitchell Kornet Stephen Spook. . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Tom Davis Jamie Stahl. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Eric Anderson Jessie Stanley. . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Carey Bailey Tyler Stubblefield . . . . . . . . . Dr. Heather Wamsley Tess Tanner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Heather Wamsley Sharon Tenebaum. . . . . . . . . Dr. Bruce Sullivan Tiffany Tupler. . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Cynda Crawford Michelle Twilla . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Mark Twilla Lauren Unger . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Julie Levy Becky Urion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Greg Todd Eric van Eerde. . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Lisa Farina Myles Walker. . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. George Simmons Brittany Wasdin . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Tamra White Kyle Webb. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Jeff Abbott Stacey West. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Josh Storm Jennifer Wiepert. . . . . . . . . . Dr. Luisito Pablo Jane Woodrow. . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. K. Leann Kuebelbeck Amy Wysocki. . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Owen Rae www.FVMA ADVOCATE.com  17

UF Sophomore Coating Ceremony

By BRENDA EGGERT BRADER FVMA Communications and Public Relations Director

I Dr. James Kanzler, FVMA president-elect, delivers the UF College of Veterinary Medicine Sophomore Coating Ceremony address.

Laura Seheult (above) and Lauren Unger (below) were the two recipients of the Champion of Veterinay Medicine 2010 Student Scholarships for the Sophomore Class. Dr. Larry G. Dee was named the Champion of Veterinary Medicine for the sophomore class and presented the awards with Dr. Kanzler.

18 2010 • FVMA ADVOCATE • Issue 3

t’s a coat of only one color – white – emblazoned with the student’s name, but the symbolism of donning that white coat and the succeeding accomplishments it represents, makes the University of Florida sophomore Coating Ceremony serious and prestigious, yet a joyous occasion.

The ceremony, held on the UF campus on May 28, is a symbol that the veterinary students are moving from academics to their “clinicals.” The “clinicals” the students begin in their junior year of study, is the hands-on portion of the veterinary study where they work on and with both large and small animals at the two clinics on the UF campus.

During the coating ceremony, students receive their coats from a veterinarian (or veterinarians) whom the student invites to perform the honor. Only veterinarians are allowed on the stage to do the coating. The veterinarians are friends, respected instructors, relatives or former employers. Some were parents who had the joy and privilege of coating their own son or daughter thus welcoming them into the profession, following in the family footsteps. The veterinarians who participated with the students in the coating ceremony were their mentors.

“The mentor was someone from the school or maybe somebody they worked for at a clinic,” said Dr. James A. Kanzler, FVMA president-elect who shared his thoughts with the students somewhat like a father would in talking with his son when giving the featured presentation for the coating ceremony.

“I coated one of the students in the class,” Dr. Kanzler said. “He had worked for us a little bit when he was a kid. He called and asked me to come and do his coating. I know his parents and I was pleased to be asked to do it. He had no idea I was already going to be there so it worked out well.”

Dr. Kanzler noted, in his presentation, that the best laid plans may not be what the student, upon graduation, will end up doing. He said he worked in a rural practice upon graduation with both large and small animals.

“You usually work for someone else (when you graduate) because you still have plenty to learn,” Dr. Kanzler said. “Then you learn a little bit more when you get out of school. I never anticipated working with large animals as long as I did, but it was a part of my practice for the first five years.

“It was suggested I talk to the students just as I would my own son (also a veterinarian) about graduation,” Dr. Kanzler said. “That is just what I did. I just recounted stories and tried to give them a few life lessons and maybe some recommendations on how they should conduct themselves. It was not exactly high literature, but it was very casual. It worked out well.

“I was impressed by the crowd that came to the ceremony,” Dr. Kanzler said. “There were so many families and they were so enthusiastic and were so pleased. The students were so surprised and thrilled. The whole ceremony was well done. I enjoyed it.”

Of the $9,000 in scholarships that the FVMA awards each year to UF students, two scholarships are awarded to sophomore students annually at the coating ceremony. The presentations are made by an FVMA member veterinarian who has been selected as Champion of Veterinary Medicine by the FVMA Executive Board. This year, Dr. Larry G. Dee was named the FVMA’s 2010 Champion of Veterinary Medicine for the sophomore class. He presented the scholarships to Lauren Unger and Laura Seheult.

