Student Chapters of Association of Women Veterinarians

1. Contact the AVW Student Liaison, Debra Nickelson DVM to let me know what you plan for your school.
2. Choose an advisor to serve as a contact with the parent AWVF organization and the student chapter. We suggest a faculty or staff member or a local veterinarian who has some affiliation with the veterinary school.
3. Compile a list of students with e-mail addresses who are interested in becoming member of a student chapter of AWVF. Both male and female students are welcome.
4. Meet with these students and together compile a one-page description of the goals for your student chapter along with some plans on how your chapter will achieve those goals. Included is a draft of by-laws from AWVF for you to modify to your chapter's needs.
5. Debra Nickelson DVM, MBA is our Student Chapter Liaison. Call Dr. Nickelson at 602-207-2124 or e-mail to dnickelson@vpl.com.

Suggested issues that Student Chapters may want to address:

Self defense seminars
Mentoring programs
Leadership training
Business skills
Health issues
Work and family balance
Adaptations for pregnant and nursing women
Sexual harassment problems
Resume preparation

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Draft of By-Laws

 

Article I: Name of organization

 

Article II: Objective of organization

Section I:
To further the mutual advancement of women veterinarians in the science of veterinary medicine by bringing us together to share knowledge, support and friendship.

Section II:
To foster a network of contacts, community and support among all veterinarians.

Article III: Membership

Section I:
Open to all students at the College of Veterinary Medicine. Advisor will be an honorary member of AWVF.

Section II:
Chapter dues and use of such moneys shall be determined by the Executive Council. Suggested dues are $5.00 per member

Section III:
The fiscal year will run from July 1 to June 30.

 

Article IV: Executive Council

Section I:
The Executive Council will be composed of the President, Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer, and chapter advisor..

Section II:
The President will preside at all meetings and will have all such powers normally accorded with the chief officer of such an organization. He/she will, with the Executive Council appoint all regular and special committees. He/she will serve to initiate special projects and will be responsible for the administration of any activities not otherwise assigned.

Section III:
The Vice President will assist the officers of the chapter as directed by the President. He/she will preside at all meetings in the absence of the President. He/she will also publicize the meetings.

Section IV:
The Secretary/Treasurer will receive and be responsible for all the monetary resources of the chapter and will be jointly responsible with the other officers for signing all checks. These checks will be used for payment of organizational expenses to be paid for by chapter funds. Reimbursement must be accompanied by a receipt and is subject to Council approval. He/she will be responsible for keeping records of funds, their disbursement, and for dealing with the Student Organization Resource Fee and the Internal Revenue Service. In addition, he/she will take minutes of each Council meeting, provide a copy to each officer, and put a copy on public display. He/she will record all chapter business, membership records, questionnaires, election results and be responsible for chapter correspondence.

 

Article V: Elections

Section I:
The term of office for members of the Executive Council will be from July 1 to June 30. A slate or candidates for the offices of President, Vice President and Secretary/Treasurer will be nominated by the membership. The Secretary will distribute letter or e-mail ballots to all active members and will in turn, receive and count the ballots. In the event of a controversy, the ballots will also be counted by the President and/or chapter advisor.

 

Article VI: Meetings

Section I:
General membership meetings will be held twice during each semester, or as often as desired by the membership.

Section II:
The Executive Council meetings will be held at least twice during each semester and are open to attendance by all members.

 

Article VII: Parliamentary Authority

Section I:
The acting President may invoke Roberts Rules of Order, revised at a general or Executive Council meeting if he/she deems necessary.

 

Affirmative Action Statement:
The Association for Women Veterinarians is open to all students regardless of race, religion, sex, color, national or ethnic origin, age, sexual preference, or disability.

 

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Recent Student Activities

January - AWVF Sponsors Student Event at the University of California
Rebecca Offutt, veterinary student at UC Davis, reports on a panel discussion she organized on Jan. 21 titled: “Being a Vet and Having a Life: How Do They Do that?”. The AWVF helped sponsor this event.

 

“First, thank you very much for agreeing to sponsor the panel at such short notice. I had no idea that the panel and the free sandwiches would draw the 42 people that came! The panel was an informal question and answer session involving 4 veterinarians (see below) and 42 veterinary students (1 st-3 rd year). I believe the information and insight provided really helped give veterinary students an idea of how the profession works “in the real world,” and how people have achieved so much while maintaining a family and their sanity. All in all, I believe that it was a successful event. On the sign-in sheet, I asked participants to indicate if they would be interested in becoming a club member and helping to organize talks like this one.

 

Thanks again for the support.
Sincerely,
Becky Offutt, UCD vet med class of 2006

 

Speakers:
Dr. Martin is the practice owner of Berryessa Veterinary Services, a large mixed-animal practice in Winters CA. She started out in beef cattle practice and slowly expanded to doing relief work and then took an associate position in a small animal practice before starting her own practice. Dr. Martin stressed the importance of working hard during the first years out of vet school while we are able to devote the long hours to learning our profession. As a practice owner, she feels that some new graduates are too focused on getting time off and not working to learn. She has raised her children in and around her practice and feels that it is a good educational environment for them.

 

Dr. Wendy Shelton, current MPH student, has run the gauntlet in this profession, and done a bit of everything. She has worked in both small animal and equine private practice. She and her husband then developed and ran a surgical robotic design company. It was in this area that she realized that her basic science skills learned at UC Davis helped her to present equipment, budget needs, and medical research anywhere from Wall Street to board meetings. Dr. Shelton took some time off to raise her daughter and has returned to school to get her Masters in Public Health. She stressed the importance of the first years of practice in influencing your style of medicine. Also, she believes that to achieve balance it is important to set boundaries between work and home so that you are not constantly using your partner as a stomping ground for work issues.

