When Canadian Cartoonist Lynn Johnston accepted the Ontario Veterinary Medical Association's (OVMA's) Honorary Membership Award at this year's conference, the event served as both a grand finale to a productive 2002 and the beginning of what is likely to be a very busy 2003.
In 2001, Ms. Johnston loaned the name and image of Farley (the Old English sheepdog in the comic strip, For Better or For Worse®), to OVMA's charitable Foundation (www.farleyfoundation.org). Her ongoing support for the Foundation has garnered attention and donations from across Canada and the United States. By the end of its first year, the Foundation had dispersed more than $35 000 to assist low-income seniors and persons with disabilities whose pets were in need of medical care.
The OVMA achieved a number of other successes for veterinarians, animals, and their owners in 2002. The Association successfully lobbied the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food (OMAF) not to require large animal clients to obtain a Livestock Medicines Education Certificate to purchase drugs from veterinarians. The OVMA also lobbied the Ontario Ministry of Environment and Energy to address member concerns about hazardous waste disposal requirements, and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency regarding veterinarians' concerns about signing export certificates.
The OVMA worked with the College of Veterinarians of Ontario (CV0) to refine the practice incorporation process, and reduce the length of time that a veterinary clinic must keep an abandoned animal from 60 days to 10. The Association also provided input on the new Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Act, and a provincial proposal to make the reporting of suspected animal abuse cases mandatory. Finally, when PetNet imposed a new annual administration fee on pet owners, the OVMA successfully persuaded PetNet to exempt owners who had microchips placed in their pets before January 1, 2003, from having to pay the fee.
The Association also continued its tradition of conducting ground-breaking research into issues affecting the veterinary profession. Working with the OMAF, the CVO, and the Ontario Veterinary College, the OVMA spearheaded a study of the future supply of, and demand for, large animal veterinary services in Ontario. The Association also conducted a study to determine why technicians are abandoning veterinary practice in such large numbers.
New member services included the Professionals Health Program — a joint effort with the CVO to help veterinary professionals having problems with substance abuse. The OVMA also created an electronic newsletter, Newshound, to keep its members apprised of breaking news, and a new publication for children — Chester Visits the Vet, which educates children about veterinary care.
The demand for ongoing continuing education continues to grow. As a result, the OVMA will expand its role in continuing education this year by introducing a new e-learning service — allowing veterinarians across Ontario and North America to learn from leading speakers and academics via the Internet. A new 1-day seminar on “How to provide exceptional customer service,” and a 5-module workshop series on effective human resources management will be highlighted.
Economic viability continues to be a hot topic for OVMA members. In May 2003, the Association will release the results of the 2002 Major Economic Study of veterinary practice across the province. The report sets out a detailed picture of the veterinary profession in Ontario, and provides exclusive information to help improve practice productivity and profitability. Good news! Preliminary results of the study show that incomes are steadily increasing in Ontario, in part because practice owners are better able to benchmark key factors, such as operating expenses and salaries. Other provinces (and states across the border) are recognizing the benefits of economic research. As the OVMA ventures forward, it anticipates continued growth in working with other provincial associations for economic research purposes.
Other OVMA initiatives in the economic viability area include a compensation benchmarking service to help practice managers compare salaries and benefits; a demographic profiling service to help practitioners make decisions about such things as practice location, expansion needs, and product offerings; a “job finder” service to alert associates of available positions; a classified advertising section on the OVMA Web site, where associate veterinarians can post “veterinarian available” advertisements free of charge; and a new information package for locums.
Reaching out to the public, the OVMA will also begin to promote its Teacher's Pet program — an animal issues education program to help both teachers and veterinary staff who are invited to deliver presentations at schools.
These are some of the things in the Association's full agenda. Members are, however, turning to the OVMA more and more with issues as they arise — and for these issues, the Association will always make the time.
* The Foundation helps seniors and people with disabilities on limited incomes to cover the costs of necessary veterinary care for companion animals. Conditions apply. See www.farleyfoundation.org for details.
(by Dr. David Funston, President, Ontario Veterinary Medical Association, Milton, Ontario)
Dr./Dr David Funston
Footnotes
Around the provinces is a regular news feature in The Canadian Veterinary Journal designed to inform Canadian veterinarians about the work of provincial veterinary associations across Canada. We invited the provincial presidents of these associations to report on the activities and issues being addressed by their respective organizations. We thank Dr. David Funston for his article in this issue. CVJ eds.