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www.FVMA ADVOCATE.com 19

FVMA’s 81st Annual Conference

A Tremendous Success

T

he FVMA organized another successful, vibrant and beneficial conference April 9-11 at the Marriott Tampa Waterside Hotel and Marina playing host to more than 1,000 registered attendees arriving from as far away as New Zealand.

Those attending took advantage of the wide scope of continuing education lectures and Wet Labs were the highlight of the conference. The more than 77 speakers presented more than 272 hours of lectures where a variety of animal-related information was presented. A few of those lectures for veterinarians included neurology, hematology, communication in practice management, and much, much more.

Wet Labs for veterinarians included dental extractions and pain (presented by Michael Peak, DVM, DAVDC); cruciate repair (Preston Stubbs, DVM, DACVS) and ultrasound digital and radiography, both presented by Eric Ferrell, DVM, DACVR. Dentistry positioning radiology lab (Jeanne Perrone, CVT, VTS dentistry) and wound bandaging (Wendy Davies, CVT) were presented for technicians.

The authoritative speakers from across the U.S. and Canada presented information on neurology, hematology, cardiology, parasitology, dermatology, pharmacology, internal medicine (Addison’s Disease), diabetes in dogs and cats, infectious diseases, animal behavior, renal disease, zoonoses, ferrets, rabbits and pocket pets, exotics and reptiles, many aspects of small animal medicine (feline Myocardial Disease, feline diabetes, Addison’s Disease, heartworm biology, fungal diseases) and a variety of courses pertaining to practice management (income tax savings when buying or 20 2010 • FVMA ADVOCATE • Issue 3

selling a practice, nuts and bolts of selling your practice, money and the practice and more).

As you can see, it was a fully packed conference offering continued education in a tremendously beneficial package.

The veterinarians, as well as the technicians and receptionists, found useful and helpful tips to share. One of the first-time attendee veterinarians took Dr. Kirsten Cooke’s lecture on feline diabetes and Dr. Ernest Ward’s practice management lecture.

“Wow is the best way to describe the 81st Annual Conference.”

Dr. Jan Hasse, FVMA President.

“I enjoyed both of these lectures, especially the feline diabetes lectures were very good,” said Dr. Patricia Parrish of Boone, NC. “Glargine (a drug) has been found to be the insulin to cause the majority of remissions in cats. Dr. Cooke is very, very good. You have a lot of good speakers here.”

Dr. Crystal Keeley Bahr from Coral Springs has a small animal general practice. She just finished an internship and found the continuing education great.

Ticks in Florida present a problem to not only veterinarians but also the health departments.

“The tick lecture was excellent,” said Mary P. Echols of Boynton Beach

By BRENDA EGGERT BRADER FVMA Communications and Public Relations Director who works with the Palm Beach County Health Department One Health. She attended Dr. Michael Dryden’s parasitology lecture. “The information was definitely something we can use to answer the public’s questions about ticks in South Florida and why they (governments) don’t spray for ticks. That’s because they are not allowed to.”

“I attended for the cruciate repair for continuing education,” said Dr. Anirude Motie from Melbourne.

“The speaker (Preston Stubbs, DVM, DACVS) was very knowledgeable and has a lot of experience. I attended the conference to keep on top of new methods, techniques and new drugs and new ideas in veterinary medicine.”

Dr. Robert Black of Knoxville was a first-time attendee to an FVMA conference and chuckled when he said Dr. Ernest Ward (who lectured on many phases of practice management) “taught me how to be nice. And I am not always nice,” he said. “There are little things I need to know. I go over it again and refer to my notes a lot. I will be coming back.”

Race Approved CE

New this year, the FVMA’s conference continuing education lecturers were approved by the AAVSB Registry of Approved Continuing Education (RACE). For those states that recognize RACE this made the continuing education valuable to everyone in the country. The FVMA continuing education courses have always been approved by the Florida Board of Veterinary Medicine.

USDA Accreditation

The USDA Accreditation changed for veterinarians this year to a new restructured program that creates two

accreditation categories based on species on which accredited duties will be performed in place of a former single category, according to Mark Berlin, veterinary accreditation coordinator for Florida for APHIS. Conference attendees were treated to special arrangements made by the FVMA so they were able to meet with Berlin to renew accreditations whose deadline is Aug. 2, 2010.

Awards Ceremony

“The best time is when you are president,” said Dr. Jerry Shank, outgoing president of the Florida Veterinary Medical Association addressing the attendees at the Awards Ceremony. “It gives you life and spirit to be able to do the job. The people support you. It gives you zest.”

