By Corey Phillips (Advisor: Dr. DeBowes)
Summary: Veterinary medicine is an industry undergoing rapid change as the expectations centered around pet healthcare are changing and the demand for specialty healthcare is increasing. There has never been a better time to be a new graduate veterinarian, and this paper explores ways to boost professional development of a new graduate during the early days of clinical practice. This paper looks at workplace culture, new doctor production, how to provide value even while not necessarily being a high producer, and what employers are looking for in a new graduate veterinarian. Culture is essentially the collective mindset of any group. For a veterinary practice, the culture defines how teams interact, support each other, and maintain shared standards of care. It is both the foundation of daily work and a critical driver for both staff retention and overall job satisfaction. For new graduates, a positive culture offers an opportunity to shape a supportive environment through mentorship, collaboration, and servant leadership. Conversely, a mediocre or negative culture presents the risk for unclear expectations, poor clinical habits and impaired integration into a practice. Production reflects the measurable financial value a veterinarian contributes to a practice. Understanding production is essential for navigating contracts, negotiating pay, and aligning personal goals with clinic sustainability. While pitfalls such as burnout and overemphasis on numbers exist, new graduates can still provide immense value by building trust, strengthening staff, educating clients and team members, and developing clinic systems for optimal efficiency and effectiveness. The overall aim of this paper is to provide practical guidance for new veterinarians who want to thrive in their careers, offering strategies for balancing culture, production, and professional growth.
Conclusions: As the veterinary profession expands, the next generation of practitioners have both the opportunity to be very successful in the workplace and the responsibility to continue advancing clinical medicine and patient care. Workplace culture and production are two components that will largely shape careers, client satisfaction, and the success of your practice and the ability to practice medicine as desired. For new graduates, the intersection of these two themes offers a powerful platform from which to thrive. By entering the profession with an open mind, a willingness to learn, and a focus on service rather than self, graduates can establish themselves as leaders early in their careers. Their contributions do not need to hinge on being the fastest surgeon or the most efficient diagnostician. Instead, they can stand out by building trust with clients, strengthening team dynamics, mentoring support staff, and setting high standards for patient care. These contributions create strong relationships with lasting value that goes far beyond production numbers. Employers are searching for veterinarians who can integrate seamlessly into teams, balance clinical competence with empathy, and grow into reliable professionals who anchor their practices. Graduates who commit to continuous improvement across a range of skills will not only stand out but also help shape the future of veterinary medicine. Ultimately, the success of a new veterinarian is measured not only in revenue or procedures performed but in the legacy they leave through culture, collaboration, and high quality care for their patients.
By Ashley Anderson (Advisor: Dr. Elissa)
Summary: Backyard chicken ownership has become increasingly popular across the United States, driven by interests in sustainability, local food production, and the companionship these birds provide. Despite growing numbers, many flock owners have limited knowledge of chicken health and disease identification, and prevention. With the increased populations of backyard chickens, there is a greater need for veterinarians who can make biosecurity recommendations and help clients identify signs of disease in their flock. Recent outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) have emphasized the importance of veterinary involvement and education of these small flock owners, not only to protect animal health but also to prevent transmission of potentially dangerous zoonotic disease to people. In addition to treating illness, clinicians can provide education on proper husbandry, recognize and manage common chicken diseases, and develop biosecurity plans that are realistic and practical for backyard settings. These interventions not only reduce the risk of disease transmission but also strengthen the human-animal bond by promoting healthier, more resilient flocks. This paper serves as a brief practical guide to clinicians working with backyard chickens. It will discuss physical exam methods, clinical presentation of common diseases and current recommendations for biosecurity for backyard chicken flocks.
Conclusions: Backyard chicken flock medicine is a rapidly expanding area of veterinary medicine. Veterinarians who treat these flocks have a unique ability to safeguard both animal and human health. It is important for clinicians to focus on proactive care of these birds through exams, disease recognition, biosecurity, and client education. A good standing veterinarian-client-patient relationship will result in healthier birds, stronger human-animal bonds, and reduced risk of zoonotic disease.
