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view from AAHA O
FROM THE PRESIDENT by Mark Russak, DVM, AAHA president
ur profession has been through a tough period; things are starting to turn around, but slowly. We always thought
veterinary medicine
was recession-proof. We were wrong— “recession-resistant” is a better term. The economy, rising student debt and
increasing pet ownership with decreas- ing pet visits will continue to test the vet- erinary profession in coming years. The profession is under pressure like never before; however, what we do now in response to the challenges we face may end up benefiting us in the long run. In a struggling economy, we must
work hard to communicate value to our clients. Educating the public about the true value veterinary medicine has to offer is the key to practice recovery. Increasing awareness about what it means to be an AAHA-accredited hospi- tal and the value that accredited hospi- tals provide is an important part of edu- cating our clients about the importance of veterinary care. Practicing successfully in a challeng-
ing and fluid economy will force vet- erinarians to practice smarter and with greater efficiency. Rising student debt is a recipe for
disaster; it is an issue that the entire profession will need to come together to address for our future veterinarians. Average student debt is approaching
2½ times the average starting salaries. Any financial planner will tell you that this can be a long-term financial disaster for our new graduates. Many will survive this adversity, but not all. This is a multi-faceted problem, and
assessing blame will not help. We need solutions and yet, as of now, it is only an early work in progress. The profession must band together to tackle this issue.
Trends magazine, April 2012
Top 3 challenges for veterinary medicine
Communicating value during a tough economy
Veterinary medicine has been wonderful to most of us. We owe it those who will come after us to help solve this challenge. Add to this problem the fact that pet
visits to the veterinarian are down despite pet ownership being steadily on the rise, and the veterinary profession has some rough times ahead. The fragmentation of our profession is
slowing our progress, and there are fewer patients per practice to go around. In many areas, there are too many full-ser- vice, fully equipped veterinary hospitals within a very few miles of one another. How many radiograph units, laser sur- gery units or ultrasound units does one community need? Estimates show 30–40% of our clients
visit the Internet for pet health informa- tion before they bring a sick pet in to our hospitals. We need to position ourselves to be the first choice for pet health care. It is very complicated and challenging, but that’s what AAHA does best—we accept challenges and forge solutions. AAHA’s active role in and support of the Partner- ship for Preventive Pet Healthcare is one way we are going to make a difference for our members and profession. AAHA has never backed down from a challenge, and we never will. n
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