Dr. Shank was presented with his outgoing president’s plaque at the annual Awards Ceremony.

Twenty Gold Star Award recipients were also honored for their work and contributions to the field of veterinary medicine and presented with plaques at the annual Awards Ceremony held Friday evening in the Marriott.

Four awards are presented within the veterinary medical field to workers who help promote veterinary medicine. The Veterinary Specialists Tampa Bay area facilities Community Outreach Director Alicia Valle was presented the Team Member of the Year Award. Kathy Kampman was awarded the Citizen of the Year Award for her work for the Ridge Veterinary Medical Association in Polk County. Melissa Siekaniec was awarded CVT of the Year for her work as the critical care/intensive care unit technician at the Florida Veterinary Specialists in Tampa. Sammy, the rescued Pomeranian, was posthumously presented the Pet Hero of the Year award for his 15 years of dedicated service in giving comfort to sick and ailing children at the Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida in Fort Myers. Kimm Pontiff, Sammy’s owner and companion, accepted the award.

Three Lifetime Achievement

awards were presented to three deserving veterinarians, Dr. Warren Lee Hinrichs, Dr. Thomas J. Lane and Dr. Sergio E. Vega. Each has had a long career in veterinary medicine and has made considerable contributions to the industry.

Dr. Lane has helped organize groups like Project Pup for visitation pet therapy and a program called Prison Impact Program in Florida that allows prison inmates to foster dogs who are eventually adopted.

Dr. Vega has helped to improve the quality of veterinary medicine with a dedication to education and helping foreign-trained veterinarian peers. He also has served as a board member of the State Board of Veterinary Medicine.

Dr. Hinrichs was instrumental in starting the first emergency clinic in Jacksonville and has owned two separate clinics in that area.

“All of you here know who have motivated you,” Dr. Hinrichs said.

“I remember friends who have motivated me. One of my challenges has been to motivate young veterinarians.”

Dr. Richard B. Williams was awarded the Veterinarian of the Year for his contributions to veterinary medicine through his numerous services to the FVMA and other organizations including the Jacksonville Veterinary Medical Society since 1981.

Dr. John R. Bass, two-term FVMA treasurer, was awarded the special Distinguished Service award, not

www.FVMA ADVOCATE.com 21

given every year. He is not only dedicated to the profession; he has made a commitment of time and energy beyond reasonable expectation and has been serving on the FVMA Executive Board in some capacity for more than 16 years.

The FVMA also recognized six of our industry participants for their support of our 2010 Membership Recruitment and Retention Campaign. Those recognized were: Franck’s Pharmacy, Iams, Merial, Pfizer, PKB Inc. (PKB Animal Health) and Summit VetPharm. Their participation provided more than $750,000 in free products to members who joined or renewed this year.

Two special awards were given, a President’s Award to Dr. Ernest Godfrey and Service Above Self to FVMA Executive Director Philip Hinkle.

Dr. Godfrey’s award is presented to “someone that the president feels has made special contributions to the profession,” said Dr. James Brechin, who made the presentation at the awards ceremony as the master of ceremonies.

“The president’s award is given to somebody that the president feels is above and beyond what anybody else has done,” said Dr. Jerry Shank, now FVMA past-president. “Ernie (Godfrey) is always working for the FVMA. He is just a gem of a man. That is why I chose him.

“The Above All in Service Award is basically what Jim (Brechin) and I decided upon for Phil (Hinkle),” Dr. Shank said. “He was deserving of the President’s Award, but I thought that the President’s Award should go to a veterinarian so we came up with the Rotary Service Above Self, and that is what we felt Phil’s award should be.

You get an email at 2 in the morning from Phil. Sometimes, much to his own chagrin, Phil is taking care of the FVMA when he should be taking care of himself. It (the award) wasn’t sponsored by the Executive Board, but it is from the Executive Board.”

Mr. Hinkle’s award was given as a “special award that Dr. Shank and 22 2010 • FVMA ADVOCATE • Issue 3

myself decided to give to honor how much work Phil has done in the last three years that he has taken over the position as executive director,” Dr. Brechin said. “He deserved some special recognition. In more times than not, Phil would put more work and time for the organization ahead of himself. This will probably be a onetime award.”

