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British Columbia
Tel. 604 929 7090 President: Dr.Ray Snopek WSAVA Representative Members:1381 (12/09) _______________________________ BCVMA Report 2008 (posted November 2008) In 2007, the BCVMA celebrated its 100th anniversary. For some countries, this is a small milestone, but to us, it�s hard to believe our profession is that old. The advancements are amazing. The members were treated to articles in our magazine showing the history of veterinarians in BC. More importantly, they were able to see some of the remarkable people that have contributed to the association over the years. The number of veterinarians in BC continues to rise. We now have over 1300 members with over 1100 in active practice. We expect continued growth over the next few years. However, our province is still in a crisis. There is a very real lack of available veterinary practitioners. There are some that have been advertising for several years for veterinarians to join their practice. In some cases, it can be blamed on urbanization and a tendency of new graduates to gravitate toward the cities, away from small-town practice, be it large or small animal. This lack of manpower ends up in veterinarians working very hard and unable to enjoy a balanced life style. We are looking at ways we can assist in attracting more veterinarians to BC. One way that our numbers have swelled is through the contribution by International graduate veterinarians. On this topic, we have completed a booklet for International graduates to assist them in meeting the requirements to enter the profession. We are also looking at advanced training programs to further assist this group in assimilating into the veterinary profession. The last few years have been a challenge to the BCVMA with numerous lawsuits brought against the BCVMA from a small group of litigants. Thankfully, most of the cases have been abandoned with significant cost awards to the BCVMA. Our focus is now one large case that is progressing through a Human Rights Tribunal. Despite this diversion, we have continued to make changes that help the veterinarians of BC. One is the requirement for continuing education (CE). The rules on what counts for our mandatory CE have been relaxed. Simply, if a member takes a course that s/he considers will help them provide better medicine in practice, be it a lecture or Internet course, it counts for CE. Any type of alternative medicine also qualifies in meeting the annual CE requirement (15 hours). Council has been reviewing a report from the Member Services Task Force. One suggestion in the report is that the veterinarians of BC voluntarily create a distinct organization to deliver member advocacy services. Members have yet to have input on this topic and a discussion is planned during our spring meeting in Sun Peaks (Kamloops). The Council that was sworn in this fall bring a breadth of knowledge and experience that guarantees to make this year a satisfying one. As president, I look forward to offering what guidance I can and seeing what we can accomplish in the next year. All the best, Jeff Grognet, DVM, BSc(Agr) |
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British Columbia Veterinary Medical Assocation (BCVMA)