Blogs

Five Veterinary Managers Receive 2021 VMG Scholarships to Earn CVPM Certification

By VHMA Admin posted 12-06-2021 15:57

  

ALACHUA, FL---Through a collaboration of VMG, Zoetis, and the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association (VHMA), five veterinary professionals have received a scholarship to help them attain the highest level of certification a veterinary manager can achieve ---the Certified Veterinary Practice Management (CVPM) credential. 

CVPM certification, which is offered through the VHMA, qualifies the knowledge and experience necessary to successfully manage the ever-changing business management of today's veterinary practices. CVPM candidates must document experience, knowledge and pass an examination.

The 2021 VMG Scholarship recipients are Ingrid Culver, Maybeck Animal, Melbourne, Florida; Kristen Fuller, Rehm Animal Clinic, Mobile, Alabama; David Hannan, Veterinary Innovative Partners, West Chester, New York; Heike Mayes, Seattle Veterinary Associates, Seattle, WA; and Lindsey Shelton, Vogel Veterinary Hospital, Arnold, Missouri.

About the VMG-CVPM Scholarship


The VMG Scholarship is awarded to managers employed by veterinary hospitals belonging to Veterinary Management Groups (VMG's) whose professionalism, expertise, and commitment will be enhanced with CVPM certification. The scholarship award includes a CVPM exam fee waiver, a complimentary registration to participate in the VHMA's eleven-week CVPM Test Preparation Program, including a print copy of the CVPM Preparation Workbook, digital flashcards, access to two VHMA Empower U Self-Assessment examinations, $1,000 cash toward the purchase of publications on the CVPM recommended reading list, and a one-year complimentary VHMA membership.


Meet the scholarship recipients

Ingrid Culver


Ingrid Culver
became Maybeck Animal Hospital's practice manager almost a decade ago. She was 18 when she launched her veterinary career as a kennel tech at another clinic. She later worked as a technician, then a groomer, then as an ER tech, a position she held when Maybeck Animal Hospital recruited her for a management position in 2013. Her first big challenge was earning AAHA accreditation. "My team and I had to develop all the protocols, as they had no written standards in place. Not even employee manuals!" Culver said. "I started from scratch with the help of my mentor, Dr. David Fogelberg, using VHMA guidelines and materials, AAHA guidelines, and advice from a colleague. Finally, we earned accreditation in 2016." When Maybeck bought a second clinic, Culver not only became its manager but a 10% owner.

Since 2016, Culver, originally from the Dominican Republic, has been earning the college credits needed to qualify for CVPM. "I like a challenge, and this was a challenge," she said. "This is my calling, and so I decided to go for it."

Winning the scholarship left her almost speechless. "It makes me feel so good about what I have achieved," she said.

Kristen Fuller

Kristen Fuller, 34, began managing barn operations at a horse farm right after high school graduation in 2004. In 2009, an animal hospital hired her as a kennel tech and, a year later, made her an assistant vet tech. She was in that role for about five years when she was given the opportunity to take on some supervisory roles, including scheduling and ordering. In 2015, Rehm Animal Clinic hired Fuller to manage one of their four facilities. Six years later, she manages four of their five facilities and managed the opening of their fifth facility this past summer. “From building design, to equipment, to staffing, to workflow and operations, it’s been very rewarding to have the opportunity to do this from start to finish,” she said.

Fuller loves being a practice manager. “The doctors are the advocates for the pets. The techs are the advocates for the pet owners. I am the advocate for my staff. I love being that person, the problem solver,” she said. Earning the CVPM credential was very important to her. “The more I know, the more I have to offer the practices that I manage and the more I have to offer my staff,” she said.

When told she won the VMG CVPM Scholarship, Fuller was so excited she busted into surgery to announce the news to her practice owner. “It felt like a validation, that this was the right path for me, that this is what I’m supposed to be doing,” she said. “The financial aspect of this scholarship is monumental, and to finally be able to earn this designation for my clinics, is just incredible.”

David Hannan

David Hannan has been practice manager and a technician for Veterinary Innovative Partners (formerly Northern Virginia Veterinary Associates) for 12 years, including 3.5 years at his current New York location. Many years earlier, "I started as a kennel kid, picking up poop and walking dogs," he said. Hannan spent the next eight years working at the Northern Virginia hospital, becoming a tech assistant and then a technician while also attending college and playing baseball, eventually for Independent League teams. Even while Hannan managed a baseball facility and coached outside of Washington, D.C., he continued to fill in at the clinic as needed.

When his current practice owners called him with an offer to manage their Westchester practice, he jumped at the chance to return to a veterinary practice full-time. "This was an opportunity for career growth," he said.