Exhibitors, Bingo, Raffles and Silent Auction

More than 105 exhibitors presented their displays to show veterinarians and technicians the latest advances in technology, equipment for the veterinary practice, innovative drug applications and new products available. More than $10,000 in prizes was raffled at the conclusion of the Exhibit Hall on Saturday afternoon. Six attendees went home with big 50-inch big screen televisions, others with Dooney and Burke handbags, still others with laptop computers, radios and DVD players. More than 50 big ticket items were raffled to a crowd whose enthusiasm over the amount of fabulous prizes hit a fever pitch.

The main large prizes were awarded based on each participant to the conference filling in an exhibit bingo card, getting a stamp from each exhibitor that filled a space on the bingo card. The bingo cards, bearing the participants’ names, were tossed into a large circulating bin to be drawn for each prize. Participants winning the big screen TVs were thrilled to be able to have the challenge of finding a way to get their big wins home.

Alumni and Friends Reception

University of Florida Alumni and Friends met for a two-hour reception on Saturday evening. The event is always open to all UF alumni, all DVM attendees and friends of the College of Veterinary Medicine. Great food and lots of fellowship highlight the event.

Preparations are now under way for our 82nd annual conference to be held at the Buena Vista Palace Resort and Spa in beautiful downtown Disney. Make plans now to attend April 28 through May 1, 2011.

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FVMA’s Annual Membership Recruitment and Retention Campaign r u o o t s k n a h t A special stry partners who t c u d o r p e u e r d f n i n i 0 0 1 0 0 0 , 2 0 5 7

$ n a h t e r o m . s r e b m e m g n i w e n e r d have offered n a w e to n

By BRENDA EGGERT BRADER FVMA Communications and Public Relations Director

E

ach year, the FVMA works diligently to expand the voice of our profession with our annual Membership Recruitment and Retention Campaign. This is made easier by the tremendous contributions and support we receive from our industry partners who provide free products or services to our members who renew or join each year. This year’s industry partners were Iams Veterinary Formulas, Merial, Pfizer, PKB Inc., Summit VetPharm and US Compounding Pharmacy.

Their combined support provided more than $750,000 in free products to new and renewing members this year.

US Compounding has graciously stepped in to honor the 2010 Franck’s Pharmacy Membership Recruitment and Retention Program vouchers for all new and renewing members, including the Franck’s Pharmacy vouchers that were already in the hands of members when Franck’s Pharmacy announced they were no longer able to provide veterinary compounding. US Compounding has further agreed to extend the Franck’s Pharmacy offer of a free $50 on any new compounding order through July 30, 2010.

Iams Veterinary Formulas is offering every new member two free dose packs of Prostora Max with a wholesale value of $35. Merial is offering two free threedose cards of Frontline Plus with a wholesale value of $54 to every new and renewing member. PKB Inc. is offering your choice of new products from the Zymox Dermatology or Biotene Veterinary Oral Care Line with a wholesale value of $25. This free offer will be honored for six months from the join date or renewal date of members.

Pfizer Animal Health is offering one free carton of Rimadyl Pain Packs 100 mg. (20 packets of four caplets).

The free product offer is a wholesale value of $74.

Summit VetPharm is offering two free Vectra 3D three packs of your choice with a total wholesale value of $50.

Members in possession of the above vouchers are reminded they do have an expiration date of July 30, 2010. Veterinarians are urged to contact the companies’

24 2010 • FVMA ADVOCATE • Issue 3

sales representatives who will schedule appointments to meet with veterinarians and, in turn, will honor those vouchers. Members are to note the separate voucher deadline for the PKB Inc. coupon.

The FVMA is committed to its goal of continually increasing memberships each year. The FVMA’s leadership is also committed and involved in all aspects of the profession from problematic legal issues to educational public relations, business and practice management issues.

Memberships are being renewed and new members are being welcomed every day. This is due to the hard work of the FVMA Executive Board, Membership Committee, Budget and Finance Committee and the support of our industry partners who have provided more than $288 in free products this year to every regular member, recent graduate member and part-time member who renews or joins. This free product offer more than offsets the cost of their dues investment this year.

As with any organization, membership strengthens the voice of that respective profession. Membership in the FVMA is what lends strength to the FVMA and its ability to protect and defend the future of veterinary medicine in Florida. The FVMA plays a vital role in influencing local ordinances and state legislation that is favorable to the veterinary profession.

