VHMA VetBusiness

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Recent Episodes

1. From Clinic to Customs: Navigating International Pet Travel

   Sep 24, 2026

   Maria Morgan, recipient of VHMA's inaugural Kelly Clay Innovation Award, discusses the complexities of international pet travel compliance and its impact on veterinary practices. She shares how frustration with health certificate paperwork led to co-founding Passpaw, a workflow management platform designed to streamline pet travel processes. The conversation covers why international pet travel has become increasingly difficult due to changing regulations, strict timelines, limited access to government agencies, and the administrative burden on veterinary teams, alongside practical solutions for managing these cases in-house or through outsourcing.

2. The AI Advantage: Smarter Strategies for Veterinary Leaders

   Aug 6, 2026

   Dr. Adam Little, a veterinarian and entrepreneur, discusses how AI is transforming veterinary practice beyond simple question-answering tools to autonomous systems that complete workflows, manage tasks, and integrate across practice management systems. The conversation covers practical AI implementation in clinics, how AI will change client discovery and appointment booking, the evolution toward personalized medicine and connected devices, and actionable first steps for practice leaders uncomfortable with rapid technological change. Little also discusses the Kelly Clay Innovation Award created in memory of his late colleague to recognize veterinary teams solving practice problems.

3. Workforce Watch: Recruiting Trends for Practice Leaders

   Jul 23, 2026

   Gwen Delavar, senior recruiter and owner of VetProCentral, discusses current trends in veterinary recruiting and workforce challenges facing practice leaders. With over 30 years of veterinary medicine experience and decades of recruiting expertise, Delavar shares insights on what new graduates prioritize (mentorship over salary), geographic hiring difficulties, sign-on bonus risks, and common hiring mistakes. She emphasizes the importance of authentic job positioning, early recruitment planning, and the role of recruiters in competitive talent markets.

4. Spectrum of Care: Meeting Clients Where They Are

   Jun 25, 2026

   Dr. Kate Boatwright, founder of Write the Boat, discusses spectrum of care and access to care in veterinary medicine—frameworks for offering flexible treatment options rather than all-or-nothing approaches. She explores multiple categories of barriers to care beyond finances, including transportation, client fear of judgment, scheduling constraints, and patient stress, as well as institutional barriers created by veterinary clinics themselves. The conversation emphasizes communication, informed consent, and non-judgmental practice as keys to expanding care options while maintaining standard of care and reducing liability.

5. NAVTA's Review of the Midlevel Model

   May 28, 2026

   Anna Santos, Animal Health Supervisor at the University of Georgia's Office of Research Animal Resources and president-elect of NAVTA, discusses the organization's position on Veterinary Professional Associates (VPAs) and Mid-Level Practitioners (MLPs). After leading a year-long task force reviewing these models, NAVTA concluded they do not support VPA/MLP structures as currently implemented, particularly because Colorado's master's-level program excludes 85% of credentialed technicians. Santos emphasizes that advancing the veterinary profession requires strengthened educational pathways for existing technicians, better DVM training on technician utilization, and unified scope-of-practice standards rather than creating separate credential lines.

6. Behind the Chart: Scribing Technology

   Apr 23, 2026

   Dr. Mike Mossop, co-founder and Chief Veterinary Officer at CoVet, discusses AI-powered scribing technology designed for veterinary practices. The episode covers how AI scribes work in clinical workflows—from smartphone recording to automated medical record generation—and explores real-world adoption metrics, including case studies showing 2+ hours saved per veterinarian daily. Mossop addresses privacy concerns, integration with practice management software, and the technology's evolution toward clinical decision support tools.

7. Veterinary Graduating Senior Survey: What New Vets Really Want from Employers

   Mar 26, 2026

   Katelyn McCullock, Chief Economist at the American Veterinary Medical Association, presents findings from the 2025 graduating senior survey, which captures data from 3,318 fourth-year veterinary students across 35 accredited schools. The discussion covers employment offers (93.2% receiving offers), starting salaries ($134,244 average in companion animal practice), student debt burden (average $174,484, with 40% carrying over $200,000), and surprising insights into what drives new graduates' job choices—with mentorship, location, and workplace culture ranking higher than compensation.

8. Bridging the Gap Between Primary Care and Specialty Medicine

   Feb 12, 2026

   Dr. Andi Flory, a board-certified veterinary oncologist and assistant chair of the Specialty Medicine Awareness Committee, discusses how referral medicine bridges primary care and specialty practice. The conversation covers advances in cancer detection and immunotherapy, the role of technology and AI in veterinary medicine, and practical strategies for strengthening communication between primary care veterinarians and specialists. Dr. Flory addresses common barriers to referral including cost, access, client anxiety, and misconceptions about specialist care, while sharing evidence that pet owners report high satisfaction with specialist referrals.

9. Inside the Numbers: Shaping Veterinary Practices

   Jan 29, 2026

   Dr. Karen Felstead, a DVM, CPA, CVPM, and Certified Valuation Analyst, discusses what 2026 holds for veterinary practices based on VHMA's Insider Insights benchmark reports and fee surveys. The conversation centers on declining patient visits (down 10 of 12 months in 2025), rising veterinary fees that have outpaced inflation and cost increases, and the resulting client affordability challenges. Felstead advocates for price stabilization, strategic fee management, operational efficiency improvements, and intentional use of wellness plans rather than continued aggressive fee increases to sustain practice viability.

10. Insights Into the Current State of the Veterinary Team

    Nov 25, 2025

    Bash Halow, a certified veterinary practice manager and licensed veterinary technician with 26+ years of experience, discusses the current state of veterinary teams and workplace dynamics. He addresses how today's workers arrive with different challenges—financial stress, reduced resilience, and competing opportunities—and how leadership must build better support systems rather than insulate teams from meaningful work. Halow emphasizes the critical role of trust, clear communication of hospital goals, and the importance of helping team members see the intrinsic value in their work to drive engagement and fulfillment.