AAHA CON Day 3: I Survived

Today was really about pushing through.

Not because the day wasn’t good—the speakers were great, the sessions were valuable, and I’m glad I stayed through the end.

But after three full days of learning, networking, talking, listening, processing, and being around a whole lot of people… your girl was tired.

One part of today that really stood out to me was the AAHA members meeting. During lunch, the AAHA team talked about their mission, their goals, and some of the ways they plan to achieve them moving forward.

And one thing in particular caught my attention.

For years, I have appreciated AAHA standards. I think there is tremendous value in having standards that push veterinary practices to provide consistent, high-quality medicine.

But I have also struggled with the value of reaccreditation from the client perspective.

This has actually been one of my arguments with our practice owner over the years.

We would say, “We’re AAHA accredited!”

And our clients would basically stare back at us like…

Okay? And what does that mean?

😂

Because unless you work in veterinary medicine... or happen to be a very informed pet owner...there is a good chance you have absolutely no idea what AAHA accreditation means, what a hospital has to do to earn it, or why you should care.

That has always bothered me.

If accreditation is supposed to represent a higher standard of veterinary care, then the people walking through our doors should understand what it means too. Practices shouldn't have to carry the entire responsibility of explaining the value of the accreditation themselves.

So hearing AAHA acknowledge the need to better educate clients and the general public about what being AAHA accredited actually means definitely got my attention.

Apparently this wasn't just something happening inside my own little thought bubble all these years. 😂

They also talked about wanting the AAHA experience to feel less transactional.

That caught my attention too.

Now, what exactly that looks like in practice?

We shall see.

And I genuinely mean that.

I still haven't completely decided how I feel about my overall AAHA CON experience. There were things I really enjoyed, things that surprised me, things that made me think, and probably a few things I still need to process.

That deserves its own blog.

But for today, I can say this:

I survived all three days.

And I'm walking away feeling surprisingly relaxed.

I'm still hopeful.

I'm glad I came.

And it was very nice to see the AAHA team working behind the scenes to bring all of this together and talking openly about where they want the organization to go.

Now, I'm writing this from Portland International Airport, getting ready to head home and get back into the swing of things.

I am VERY ready to see my kiddos and my amazing husband, who held down the fort while I was away.

And I should probably mention…

I left this man home with the kids AND a puppy.

Yes.

That puppy.

The puppy from a few days ago.

So really, while I was here earning CE hours, networking, learning, and contemplating the future of veterinary medicine…

My husband may have been the one attending the real conference.

😂

AAHA CON 2026 is officially a wrap for me.

I learned.

I connected.

I pushed myself outside of my comfort zone.

I have a lot to think about.

And now?

I'm going home.

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