Veterinarian Continuing Education
Why are Veterinarians obsessed with Continuing Education (CE)? Personally, I think it is because we are constantly asking ourselves "what if?" As in, what if, we try drug x for condition y. If we modify this surgical procedure first by trying this approach, will it be secure? Veterinarians are a curious group of people. We are intrigued in modifying known techniques to see if subtle changes give better results. I do not wish to imply surgical procedures are done on a whim. There are tried and true basics for sound expected healing results and correction rates that need to be adhered to. If it results in a faster healing rate or a more secure final procedure outcome most veterinarians, welcome the opportunity to learn to improve a technique.
I have been many places to learn new areas of knowledge. I spent a week in Philadelphia studying under Colin Harvey, Paul Orso, and Peter Emily learning advanced dental surgical procedures. One of the attendees Gary Lanz, was already board certified Veterinary Surgeon. Gary completed requirements for the Veterinary Dental College and is now a board certified Veterinary Dentist. Dr Lanz is on Staff at Purdue's Veterinary College. While waiting at the airport to go home we started talking. He asked if I got my moneys worth at the week at University of Pennsylvania. I replied I got very good value with the instruction. However, I find that education or advanced training leads to purchasing other specialized equipment that allows for further learning and skill sets that need to practiced and practiced
Continuing Education is where I learn about new drugs, new applications for older drugs and monitoring treatment. Last week I was in East Lansing listening to Dr Dan O'Brien from the College of Veterinary Medicine University of Missouri. His six and a half hour presentation was about seizures. How to identify seizures and what are the current treatment recommendations. Which antiepileptic drugs to use and how to tweak multi-drug control of seizures. You really had to be there. I know you are wondering, "How can you listen to one such boring subject for six and a half hours". I feel the same when someone is trying to explain the intricacies of rebuilding a vehicle motor. I get almost the same feeling when I hear the term "flea flicker". To me it is a work term; other people think it relates to a quarterback and some other back or an end. They are trying to put it where they can score.
Good Veterinarians have an inner drive to learn how to better utilize new ideas. It is how we connect to the future. Listening to individuals that are smarter in a specific area is how you become more intelligent. This allows veterinarians to give current correct advice to the clients so they can make an informed decision. When there is a decision to go forward with surgery, vary a treatment plan or is it time for option E. I wish to provide the best information for an emotional decision.
We as veterinarians will listen to most speakers. Pharmaceutical companies provide some speakers. They will sponsor a dinner meeting and give a lecture about a product or procedure. They may be a board certified specialist or some one with specific training. Some of these I refer to as hired tongues. They deliver a learning opportunity with the commercial. If these are within a reasonable driving distance and time after finishing appointments for the day, they are a good deal.
The ones I appreciate the most are day seminars such as the one sponsored by Michigan Veterinary Medical Association , MSU Veterinary Clinical Center and Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health. They bring in well-respected specialist and they cover the subject of their specialty in depth. It is not as if they are defending their PhD thesis but it may be. It is always interesting. It always amazes me how these people learned the same things such as the parts of the brain, Central nervous system and peripheral nerves and were able to take their comprehension and perspectives to a higher intuitive level. The quiet droning speaker does make up for no phone ringing for the day. It does make you scramble the next day getting through the message pile.
Hands on detailed procedures such as dentistry are fun and interesting to me. They involve using all of your surgical skills and suturing abilities. You get to play with expensive sometimes-smelly chemical products such as epoxies and light cure composites. These are fun unless you drop the last one and the animal is under anesthesia. Pro-temp plus Garant is an acrylic used for temporary crowns in people It is topped off sometimes with a flowable composite. You know the ones it seems you bite through the next day. In veterinary dentistry, it is used as a material for inclined planes for base narrow canine teeth. It is used with loop and ivy stainless steel wire to act as reinforcement "rods" for an oral splint for a jaw with a favorable fracture of the mandible. It can be used as a splint to hold a fractured lower jaw in a cat. It is a marvelous material to work with. It will hold very securely as long as the animal is restricted from chewing on hard objects such as rocks and hard toys until the bone heals.
New products and vaccines are discussed while visiting your peers. It is helpful to get the back chatter from people that have used a new item. Give them the opportunity to give an unbiased opinion on a product. New and improved products may be leading edge where the edge of the cliff is very close. One of my mentors told me never be the first or the last to use a new procedure. New products need the test of time. Using some products when they are right out of the box may be finishing the clinical trial in your practice.
For more information about a specific case, consult your veterinarian.
The outside of a pet is good for the inside of a human.