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President’s
message
 AASV: From good to great
When it started snowing Thursday morning, the idea of driving to
the airport early made good sense. Our flight from Omaha to Orlando
didn’t leave until Friday morning, but I was not going to
miss being in Orlando for the annual meeting. What would happen if
the president-elect, the program chair, did not make it to the
meeting? By Thursday noon, over 12 inches of snow had fallen, the
winds cranked up to 25 to 35 miles per hour, and western Iowa was
experiencing a good old-fashioned blizzard. I was glad to make the
10-block drive home. Forget about driving early to Omaha.
Friday morning brought no relief as winds continued, several
more inches of snow fell, and road crews did not even attempt to
clear the highways. Panic was starting to set in. It looked like
the roads might not be cleared until Easter. Roads stayed closed
until Saturday afternoon (we bought new tickets through Des Moines
and drove on roads not fit for snowplows). We finally arrived in
Orlando Saturday night. I was sure glad the 2007 meeting
wasn’t in Des Moines or Omaha.
After arriving in Orlando, I began to question why I was so
concerned. Although I was late, the meeting had seemed to progress
fantastically without me. I hated missing the board meeting, but
the board addressed the agenda items and solved the few problems
that did exist. After listening to Dr Tom Burkgren’s Howard
Dunne lecture, “AASV: From good to great,” I realized
why the AASV is so successful. This organization is designed so
that everyone makes a difference and no one individual really
changes the course of the AASV. At times, all of us think that we
are irreplaceable and will be missed, but these thoughts are
quickly extinguished by reality. Dr Burkgren emphasized that AASV
does have “the right people on the bus,” and this point
was never more recognizable than watching the annual meeting
unfold.
Although all of the presentations were excellent and the
scientific merit of the meeting was strong, I was especially
challenged by the Monday morning general session. In my opinion, no
one deserved to be recognized as a Howard Dunne lecturer more than
Dr Tom Burkgren. Tom Burkgren represents what is great in our
profession, our association, and the industry we serve. The AASV is
extremely fortunate to have Dr Burkgren as our executive director.
Dr Steve Henry, in presenting the inaugural Alex Hogg lecture,
challenged our membership to serve as Alex Hogg served. Anyone who
knew Dr Hogg knows that task will not be easy.
If you missed Dr Beth Lautner’s presentation,
“Professionalism in veterinary medicine: Good to
great,” please take time to read the proceedings. Dr Lautner
took a difficult topic and made it applicable to our profession.
Two key points of her presentation hit home with me. First, the
doctorate of veterinary medicine offers the opportunity to be a
professional. Character, attitude, quest for excellence,
competency, and conduct (ie, our actions) define us as
professionals. The problem with having 25 years in the profession
is that you can look back on your career and challenge some of your
actions. If given the opportunity, most of us might change a
decision or action made in the past, but hopefully, a true
professional learns from his or her mistakes and does not repeat
them. I would offer three simple bits of advice on the ethics of
being a professional.
- If it feels uncomfortable, it is most likely wrong.
- If you explain that it is not black or white but grey, it is
probably black.
- If it wakes you up at night, fix it as soon as
possible.
Dr Lautner described some challenges she had early in her career
as a female swine veterinarian. How daunting it must have felt
entering a male-dominated association where females might not have
been welcomed with open arms. By 2008, the majority of members of
the AVMA will be female. Our profession is rapidly making a gender
switch. It certainly seems realistic that not too far in the
future, a majority of AASV’s members will be female. It is
unfortunate to think that Dr Lautner did not feel welcome; however,
she used her cool reception as a challenge to become a swine
veterinarian.
“Good to great” associations must realize that in
the future “the right people on the bus” might not look
like “the old people on the bus.”
-- Daryl Olsen
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