Once Hannan was managing a practice, there was no question he would aim for the CVPM credential. "To me, if you can get a credential, you're doing yourself a disservice if you don't get it," he said. "CVPM will give me more opportunity for growth and validate the skills that I already have."

He said of the VMG Scholarship, "It's nice to be recognized, and I look forward to continuing to expand on the reasons why I was selected."

Heike Mayes

Heike Mayes has been a practice administrator since 2009 and has held the position for Seattle Veterinary Associates for 1.5 years. Previously, she has been a tech assistant, a receptionist, a licensed technician, and an emergency tech and assistant to a veterinary cardiologist. She began her management role with a multi-location private practice, then became a regional manager for a corporate veterinary office before taking on her current practice administrator role for Seattle Veterinary Associates, a four-location privately owned practice group poised to add a fifth location.

Mayes had planned to work directly with animals for her entire career but was willing to try management when her practice owner was confident, she was the right person for the job. "I have found that I love working with people, too," she said. "I love coaching and developing leaders, strategic thinking, planning, and financials."

She has always wanted to earn her CVPM certification. So, when she broke her scapula in a horse-riding accident, she decided to make good use of her recovery time by getting it done. "It was very, very important to the owners of this practice, who practice at such a high-level," Mayes said. "For me, I had a lot of practical, boots-on-the-ground experience and good mentorship but going back to college to fulfill some of the credit requirements gives me a more well-rounded approach."

Mayes said of the VMG Scholarship: "It is a real gift to be able to have support and backing to finish the study courses and have the material needed to properly prepare myself to become the best person I can be and a CVPM."

Lindsey Shelton

Lindsey Shelton grew up working at Vogel Veterinary Hospital, which her father, a veterinarian, and mother, the former practice manager, own. She assisted in the kennels at age 14 and did that and reception work throughout college.

When Shelton pursued her master's degree in human resources, she worked alongside her mom to learn more about management. But after graduating, she did not want to work at Vogel. "My parents always wanted me to come back, but I wanted to get non-veterinary hospital experience," she said. "I didn't want anyone to think I felt entitled to the job; I wanted to earn it. And I wanted to bring back skills from elsewhere that would be valuable."

Shelton worked at a non-profit, a pharmaceutical company, a pet supply manufacturer, and finally Kraft-Heinz before accepting the job as Vogel's practice manager in June 2017. Her mom continues to assist with management, and working beside her is one of the perks. "I was dispensable to any CEO, but here, I'm not dispensable, and I'm able to help continue a legacy my parents started."

She said that earning the CVPM credential is important to Shelton because "It earns me credibility in my role here and in the veterinary hospital manager field."

Her practice owners are excited about the scholarship she received in both of their roles - as her parents and her bosses. Said Shelton, "They are happy that I'm getting external validation for the work I'm doing in the practice."

Recognizing Excellence

"The 2021 VMG Scholarship applicants are an impressive group, and the five scholarship winners and their practices should be extremely proud," said Christine Shupe, CAE, Executive Director, VHMA. "The winners have shown an exceptional commitment to continually improving the profession and their practices. Through this scholarship, they will earn a credential that recognizes their skills, ability, and experience and identifies them as leaders who will shape the future of veterinary practice management."

About The VHMA

The VHMA is a nationally recognized thought-leader and innovator in providing training, education, and resources to its more than 4,000 members while being a resource that the entire veterinary sector trusts for industry insights, research, and advocacy to assure performance at the highest levels. VHMA's core purpose is to advance and support veterinary practice management professionals by developing professional competence, supporting and encouraging standards through the industry's highest-level certification program, the Certified Veterinary Practice Manager (CVPM), and providing individuals with a network for professional connection and support. For more information, go to http://www.VHMA.org.


About Veterinary Study Groups, Inc
.

Veterinary Study Groups, Inc. provides a structure that enables practice owners to benefit from each other's wisdom, ideas, and experiences through Veterinary Management Groups. Each VMG is made up of 16-22 veterinarian owners and other practice leaders who meet biannually to share information, data, and management experiences. Mutual support and motivation help VMG members attain higher levels of success as practice administrators and leaders. More information about Veterinary Management Groups, including membership and contact details, may be found at www.veterinarystudygroups.com.


About Zoetis

Zoetis is a global animal health company. Building on 60 years of experience, Zoetis delivers quality medicines and vaccines complemented by diagnostic products, genetic tests, biodevices, and a range of services. The company is working every day to understand better and address the real-world challenges of those who raise and care for animals in ways they find truly relevant. For more information, go to: http://www.zoetis.com 

The VMG scholarship program is sponsored in part through an educational grant by Zoetis.

 


#MemberAnnouncement
#PressRelease
#PracticePulse
0 comments
2392 views

Permalink