New and renewing memberships are still being received. If you are a regular member, recent graduate or part-time employed member and have not renewed your membership for 2010 or have an associate who would like to join and take advantage of the free product offer, it’s not too late. You can join or renew your membership by calling toll free (800) 992-3862 or on the website at www.

FVMA.com. Remember, time is running out because the free product vouchers must be redeemed by July 30, 2010.

Once again, FVMA thanks our 2010 industry partners who, through their support, have offered $750,000 in free product to new and renewing members.

Iams Veterinary Formulas is offering every new member, two free dose packs of Prostora Max with a wholesale value of $35 as a way of saying thank you to FVMA members for joining the association that represents the veterinary profession in Florida. Their contribution to this year’s membership campaign provides more than $10,500 in free product to new members.

Merial is offering every new and renewing member two free three-dose cards of Frontline Plus with a wholesale value of $54. Their contribution to this year’s membership campaign provides more than $133,276 in free product to new and renewing members.

Pfizer is graciously providing every new and renewing member with one free carton of Rimadyl Pain Packs 100 mg (20 packets of four caplets) as part of the FVMA’s Membership Recruitment and Retention Campaign. Their contribution to this year’s membership campaign has a wholesale value of $74 and provides more than $222,000 in free product to new and renewing members.

PKB Animal Health, as a way of thanking members for their continued support of the FVMA, is providing all regular members, recent graduate members and part-time employed new or renewing members, a choice of new products from the Zymox Dermatology or Biotene Veterinary Oral Care Line with a wholesale value of $25 and a total wholesale value of $75,000.

This free offer will be honored for six months from the date they join or renew their memberships.

Summit VetPharm offers all FVMA regular members, recent graduate members and part-time employed members who join or renew their memberships, two free Vectra 3D three packs of the members’ choice with a total wholesale value of $50. Summit VetPharm is offering more than $150,000 in free products to our members this year.

US Compounding Pharmacy is honoring all previous Franck’s Pharmacy vouchers and has extended the offer to all regular members, recent graduate members and part-time employees who join or renew their memberships, for a free new compounded prescription voucher valued up to $50. Their contribution to this year’s membership campaign provides more than $150,000 in free compounded prescriptions to new and renewing members. www.FVMA ADVOCATE.com 25

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26 2010 • FVMA ADVOCATE • Issue 3

August 2, 2010 Is The Renewal Deadline For USDA’s Restructured Accreditation The renewal deadline for all veterinarians for the National Veterinary Accreditation Program (NVAP) is Aug. 2, 2010. There are more than 78,000 veterinarians who are renewing their licenses with the U.S. Department of Agricultures’ Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) who has revised its accreditation licensing.

All veterinarians who have been accredited before Feb. 1, 2010 must apply to continue their accreditation in the revised program, according to Mark Berlin, veterinary accreditation coordinator of Florida APHIS. The Florida Veterinary Medical Association offers the following information that takes members through

Q A

Registration, how do we start?

Veterinarians who have not registered may do so online or by printing the online information forms and faxing the information in to the National Veterinarian Accreditation Office at (301) 734-3641 or (301) 734-0686. Get the forms online at the www.aphis.usda.gov/nvap/ website.

“Follow the instructions,” Berlin says. “If you are already accredited, click on the one that says ‘currently USDA accredited.’

If you have not been accredited anywhere before, when online click on ‘applying for veterinary accreditation for the first time.’

The veterinarians who are applying for the first time are to mail their applications to: USDA, Mark Berlin, 8100 N.W. 15th Place, Gainesville, FL 32606; (352) 313-3081 is my direct phone line for any questions.”

Veterinary accreditation orientation (for the new veterinarians) will be scheduled by Berlin upon receipt of the information. He will personally call each applicant to set up that training.

“The deadline is Aug. 2 for the ones already accredited,” Berlin said. “If they haven’t done it by now, if they make it by that date they will be ok. If the information is not in by Aug. 2 your accreditation may be suspended.

No fee is required for the accreditation application or the later continuing education

Q A

What is deadline for the continuing education?

When should that be accomplished?

“They have until the next registration deadline to perform their continuing education,” Berlin said.

“Once they (veterinarians) receive those letters (of confirmation) that gives the six-digit license number for their accreditation, the letter also will have listed the next renewal date. I think they are putting them all at the five years for all the established veterinarians and three-year renewals for the first-time veterinarians or recent graduates.”

