I Hate Crowds, I Want My CVPM, So I’m Going to AAHA CON

It has been many moons since I attended an in-person veterinary conference.

I genuinely love the idea of conferences. I love continuing education. I love learning something new, coming back motivated, and immediately having 47 ideas I want to implement.

What I don't love?

Large groups of people.

Large group events give me some anxiety, so conferences aren't usually my first choice when it comes to continuing education. Give me a webinar, my laptop, and the comfort of my own space, and I'm perfectly happy.

But there's a slight problem.

I've been talking about earning my CVPM—Certified Veterinary Practice Manager—for years.

And soon, I plan to finally apply.

Sometimes the Goal Requires Doing the Uncomfortable Part

As I've been getting everything together for my CVPM application, I realized I need more in-person continuing education.

Well... crap.

That's a little more challenging when large group events aren't exactly your favorite place to be.

It's also become more difficult since the pandemic to find management-related, in-person veterinary CE—especially without it costing a small fortune.

But I don't want to keep pushing off my CVPM application.

I've been talking about this goal for years, and eventually you have to stop talking about what you want to accomplish and start checking off the things standing between you and actually accomplishing it.

So...

I'm going to AAHA CON.

Why AAHA CON?

When I started looking at conferences, AAHA CON stood out. They had a lot of great topics, plenty of CE opportunities, and sessions that would actually help me accomplish my goal.

But before I booked anything, there was one very important thing I needed to confirm.

I have a former colleague who moved out there. Somewhere along the way, we went from coworkers to genuine friends—and yes, remember that blog about coworkers becoming friends? She lives there.

So, naturally, before I officially committed to AAHA CON, I confirmed that she would be available for lunch.

She said yes.

I booked the conference. 😂

Listen, professional development is great, but professional development plus lunch with a beautiful soul you don't get to see often? Even better.

But my friend wasn't the only reason I chose AAHA.

I chose AAHA because I trust AAHA.

AAHA Has Been Part of My Entire Career

My entire veterinary career has been spent working in AAHA-accredited practices.

Their standards have influenced how I think about veterinary medicine, how I manage, and the expectations I set for myself and the hospitals I work in.

I trust their mission. I trust their standards. And throughout my career, I've had genuinely positive experiences with AAHA.

I even encourage non-AAHA practices to look at AAHA standards and consider working toward accreditation.

And when I mention that to people working in non-accredited facilities, I sometimes get pushback.

"Ohhhh, AAHA's standards are too much."

"Those standards aren't realistic in the real world."

And yes, sometimes I can understand where that feeling comes from. Some of the standards can feel incredibly detailed when you're already trying to run a busy veterinary hospital and juggling approximately 7,432 things at once.

But I think it's worth looking at what those standards are actually trying to accomplish.

They're about safety.

They're about healthy practices.

They're about cleanliness.

They're about organization and consistency.

They're about having standards and holding ourselves accountable to them.

They're about being intentional with the way we practice veterinary medicine.

I don't see anything wrong with any of that.

And I'm certainly not saying that a hospital has to be AAHA-accredited to practice excellent medicine. There are wonderful non-accredited hospitals.

But even if accreditation isn't something your practice wants to pursue, I think there is tremendous value in looking at AAHA's standards and asking:

Can we elevate ourselves to this?

"But Isn't That Just Common Sense?"

Sometimes.

I've heard people look at certain standards and say, "Well, that's just common sense."

No human food in the refrigerator with biologicals or specimens?

Yes. That should be common sense.

Proper sterile technique during surgery?

Also something we would hope is obvious.

But after more than two decades in veterinary medicine, I've learned something:

Common sense isn't always so common.

Sometimes we need standards.

We need written expectations. We need consistency. We need something measurable that says, this is what good practice looks like, and this is what we're going to hold ourselves accountable to.

That's one of the things I've always respected about AAHA.

So... I'm Going

I'm going to AAHA CON.

And yes, I have the anxiety.

This will be my first completely solo trip—no husband, no kids, just me.

I've traveled plenty, and I've actually been to Portland before. I've taken the public transportation there, I know a little bit about the city, and I've already given myself a refresher on how I'm getting from the airport to my hotel.

So it's not really Portland that makes me nervous.

It's doing all of it alone.

Getting on the plane alone. Checking into the hotel alone. Waking up and heading to the conference alone. And, probably the biggest one for me, walking into a huge conference full of people without having one of my people standing beside me.

My husband is amazing, and I know without a doubt he'll hold down the fort at home. My kids will be fine. Everyone will survive without me.

I will also survive without them. 😂

But it's still outside my comfort zone.

And I'm doing it anyway.

Because I've been talking about earning my CVPM for years, and I don't want to talk about it anymore.

I want to do it.

So wish me luck.

I'm going to get on the plane. I'm going to take the train I already know how to take. I'm going to walk into that conference, anxiety and all. I'm going to learn. I'm going to earn my CE.

And, most importantly, I'm going to have lunch with my friend. 😂

Then I'm going to come home one step closer to something I've been saying I was going to do for years:

Finally putting CVPM after my name.

Many moons later... I'm doing it!!!!!

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