PVMA Keystone Veterinarian Summer 2020 - 6

Team Talk
By Megan Baylor, CVT

Director of Education & Events,
Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association

This year has thrown us all for a loop. So much of what we have
been trained to expect has changed. You are seeing clients in
the parking lots, you are working in small groups or from home,
and you are now expected to get your continuing education
(CE) via a virtual world. Education is something that veterinary
professionals take so seriously. As a CVT myself and an
instructor of veterinary technology, I get it! I loved going to the
conferences, making new friends, seeing old friends, learning
something new to take back to my peers. I would get what I
called the CE high! Learning new things empowers us, gives us
drive, spreads the passion of the profession that we love! But
now we have to change it...but it doesn't have to change us.
As of March 22, 2020, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf passed
the approval to lift the requirement for 75% of credits to be
classroom-style learning. This has opened Veterinarians to
be allowed to receive all 30 hours of the required continuing
education via online sources until the end of the renewal
period (November 30, 2020). While the Certified Veterinary
Technician has never had a limitation on the online education,
they are benefiting from this new order. As more and more
education is being brought to online sources, the options are
growing for what CE you can experience for your professional
development. I would like to make clear, the PA Veterinary State
board will not count CE on personal development/wellness,
practice management, or facility. I say this because RACE®1 will
approve these types of courses but they will not be eligible for
your required hours for renewal. Even though some of those
professional development courses do not count towards CE,
PVMA always recommends taking them as they can only add to
your skills repertoire. One way to make sure you are getting the
right CE is to make sure you are getting PVMA CE.
PVMA is offering webinars, on-demand learning, and a virtual
conference. Our CE webinar series started on May 31 and the
schedule keeps growing. We launched our on-demand learning
in the beginning of July. Here you can access all the recorded
webinars after they are offered live. I am excited that we are
going to continue to bring you CE on your timeline. The best
part is that it is all part of your membership to PVMA. Visit the

Education Center at PathLMS.com/PaVMA.org. Learning from
the comfort of your home, office, or car has a lot of benefits.
You can access more information, hear from top experts, stay in
your jammies, have an adult beverage while snuggling with your
fur friend.
I attended a recent virtual conference hosted by other
technicians. This was great practical experience. I was able to
use an app on my phone to listen to the lectures while relaxing
on my patio, playing outside with my son, and even traveling to
visit my in-laws. I was able to listen to lectures, interact in a chat,
and have one-on-one talks with attendees and exhibitors.
While this format isn't the same as visiting Hershey in the
summer, it did give me more freedom and flexibility with my
education. I didn't feel stuck behind my computer for a full day.
I also didn't feel like I was losing any value of the education
provided to me. I was learning from the best educators.
I can't wait for you to experience the same freedom and
flexibility with Virtual Keystone Veterinary Conference. You will
be able to do all the same things as you have come to expect
from our in-person Keystone Veterinary Conference. We will
have an exhibit hall full of new products and services to improve
your practice. We will have top-notch education that you will be
able to watch live or on-demand. You will be able to chat with
peers about current events in vet med, issues in the practice,
and just catch up on life.
This is a new world we are living in, but I am excited to bring a
new form of education to the veterinary professionals of PA. This
is a trend that I hope will continue to grow and become more
accepted as we continue to push our profession forward.
Megan is a 2008 graduate from Vet Tech Institute in Pittsburgh,
PA. She has been practicing veterinary medicine for about 10
years. Megan has worked in emergency, clinical practice, research
and education. In addition to being PVMA's Director of Education
& Events, she is also an adjunct instructor at a local veterinary
technology program in York, PA. She lives with 4 monsters: two
human - her husband and her five-year-old son, and two canines -
a Lab mix and a GSP. All of them keep her pretty busy!

1. American Association of Veterinary State Board's (AAVSB) Registry of Approved Continuing Education (RACE®)

6 | Keystone Veterinarian

http://www.PathLMS.com/PaVMA.org

PVMA Keystone Veterinarian Summer 2020

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