By Cherish Cosman (Advisor: Dr. Villarino)
Summary: Xylazine is an essential veterinary drug used in a wide range of circumstances including to safely examine and treat fractious, fearful, and painful large animals, zoo animals, wildlife, and even handle some small animals. It is the most effective medication when handling cattle and is relied on in veterinary medicine to keep animals and people safe in every-day situations. Unfortunately, with its other characteristics of enhancing the effects of opioids, muscle relaxation, and sedation, xylazine as an illicit drug and an adulterant in other street drugs has been on the rise, finding its way into nearly all unregulated drug markets and fueling the fire of the deadly fentanyl epidemic. Driven in part by its lower risk of law enforcement probing and low cost as an uncontrolled substance, xylazine has become one of the leading overdose and public health concerns globally. Governments both at home and abroad have felt the need to restrict and regulate xylazine in the hopes of curbing the supply of illicit drugs. New targeted legislation often results in placing xylazine in a new schedule category, heightened penalties for illicit use, and new requirements surrounding possession, sale, and delivery of xylazine. All those actions can come with devastating impacts for rightful veterinary access. Strict regulations could mean disruptions in supply from manufacturers and additional liabilities and costs for veterinarians. Pending guidance at the national level, veterinarians should not only be aware of these policy shifts state to state but be engaged in shaping the outcomes and navigating these changes to provide the best care for patients and clients. To this end, a scan of legal resources, government websites, and compiling of that information was conducted to create this reference.
Conclusions: Amid the storm of changes to regulations regarding xylazine, veterinarians need to remain vigilant, engaged, and adept to adjust as the dust settles on a new landscape. The United States has become a patchwork of varying degrees of restrictions, penalties, and requirements and not all these measures provide for veterinary exemptions. Globally, as the threat of illicit xylazine continues to make its mark, changes in international relations and policies can disrupt veterinary practice as it is known today. Veterinarians should actively follow and engage in policy processes to hopefully emerge with their feet on solid ground for wherever they may practice
By Laura Odland (Advisor: Dr. Broughton-Neiswanger)
Summary: Artificial intelligence (AI) has gained traction over the past decade for making jobs easier for people. Veterinary medicine is a field in which AI can be used to increase efficiency and reduce the time needed to complete tasks. With burnout being a well-known issue in veterinary medicine, AI could be implemented to help reduce the burnout rate. Different aspects of veterinary practice can be evaluated as potential areas for AI implementation. If time spent to do administrative work is decreased and the process for diagnosis is more proficient, this will reduce the stress among veterinarians.
Conclusions: The use of artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming more prevalent in the world every day, including in veterinary medicine. Studies have identified a variety of mitigation strategies, such as using automated scribes to reduce the time needed to complete medical records and to increase efficiency. Customizable templates can help preserve veterinarian autonomy and voice while creating comprehensive medical notes for clients and veterinary personnel. Artificial intelligence models can help veterinarians make more informed decisions and improve diagnostic precision while maintaining high accuracy in areas such as imaging diagnostics. Artificial intelligence may be one of the solutions the veterinary field has been looking for to make a significant difference in reducing burnout. Burnout in veterinary medicine remains an ongoing challenge that requires continued attention. Reducing the major factors that contribute to burnout is essential to addressing this issue effectively and promoting a better work-life balance, building confidence, and strengthening veterinarian-client-patient relationships are key steps toward improvement. When applied appropriately in veterinary clinics, AI can make veterinarians’ jobs more efficient by reducing the time needed for administrative tasks and allowing the extra time to be focused on patient care and self-care. While artificial intelligence continues to evolve, it is important to recognize its value as a powerful complementary tool in veterinary medicine, while remaining aware of the ethical boundaries.
By Lilian Moore (Advisor: Dr. Marre)
Summary: When considering biosecurity of small ruminant populations there are four diseases that are most commonly screened for – caseous lymphadenitis, Johne’s disease, and small ruminant lentiviruses including both caprine arthritis and encephalitis virus and ovine progressive pneumonia virus. Despite the importance of testing for these diseases, the diagnostic options are extremely limited, and all have crucial flaws that must be considered. For this reason, it is of high value for veterinarians and small ruminant owners to understand these tests and how to utilize and interpret them to maximize their application in the protection of small ruminant population health.
Conclusions: Caseous lymphadenitis, Johne’s disease, and small ruminant lentiviruses all have severe impacts on both the economic potential and the animal welfare of small ruminant herds and flocks. All three of these diseases have different mechanisms of action, effects on their host, and diagnostic testing options, however for all three diagnostic testing plays a crucial role in disease control and eradication. Additionally, despite the importance of diagnostic testing all three of these diseases have imperfect testing options with different shortcomings that must be considered in order for them to be of value. For this reason, it is of crucial importance that veterinarians, livestock producers, and any other individuals using these diagnostic tests be educated in their considerations and limitations such that the results can be accurately interpreted and of maximum use to protecting the health of small ruminant populations.