No news is good news or if you have questions

the step by step process of renewal.

Information on that process and what to expect and when, including continuing education, are all answered below.

By BRENDA EGGERT BRADER FVMA Communications and Public Relations Director

Q A

When do I take my continuing education training? Where do I get that information?

“The national office is still working on the training modules for the continuing education,” Berlin said. “The office is trying to get that done by September.

Once that information is set, the office will email everybody.

They also will be notified as to what the online link will be for the web-based, no cost, and no testing required continuing education.”

Category I licensure will require three modules of continuing education and Category II, six modules.

“The modules take about an hour each to do,” Berlin said.

“At the end of each one there will be a certificate. The veterinarians will need to print the certificates and save them in a safe place. When filling out their next renewal form, they will need those certificates to be able to fill out the training information at the bottom of that form. The national office has built in the system, that the veterinarians will be notified six months before renewal that CE training is due. After that time, the system will notify the veterinarians again at three months and then at one month out that their training is due.

They will receive three credit hours for Category I and six continuing education units for Category II.”

Q A

When should I hear if I am accredited & all is well?

“The national office is averaging completion of about a 100 applications a day,” Berlin said. “There are a lot of elements in the system to check such as the veterinarian’s license number and address. It is just a lot of data entry and they are making sure they don’t make any mistakes.

I can tell by the ones I do here, that I have to make sure there are no mistakes. There is a tremendous amount of data entry to perform for the 78,000 applications. An entire staff has been hired that does nothing but the accreditation data entry all day long. The only way a veterinarian will hear from the USDA before Aug. 2 is if verification is needed on questionable information that was submitted on the application.”

Berlin reminds veterinarians that if they have not heard anything since they submitted their accreditation applications, “they should not worry.” Again, the veterinarians who hear something before the Aug. 2 deadline will be asked for information verifications since there is a problem with information on their applications. However, veterinarians with questions can call Berlin directly at (352) 313-3081. www.FVMA ADVOCATE.com 27

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28 2010 • FVMA ADVOCATE • Issue 3

Make Plans To Attend

> August 15, 2010 >> Jacksonville, Florida

2

Jacksonville Regional Meeting Deadline to Register: Friday, August 6, 2010 THE

APPROVED FOR 5 HOURS OF CONTINUING EDUCATION

RECOVERY ROOM

Practical Tips for Post-Recessionary Planning Program Abstracts

Post Recession Strategies for your Future Practice Success • Remaining Profitable in an Unprofitable Climate Staying profitable in a good economic climate is not easy, but during a recession it’s downright difficult. To do so, practice owners, managers and staff must focus on the activities that will have the most financial impact as well as allow them to continue to offer good patient care.

• Do More with Less to Improve Practice Productivity Passing on operational inefficiencies to clients in the form of fee increases is not a sustainable business strategy and may be harming your practice. The focus in the future must be on increased productivity both from doctors and from staff.

• User Guide to NCVEI 2.0 Benchmarking & More The NCVEI has many resources to help practice owners and managers run their practices better. These include benchmarking tools to compare your practice to others, resources to help improve critical areas of the practice and communication CE. • Eight Most Common Management Mistakes Everything in the practice can be measured and managed, but just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. Effective management means focusing on the areas that will give you the most return for your investment of time and money.

Brought to you by the Jacksonville VMA & the Florida Veterinary Medical Association

The FVMA & Jacksonville VMA are pleased to offer “The Recovery Room” Practical Tips for Post-Recessionary Planning presented by the acclaimed speaker Dr. Karen Felsted, CEO, National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues (NCVEI), a leader in veterinary economics.

Speaker - Karen Felsted Karen Felsted, CPA, MS, DVM, Texas A&M University, 1996 CVPM Affiliation: National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues. Dr. Felsted, chief executive officer, graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in marketing. She spent 12 years in accounting and business management; six of it with the “Big-8” accounting firm of Arthur Young (now Ernst & Young), rising to the position of audit manager. During this time, she also obtained an MS degree in Management and Administrative Science from the University of Texas at Dallas. In 1992, Dr. Felsted began her veterinary education at Texas A&M University and graduated magna cum laude in 1996. After returning to Dallas, she practiced both small animal and emergency medicine on a full-time basis while maintaining a veterinary accounting and consulting practice.

