As I pondered about potential topics for my first President’s Message, I also reflected on my career as a veterinarian. Twenty five years already… how time flies! Did I ever expect that one day I would become president of the CVMA? Never! But then, as previous CVMA presidents have already written, veterinary medicine is a profession that offers so many possibilities and challenges.
When I first applied to veterinary school, I believed that I would become a lifetime private practitioner in companion animal practice. I initially did not want to become a practice owner as I wanted to keep some flexibility with job location. I worked as an employee for 2 years then did locums for a year and a half, before starting up a new veterinary practice along with another veterinarian. Five years later, my business partner sold his share. After 13 years in private practice, I chose to return to university to complete a residency in animal behavior. The idea was to offer a new service within my practice. I never expected to enjoy working with veterinary students as much as I did during the residency. I then considered the possibility of academia. I sold my practice and started a new chapter in my career. What a great profession with so many opportunities!
During a department meeting there was an announcement that the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) was looking for a faculty representative on Council. My attention and interest were sparked by the comments of another CVMA past-president who mentioned that the CVMA had an active Animal Welfare Committee. I was hooked! On Council I met wonderful colleagues from every province and different fields of practice. Coming from a French speaking province, I was naive enough to think that Quebec was different from the rest of Canada. I discovered that each province is unique. First lesson learned.
Even though I come from a province where membership is not mandatory, I have always believed in the importance of a national veterinary association and have been a CVMA member since graduation (the only exception being the years spent in the United States). Why? I am unable to picture Canada without a national veterinary association. Without members there is no association. Without an association, there is little strength. I am also a long-time member of l’Académie de Médecine Vétérinaire du Québec (AMVQ), the association of companion animal private practitioners in Quebec. Each association fulfills different but complementary roles. I believe in the power of associations!
An Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) past-president told me that the learning curve during my presidency year would be steep. I also read a similar comment written by CVMA past-president Peter Fretz. Before deciding on the topic of my first message, I decided to read the President Messages within The Canadian Veterinary Journal from January 1998 to March 2008 to get a sense of past issues and topics. Many of the subjects I had thought of addressing had already been discussed (recognition of the work of volunteers on committees; the luck we have to practise veterinary medicine in Canada; the wonderful aspects of our profession, etc.). I found it comforting to read that in July 1999, Dr. Fretz had had “serious second thoughts, reservations and sleepless nights worrying about whether or not he would successfully rise to the occasion of being president of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association.” I can certainly relate to all those feelings and concerns and am glad to hear I am not the only one who has felt some anguish. Another past-president, Dr. Duane Landals wrote in November 2003 that “courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the strength to overcome it.” I am certainly out of my comfort zone to say the least! But then again, I seem to thrive with new challenges.
CVMA president: Why? I believe in our profession and our association. I am privileged and honored to represent the veterinarians of Canada and will be on my best behavior for this mandate! I am ready for future lessons.