Professional News

10 September

Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program and Veterinary Services Grant Program

wsvma   |   Professional News

Washington has had very few applications for either the VMLRP or the VSGP in the last decade.  If you are having trouble recruiting or retaining veterinarians in your food animal practice or you need specialized equipment or support to expand services in a shortage area, consider these two grant opportunities. The VMLRP will pay up to $25,000 each year towards qualified educational loans of eligible veterinarians who agree to serve in a NIFA-designated veterinarian shortage situation for a period of three...

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03 September

WSVMA extends member benefit for coaching, career counseling and support

wsvma   |   Professional News

The WSVMA is extending the personal- and professional support member benefit originally established last year to support WSVMA members in navigating COVID-19-related stressors. Dr. Carrie La Jeunesse, DVM, CT, CFE is offering discounted 50-minute coaching, career counseling, and personal/professional support sessions tailored to individual WSVMA members. Sessions are first come, first served. Discounted fees are on a sliding scale of $65 to $95 per hour. Individuals may choose the fee that best fits their current personal financial circumstances; that fee will...

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27 August

WA pharmacists advised on filling prescriptions for ivermectin

wsvma   |   COVID-19, Professional News

The Washington Pharmacy Quality Assurance Commission (PQAC) sent out a communication to pharmacists this week with a reminder that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved ivermectin for use in treating or preventing COVID-19 in humans and it has not been proven safe or effective for this indication. PQAC advised pharmacists receiving prescriptions for ivermectin for the treatment of prevention of COVID-19 should use their professional judgment in determining whether to fill them and if they have...

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27 August

State veterinarian retires, assistant state vet takes interim reins

wsvma   |   Professional News

For the past five years, Dr. Brian Joseph has served as the Washington State Veterinarian, an office within the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA). Last Friday, he hung up his stethoscope and said hello to retirement, or rather his version of retirement. The agency will not be immediately replacing Dr. Joseph. Assistant state veterinarian Dr. Amber Itle will serve as the interim state veterinarian while the agency works on determining the best path forward in filling the position permanently. In retirement,...

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20 August

AVMA Summer House of Delegates – Washington Report

wsvma   |   Professional News

Greetings from the summer meeting of the AVMA House of Delegates (HOD).  The meeting was held in a hybrid format the last weekend of July in conjunction with the virtual AVMA Convention. It was a busy meeting, with many agenda items and elections taking place. The House of Delegates met over two days to discuss a total of nine resolutions and elect new AVMA officers, House of Delegates leadership, and new AVMA committee members. Dr. Lori Teller from Texas was elected...

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13 August

WSU College of Veterinary Medicine hosts White Coat Ceremony

wsvma   |   Professional News, Veterinary Medical Education

Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine is hosting its annual White Coat Ceremony with a hybrid platform this year to welcome the Class of 2025. The event will be held in-person at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 19, in Beasley Coliseum on the Pullman campus. The ceremony will also be live-streamed on the college’s YouTube channel. Unlike other veterinary colleges that provide white coats to students in their fourth year, WSU’s first-year veterinary students have received their clinical white coats at...

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06 August

Veterinarians recruiting dogs to help develop life‑saving test

wsvma   |   Animal Health, Professional News, Veterinary Medical Education

Washington State University veterinarians are recruiting dogs to help develop a life-saving canine drug metabolism test. The test could provide veterinarians with a quick-and-easy way to determine if a dog will have a potentially life-threatening reaction to anesthesia drugs or other drugs commonly prescribed to dogs. Dogs of all breeds and sizes, age 1-12, are eligible to participate in the Drugs Optimized by Genomics (D.O.G.) Study. Life-threatening unanticipated reactions to drugs are a common concern for dog owners and veterinarians. Like humans, all dogs are unique in...

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16 July

Shutdown of Glove Manufacturing Will Have ‘significant impact’ on International Supply Chain

wsvma   |   Professional News

Three glove manufacturers have suspended operations in Selangor, Malaysia, due to a pandemic lockdown in several districts in the state. Top Glove Corp, a large glove manufacturer, said it is temporarily halting operations of its medical glove factories in the town of Klang in compliance with the directive and is awaiting clarification from the National Security Council. Hartalega Holdings and Kossan Rubber Industries also said they’re shutting down operations. The lockdown is in effect until July 16. “Regrettably, this will...

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07 June

If you use telemedicine in your practice, you must complete training by June 30, 2021 – Important information

wsvma   |   Practice Management, Professional News

There is a new state training requirement for healthcare providers, including veterinarians, that use telemedicine in their practice. The deadline to complete it is June 30, 2021. For the purposes of this training, “telemedicine” does not include the use of audio-only telephone, facsimile, text, or email, but if you use interactive audio and video technology, with real-time communication between you and your client, this one-time training must be satisfied. If you don’t use telemedicine in your practice, there is no need...

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21 May

Pentobarbital back orders and potential alternatives

wsvma   |   Professional News

AVMA has received multiple reports of short-term backorders of pentobarbital. The Food and Drug Administration Center for Veterinary Medicine (FDA CVM) is aware of the issue and has reached out to sponsors/manufacturers of pentobarbital products to determine the root cause and possible avenues for resolution. Veterinarians can and should report any drug shortage directly to FDA CVM at [email protected] As a scheduled drug, pentobarbital is regulated by FDA and under the oversight of DEA. Until this issue is resolved, we know that veterinary...

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