Professional News

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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14 May

WSU’s new WADDL facility advances animal and human health

wsvma   |   Animal Health, One Health, Professional News

Washington State University celebrated the opening of the new Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (WADDL) Thursday, May 13, marking the next era in diagnostic testing and disease surveillance. The new facility was virtually dedicated via the College of Veterinary Medicine YouTube channel, and featured WSU president Kirk Schulz, College of Veterinary Medicine Dean Dori Borjesson, WADDL Executive Director Tim Baszler, Rep. JT Wilcox, and Washington State Department of Agriculture Director Derek Sandison. A virtual tour of the facility was also included as...

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14 May

New AVMA program gets charitable care to needy pets

wsvma   |   Animal Welfare, Professional News

A new grant program available exclusively to AVMA members reimburses veterinarians who provide discounted or free services to help low-income families afford care for sick or injured pets. The AVMF National Veterinary Charitable Care Grant Program provides AVMA member veterinary practitioners with a simple and effective way to offer low or no-cost, necessary veterinary services to the animals of clients facing personal hardships due to COVID-19 or Domestic Violence. Applicants will be reimbursed in full or in part for the cost...

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09 April

Veterinarians needed for perspectives on useful antimicrobial resistance data

wsvma   |   Professional News

Second-year University of Washington One Health MPH student Alexandria Vingino is seeking veterinarians willing to participate in a focus group about clinician-user preferences and perspectives on antimicrobial resistance data. The interview would provide an opportunity for the UW Center for One Health Research and WA Department of Health to understand the best way to present and visualize data on antimicrobial-resistant data for veterinarians, physicians, microbiologists, and other health workers. The focus group will take about an hour and will be held using Zoom...

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26 March

Free to the profession: Suicide prevention training

wsvma   |   Professional News, Wellness

Veterinary medicine is a community, and a community supports its members. For that reason, the AVMA is pleased to begin offering free training in suicide prevention to all veterinary professionals. The free training – known as QPR gatekeeper training, short for “question, persuade, refer” – has been available to AVMA and SAVMA members for several years as a pilot program. More than 2,500 members have completed or begun the training, and their positive feedback fueled the decision to expand the program to the...

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05 March

Federal requirements for the veterinarian-client-patient relationship

wsvma   |   Professional News

The Basics  The federal government regulates veterinary medicine and animal drugs very differently than it does human health care and drugs intended for human use. This is, in part, because veterinarians are key to maintaining a healthy, safe, and wholesome food supply and because they also play an important role in overseeing the judicious use of antimicrobials in animals. One important difference between human and veterinary medicine is that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authority under the federal...

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26 February

Veterinary shortage application process open

wsvma   |   Professional News

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has declared 196 veterinary shortage areas in 41 states for 2021, although none in the Pacific Northwest have been declared. To address these shortages, the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP) provides veterinarians up to $25,000 a year for student loan repayment in exchange for at least three years of service in one of the USDA-designated shortage areas. The program is overseen by the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). Applications are now being accepted for the VMLRP through...

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19 February

Health equity continuing education may soon be a requirement

wsvma   |   Professional News

A bill is winding its way through the Washington State Legislature that if passed, will require each health profession, including veterinarians and veterinary technicians, to complete health equity education training at least once every four years. The goal of Senate Bill (SB) 5229 and the health equity courses is to teach skills that enable a health care professional to care effectively for patients from diverse cultures, groups, and communities, varying in race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexuality, religion, age, ability, and...

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05 February

AVMA releases guidelines to support telehealth use by veterinary practices

wsvma   |   Professional News

A new best-of-breed resource gives veterinary practices a step-by-step guide to implement and expand telehealth services. Introducing: AVMA Guidelines for the Use of Telehealth in Veterinary Practice. This practical handbook is a hands-on reference for veterinary teams, providing a one-source reference with critical information to make telehealth, in its variety of forms, more successful for patients, clients, and practices: Definitions of the key components of the telehealth landscape Context around federal and state regulations and legal considerations, including the veterinarian-client-patient relationship (VCPR) ...

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