2022 Western Veterinary Conference
The Western Veterinary Conference (WVC), now managed by Viticus Group, is known as one of the largest veterinary conferences in the world, providing continuing education for veterinarians from 29 countries, including all 50 U.S. states. This year’s meeting was held at Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, from March 6 to 9, 2022. Attendees had the option of accessing in-person or virtually more than 1,000 continuing education hours, including topics covering small animal, avian and exotics, equine, food animal, practice management, and concepts for veterinary technicians.
Lecture Topics
Veterinary experts presented close to 500 lectures over the four days of the conference. Highlights included:
- Power Hour Veterinary Ethics for the Equine Practitioner — Presented by Peter R. Morresey, BVSc, DACT, DACVIM, this lecture addressed the challenges equine practitioners face when adhering to professionalism standards. Dr. Morresey used examples from his own experience to facilitate a broad discussion. Learning objectives included handling client requests counter to your ethical standards, how seasoned practitioners can help new graduates, and managing unreasonable pressures to conform to subpar standards.
- Restoring Brilliance—An Update on Dry Eye Disease — Caroline B. Betbeze, DVM, DACVO, presented this talk on recognizing and treating dry eye disease in small animals to provide ocular comfort and prevent serious ocular diseases, including bacterial infection, corneal ulceration, and corneal scarring. Participants learned the basics of the tear film, how to recognize dry eye clinical signs, and different treatment modalities to address the disease.
- Asking for a Raise — Heather Romano, SPHR, MHRM, SHRM-CP, gave this presentation that focused on empowering veterinarians to discuss a higher salary. Learning objectives included understanding what supervisors and practice owners need to hear during these conversations, understanding the research required before asking for a raise, and rebounding from a negative response.
- Emergency Triage and Treatment for Rabbits — Krista Keller, DVM, DACZM, presented this lecture that explained how to provide phone triage to support clients when their rabbit is ill, determine a rabbit’s hydration status, identify pain in rabbits, and recognize common infection sites in rabbits.
Hands-on Laboratories
For an additional fee, veterinarians could participate in hands-on laboratories to learn new skills and hone current techniques. Twenty-four labs were offered, including:
- Small Animal Abdominal Ultrasound — Led by Robert Cole, DVM, DACVR, this lab used live dogs to illustrate the principles, techniques, and equipment choices for imaging normal abdominal structures such as the liver, gallbladder, spleen, kidneys, genital organs, and urinary bladder via ultrasonography.
- Updating Your Ocular Surgical Techniques for the Primary Care Practitioner — Coordinated by Rustin Sturgeon, DVM, DACVO, this course allowed primary care practitioners to learn and practice routine ophthalmic surgeries, such as entropion correction, eyelid mass excision and closure, prolapsed third eyelid gland replacement, linear grid keratotomy, and enucleation.
- Rabbit Dentistry Lab — Led by Jeffrey R. Applegate, Jr., DVM, DACZM, this course included one hour of didactic lecture, followed by three hours of hands-on experience performing dental procedures on rabbit cadavers. Learning objectives included understanding the etiology and pathophysiology of acquired dental disease in rabbits, learning how to perform local anesthetic blocks for dental procedures in rabbits, and learning how to provide appropriate perioperative and post-operative care for rabbits undergoing dental procedures.
- Anesthesia Techniques for Technicians — Coordinated by Katrina Lafferty, CVT, RLAT, VTS, BFA, this dry lab consisted of four sections. Section one focused on anesthetic monitoring, and section two allowed participants to calculate constant rate infusions. Section three trained participants on setting up and troubleshooting anesthetic ventilators, and section four covered case reports, which allowed attendees to problem solve real clinical scenarios.
Workshops
Thirteen workshops were also offered for an additional fee. These included:
- Canine Problem Behavior Interactive Case Discussion — Presented by Julia Albright, DVM, DACVB, MA, and Margaret Gruen, DVM, DACVB, PhD, this interactive workshop demonstrated a basic approach to diagnosing and treating general behavior problems in dogs. Attendees worked in small groups with instructor facilitation to design treatment plans for selected cases.
- Prevent Bad Reviews by Creating the Exceptional Client Experience Before, During, and After the Visit — Led by Robin Brogdon, MA, and Taylor Craig, this session discussed why practices receive bad reviews, and how to manage a practice’s online reputation by setting up clear expectations and delivering them with a defined client experience before, during, and after the visit.
- Redefining Clinical Practice: New Ideas to Tackle Old Problems and Where Can Businesses Start?— Lisa Mausbach, DVM, led this discussion surrounding Urgent Care/Surgery/Dental specific business models. Learning objectives included saving time and money by diverting tasks away from professionals, defining improvement opportunities in the traditional practice model, and learning to place monetary value on the appropriate practice aspects.
- 20 Ways to Increase Profitability — Presented by Jimmy Bell, CPA, this workshop explored ways to make your practice more profitable. Learning objectives included understanding how culture affects a practice’s profitability, identifying opportunities to increase profitability, and learning the importance of financial data.
Entertainment
Attendees were also well entertained during the four-day conference.
- Michael Jackson ONE by Cirque du Soleil — Sunday evening, participants were treated to an electric fusion of acrobatics, dance, and visuals that immersed the audience in the world of Michael Jackson’s music.
- Party for a Purpose — Monday evening attendees were invited to the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay to hear the Marathon Band perform.
- Jimmie Allen, Friends, and Beach Vibes — The Country Music Awards 2021 New Artist of the Year performed Tuesday evening at the Mandalay Bay Beach.
WVC’s 94th annual conference was a roaring success, and attendees returned home after four days of exceptional continuing education and exciting entertainment opportunities.
Comments
Related Articles
More news
Copyright © 2025 - All Rights Reserved
ISSN 2768-198X
List
Add
Please enter a comment