 

Dr. Sue Stover, of JD Wheat Orthopedic Research Lab at UC Davis, was the first women equine surgeon at the UC Davis teaching hospital. She worked in private equine practice and then returned to Davis to get her PhD when her husband, Dr. Pascoe, was offered a faculty position. He is now the associate dean and she has continued her career at UC Davis in equine lameness research. She believes that it is not the quantity of time spent, but the quality of time spent with her children that creates their great relationship, even with the possibility of long hours. She does admit, though, that she has more flexibility in her time at the campus than she would in a more regimented private practice.

 

Dr. Jaime Clevenger graduated from UC Davis in 2003 and began working for Banfield Hospital in Sacramento. Within a month, she went from being one of four doctors to the only and lead doctor. She says she has learned a lot the hard way and is amazed at how quickly the hospital needs you. She stressed the importance of being able to contact UC Davis with questions, being able to set boundaries, and to help hire replacement doctors. She is currently worki ng “part-time” (40 hours a week) and pursuing a Masters in Public Health.

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March - Round Table Discussion at Tufts
Report to the Association for Women Veterinarians on the Round Table Session held at Tufts University Student Chapter of the AAEP

Round Table Participants:

Hollie J. Stillwell, DVM, Graduate of Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine 1998; Currently Co-owner of New England Horse Care Center, North Smithfield, RI

Enda Currid, MVB, Completed a Large Animal Surgery Residency Program at Tufts University in 1998. Currently Co-owner of New England Horse Care Center, North Smithfield, RI

Bonnie Smith, DVM; Graduate of Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine 1994; Currently Co-Owner of Brimfield Large Animal Clinic, Brimfield, MA.

Mary Kahan, DVM; Graduate of Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine 1989; Currently self-employed, specializing in equine acupuncture.

Approximately 22 veterinary students were present. Also in attendance: Jose Garcia-Lopez DVM, Assistant Clinical Professor in Large Animal Medicine; Betsy Stearns, the Director of the Tufts Fund;, and Stacy Pritt DVM, AWVF Northeastern Director.

The roundtable session lasted approximately 2 hours and was very informal. Each participant introduced themselves with a short biography, and then the students asked questions. Topics covered included: balancing a family and having children while in equine practice; working as a part time or relief veterinarian; why equine practice is perceived to be too demanding for younger and/or female veterinarians; involvement of the AAEP in time and life management;, maximizing earning potential;, utilizing technicians; choosing an internship and/or residency; how to pick a mentor; what to look for when choosing a practice;, how to apply for practice positions; how much equine experience you need in veterinary school;, why the numbers of solo equine practitioners are declining; and why partnering of practitioners and practices is occurring.

AWVF's support of this program was mentioned by participants and was positively received. The discussion indicated the need for the AAEP and equine practitioners to address issues involved with being a female equine veterinarian.

I thank the AWVF for its gracious support of our chapter.

J. Fred Nostrant
Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, Class of 2006
Student Chapter of the AAEP Vice-President.

University of Missouri Information Request

Terri Sympson, VM-4, University of Missouri, Former ITO and AVMA liaison to the Membership Services Committee for SAVMA, sent a request to the AWVF for: “information and articles regarding just the general topic of how women have adapted to working and homelife in veterinary medicine.” Our web site contains a list of resources that one can obtain from any public library (ask for “interlibrary loan”). In addition, the AWVF is here as a resource for you. Ms. Sympson was sent a variety of articles for her research.

April Presentation at the University of California, Davis
On April 22, the AWVF came together with the UC Davis chapter of the Veterinary Business and Management Association (VBMA) to host a lunch presentation with Dr. Bernadine Cruz. The topic was “Broadly Speaking… How to walk and talk like a woman but be heard like a man.”

Dr. Cruz provided about 20 students with real-world examples and tips on women in the veterinary profession and the business world in general. First of all, many studies have shown that when a man gets up to speak, people listen, but when a woman gets up to speak people first judge whether they like what they see, and then they listen. This can create frustration for women veterinarians trying to relay important information to clients and convince them of the proper course of action. Dr. Cruz stressed men’s risk-taker role and their task orientation, in contrast to the traditional woman’s view of having to ask permission for every action.

Dr. Cruz, using her experience in the media and her background as host of a pet health cable TV show, explained how professional dress and attitude is critical to making a good first impression. She suggested everyone get their “colors done” (evaluate what colors are best on you), wear good makeup or none at all, and have well-kept hair. Next, she described how sound and words can make a huge difference. One thing that I enjoyed was her impression of a woman trying to give a speech while fussing with her hair, bra straps, and saying things like “umm,” “well” and other problem words. She then gave the same speech in a composed, efficient and succinct way. The differences were clear and really helped me see the differences between a quiet, worried person and a confident doctor who did not lose her femininity. Dr Cruz believes that all this adds together to help clients come out of their “analysis paralysis” and make a decision to benefit their pet’s health.

Dr. Cruz rounded out the talk by giving tips for interviews and meetings. One tip was to make sure to “take up space.” By this, she meant to come in and sit comfortably in the chair, not slouching and hanging all over it, but having the confidence to appear more relaxed (put your elbows on the table) instead of the prim proper and stiff withdrawn pose that is more traditionally female.

Overall, it was a wonderful and entertaining talk.

Thank you, AWVF, for supporting our efforts!

Becky Offutt, Veterinary Student, UCD

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