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Contact the FVMA to Register

Toll Free: (800) 992-3862 Online: www.fvma.com • Email: info@fvma.com Phone: (407) 851-3862 • Fax: (407) 240-3710 Florida Veterinary Medical Association 7131 Lake Ellenor Drive • Orlando, FL 32809

Don’t Wait -- Deadline to Preregister is Friday, August 6, 2010 www.FVMA ADVOCATE.com 29

August 7 - 8, 2010

Sanibel Island, FL

35 Peter Piper Memorial Conference Sundial Beach & Golf Resort, Sanibel Island, FL Phone: (239) 985-8500.

Contact: Buttons & Richard Carpenter. Website Address: www.piperconference.com th

Sunday August 15, 2010

Jacksonville, FL

The Recovery Room 2 Practical Tips for Post-Recessionary Planning with special guest speaker Dr. Karen Felsted. Brought to you by the Jacksonville VMA & the Florida Veterinary Medical Association. Deadline to Register: Friday, August 6, 2010. For more information or to register contact the FVMA toll free 1- 800-992-3862 Sept. 23 - 26, 2010

Loveland, CO

Colorado Veterinary Medical Association Convention 2010

Sponsored by Colorado Veterinary Medical Association.

Contact www.colovma.org or call 303-318-0447.

October 10, 2010

West Palm Beach, FL

The Recovery Room 3 Practical Tips for Post-Recessionary Planning with special guest speaker Dr. Karen Felsted. Brought to you by the Florida Veterinary Medical Association. For more information or to register contact the FVMA toll free 1- 800-992-3862 November 4 - 6, 2010

Orlando, FL

FAEP Annual Conference FAEP Promoting Excellence in the Southeast Symposium 2010: The Equine Athlete and Regenerative Medicine Shingle Creek Resort Orlando, Florida. Contact info@faep.net or www.faep.net November 20 - 21, 2010

Ocala, FL

FVMA’s 48th Annual Ocala Equine Conference E xclusively Equine – “A proud tradition of Quality Equine Practitioner Education” Contact 1-800-992-3862 or info@fvma.com for more information.

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CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENTS RELIEF VETERINARIANS

Experienced small animal veterinarian willing to serve Central Orlando, Daytona, Altamonte, Casselberry, Longwood, Winter Springs and Oviedo areas. Other locations are negotiable.

Excellent client communication, compassionate care and respect for your staff are of the utmost importance. Call Tiffany Lewis at 321-3324949 or email: tlewisdvm@gmail.com. (Exp. Issue 5/10:10579) Relief Veterinarian Naples area. Owned and operated AAHA certified hospital 36 yrs. Experienced with exotics (zoo) and small animals. Enjoy all aspects of Veterinary Medicine. Call Dr. Lyle Schultheis 239-389-5494 or cell 239-961-0026. (Exp. Issue 3/10:14976) Dependable, very experienced part-time and relief veterinary services, possible full time considered for Naples area. Available. Contact Doctor Chris Clements at 239-404-9494. (Exp. Issue 3/10:13331) Relief veterinarian available in the Tampa Bay area.

Friendly and compassionate care. Experienced in small animal, shelter medicine and some exotics. Please contact Dr. Gayle Burrell at gbdvm@ tampabay.rr.com or call 727-420-7424. (Exp. Issue 3/10:11657).

Reliable Veterinary Relief Service Over 20 Years small animal experience. Former practice owner offering veterinary relief service. Primarily Central Florida areas, Orlando, Daytona, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater Lake County. Will consider other areas. Will respect practice staff, patients and clients. Call Dr. Ted Oliver (407) 497-2516 (Exp. Issue 3/10:1722) Veterinary Relief Service: Central Florida. 55 years Veterinary experience; 30 as practice owner, 25 as relief service. J.D. Lynch D.V. - M 407 620 2697 (Exp. Issue 3/10:1124) Relief Veterinarian serving the Tampa Bay Area for 10 years. Compassionate & reliable. Certified in Veterinary Acupuncture through the Chi Institute. Very reasonable rate. Contact: Linda Register, DVM, CVA 813-610-9228 or email Bukansa@hotmail.com (Exp. Issue 3/10:805) Relief or part-time veterinarian available in the Tampa area 30 years of experience as a practice owner. Enjoy surgery and working with people, small animal only. Call Dr. Joe Priest at 813230-5998. (Exp. Issue 4/10:1289) Experienced Relief Veterinarian Available For Orlando And Surrounding Areas: Small Animal practitioner with over 20 years service to Central Florida including 10 years of practice ownership. Excellent communication skills and client pleasing personality to maximize returns! Good diagnostic, medical, and surgical skill sets. Please contact Dr. Brian K. Martin at (407) 461-3722 or bkmpetvet @aol.com (Exp. Issue 3/10:2755)

Classified Ad Rates

PRACTICES FOR SALE

Owner retiring after 56 years. Established successful country practice for sale or lease in small North Central Florida community.

