Veterinary Leadership Academy^SM

VLA Overview | Being a Leader | Leading With Style | Leading Your Team | Location & Hotel | Registration

Supported by:

The VLA courses will be continuously held in May, October, May of each year. The 2008/2009 dates are as follows.  Registration for these programs will be available after January 1, 2008.

**Please note: you can begin The Veterinary Leadership Academy with either Being a Leader or Leading With Style. Leading With Style must be completed before attending Leading Your Team.

Is your leadership style effective?
Do you know how to get the most out of your employees?
What impact does your leadership style have on your practice culture?

The Veterinary Leadership Academy^SM answers all of these questions and more! Jointly developed by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) and Pfizer Animal Health, The Veterinary Leadership Academy is an unprecedented educational opportunity for all veterinary professionals in management or leadership positions.

A robust practice culture, improved profitability and your practice’s overall success all rely on effective leadership. This program was developed to teach you these essential skills. Happier, more productive employees, improved client communication and superior patient care are just a few of the many rewards you will reap by attending this program.

The Veterinary Leadership Academy^SM features expert faculty from the forerunners of professional leadership education: The Ken Blanchard Companies (“One Minute Manager”), Ninth House^®, 2logical and the Center for Management and Organization Effectiveness (CMOE). The content, used in leadership training for high-profile organizations such as America Online, Amazon, American Express and GE, has been customized specifically for The Veterinary Leadership Academy^SM to meet the unique needs of veterinary professionals.

Who Should Attend

Practicing medicine, running a profitable practice and motivating employees can be a challenging balancing act. Managers/Administrators and DVMs/Owners should attend The VLA to learn how to coach and mentor employees so employees can significantly contribute to the practice’s success.

As a leader within your practice, success is defined by your team’s performance, which is ultimately your responsibility. If you are seeking a more effective working team, an understanding of which activities will create the biggest impact in your practice and retention of high-performing employees, this is the ideal program for you.

Why You Should Attend

The Veterinary Leadership Academy gives you the tools to help you achieve your ideal practice. Leadership is, in fact, a learnable discipline with concrete skills that take practice. You will learn how leadership differs from management and come away with valuable skills to help you successfully develop a vision for your practice, define a positive workplace culture, direct positive change and provide your employees with the motivation and direction they need to be successful.

You will also build a strong network with your fellow attendees as you move through each course together. These valuable connections can benefit you long after the program is over as you continue to share in your successes and challenges.

Highlights

The Veterinary Leadership Academy provides high-level education with ample opportunities for professionals in management or leadership positions, including:

• Understanding how leadership is tied to your bottom line and why effective leaders make more money
• Learning valuable skills to help you successfully direct change and develop a positive culture in your practice
• Realizing how leadership differs from management and the proper balance between leadership and management tasks
• Moving through the courses as a group to help you build a valuable network with fellow attendees
• Knowing how to align the practice’s vision with personal goals to increase employee motivation, loyalty and quality patient care
• Practical solutions for unique challenges in veterinary practice through case study examination
• Learning the traits of effective leaders and how to integrate these traits into your leadership style
• Practicing leadership approaches to use with different employees on any given task
• Effective ways of dealing with and confronting conflict

Improved employee interaction

You will realize that as a leader, you are accountable for defining practice culture, but you will also learn how to foster an environment of empowerment and accountability in your entire practice team. The Veterinary Leadership Academy gives you skills to impart to your team so each member of the team can be a leader within his or her sphere of influence. The end result will be loyal, motivated employees who can identify their own solutions to problems and challenges.

Improved client interaction

Leadership doesn’t begin and end with employees — clients are looking for leadership in the exam room as well. Practices are healthier and more profitable with a confident leader who inspires clients’ confidence in pet health care recommendations. You will gain effective leadership skills that directly affect compliance and profitability.

Location Information

Cheyenne Mountain Resort, Colorado Springs, Colorado

The Veterinary Leadership Academy takes place at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort in scenic Colorado Springs, Colorado, just ten minutes from the Colorado Springs airport and one hour from Denver. Colorado offers more than 300 yearly days of sunshine and a mild climate at 6,000 feet above sea level. Colorado Springs offers visitors many opportunities to enjoy outdoor and cultural activities.

Registration Fees:

Your registration fee includes:

• Daily gourmet breakfast buffet
• Two full refreshment breaks each day
• Daily gourmet lunch buffet
• Hospitality reception sponsored by AAHA MARKETLink the evening prior to the program
• Dinner sponsored by Pfizer Animal Health the first evening
• Casual dinner the second evening hosted by AAHA
• 22 CE credits per course
• Pre-reading materials
• Workbooks and program materials
• Personal action planner to implement in your practice
• Many networking opportunities during each three-day course

“[The VLA] provided what it means to be a leader but also a methodical approach to becoming a leader. It is very inspiring to set and maintain goals and achieve them. Also, realizing that while stepping up to be a leader can be challenging and difficult, the reward of seeing the people around you grow and blossom will make it even more worthwhile. I can also see how this applies to every segment of your life and every person you contact.”
— Juanita Powell
Truro Veterinary Hospital, Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada

Congratulations to the first graduates of all three VLA courses!