Grossing $175,000 if interested call 352-690-1762 for details. (Exp. Issue 3/10:1290) Twelve year old Small animal Hospital for Sale in Jacksonville, Florida. Leasehold practice with 1800 sqare feet space, above the ground Kennel area ,Well designed hospital in an afluent neighbor hoods of Country clubs,Beaches, Hospitals etc. Call 904-786-4919. (Exp. Issue 3/10:1106) Veterinary Building for Lease or Sale in Pompano Beach, FL - Gold Coast of SE Florida. Established small animal clinic at site for 40 years plus. Approximately 5000 square foot building on almost one acre of land with busy highways on either side of clinic allowing access from both North and South bound traffic. Four exam rooms, large treatment, Dr’s office, lab, pre op, surgery, grooming facility, 3 kennel rooms, 8 indoor runs. Lots of storage. Available January 1, 2011 - call 954-786-3274 (Exp. Issue 3/10:1320) Mobile practice for sale, Pinellas county, FL. Fully equipped vehicle, including x-ray, surgical and dental capabilities.

Annual growth 20%+ with loyal clientele desiring our professional and individualized care. Estab. 2006, operating Mon-Fri 8a-5p servicing feline patients. Expansion to other species, extra hours and more areas possible. Low overhead and turn-key, perfect opportunity for a new practice owner. Solo DVM retiring from private practice and moving. Buyer to finance. Call for details 727-492-4227. (Exp. Issue 5/10:10426)

ASSOCIATES WANTED

Seeking Associate Veterinarian-Orlando Area Full or part time associate veterinarian position to join our established practice west of Orlando and our practice expansion to an additional Orlando area location. Candidates should exhibit a warm personality and a good sense of humor. Additionally,candidates should be proficient in diagnostic, surgical, clinical, client communication, and client service skills. Our hospital focuses on all areas of family pet health care for companion animals (mostly cats and dogs). We have experienced support staff to support the veterinarian and the customer service needs of the hospital. We are equipped with a full pharmacy, in house chemistry, CBC, electrolyte analyzer, and more. Salary is commensurate with experience. Benefits include paid vacation, paid holidays, and a stipend for continuing education and license fees. We will consider an equity position for the appropriate candidate. All interested candidates will be held in confidence. Please contact practice manager Ginger Golden at 352-978-2976, or you may contact me via e-mail at ggbunchie@aol.com (Exp. Issue 3/10:8267)

MISC. For Sale:

For Sale: VetTest 8008 chemistry analyzer and VetStat electrolyte and blood gas analyzer. Both by Idexx. Perfect working order. Purchased in 2008. $2500 each or $4500 for both. Also used AUTOMATIC XRAY PROCESSOR 4 years old $1250 Purchased new equipment, sports fans, not going out of business! Call 352.683.1512 or email hickdoc@aol.com (Exp. Issue 3/10:916)

Classified ads for FVMA members cost $45 for up to 40 words with additional words assessed at 25¢ per word. For non-members, the rate is $65 for up to 40 words with additional words assessed at 25¢ per word. All ads must be submitted in writing preferably by email for verification of word count and payment is necessary in advance of publication.

Email your classified ad to info@fvma.com. For more information about FVMA advertising please call 800-992-3862 for an insertion order. Now all Advocate Classified Ads are also published on the FVMA website www.fvma.com under “Classifieds.”

www.FVMA ADVOCATE.com 31

Florida Veterinary Medical Association 7131 Lake Ellenor Drive Orlando, FL 32809

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practice sales • practice appraisals • buyer agency • sales facilitation

your goals, Simmons can put our expertise to work for you.

In good times and bad, easy decisions and tough ones,we have your solution.

Simmons Southeast Doyle Watson, DVM 1-800-333-1984 southeast@simmonsinc.com www.simmonsinc.com

Founder of

your future

our business