New Year, New Goals: 5 tips for planning your veterinary CE for 2025
Christmas is a time for reflection on the last year and looking towards the next. While we hope you’re getting some well-earned rest, we also know that veterinarians are often workaholics – and from our course bookings we know people are already thinking about their veterinary CE for 2025 and beyond. So, while you’re dreaming about a new career path, a pay rise, or just a white Christmas, we thought we’d give you some tips to help you plan your CE for 2025.
1. Reflect on difficult cases from the last year
When planning your veterinary CE, one great place to start is reflecting on what you struggled with last year. Maybe you had a difficult oncology case, or maybe you found yourself dreading dentals more and more. Maybe you secretly moved anything skin-related out of your consult list and onto your colleague’s to avoid discussing atopy. Or maybe your worst nightmare is middle-of-the-night spleen removal. Whatever it is, planning your CE to repair holes in your knowledge or build new skills is one of the best ways to improve your work life. Gaining extra confidence in areas you used to dislike can be emancipating! Don’t believe me? Veterinary specialist Dr Rachel Perry used to hate dentistry – she took CE to improve her confidence and ended up loving it so much she became a board-certified specialist!
2. Think about your interest areas
Isn’t it great that everyone is different? That thing your colleagues hate might be the bit you love! Personally, surgery scares me – a few bad ops as a new graduate and I’m hoping to never have to pick up a scalpel again. Which suits my colleagues down to the ground, since they’d rather shut themselves in the operating theatre and leave the clients to me. If there’s an area of veterinary medicine that genuinely interests or excites you, consider squeezing in some CE in that discipline.
3. Think about your budget… and your ROI
If you just think about your budget, you might miss out. While budgeting is important, you should also think about getting a return on your investment (ROI). Will the CE course you’re considering give you confidence (which, don’t get me wrong, is great!) or will it get you a pay rise or allow you to apply for that job you’ve always wanted? Will it mean your practice can charge more, or offer a new service, because of your new skills? If you’re planning to move in the future, will any qualification you gain be able to move with you? While free online CE courses might seem like good value at first, using your CE budget to improve your career is often a worthwhile investment. Don’t forget that veterinary certificate courses are often more than a year long, meaning you’ll be getting two years of continuing education for that fee too!
4. Think about whether you need RACE-approved CE
While we’re on the subject of considering your ROI, it’s worth me mentioning that some States need more RACE-approved CE than others. Make sure you know your State’s rules for CE and how much of it (if any!) needs to be RACE-approved so that you don’t waste your CE budget on courses that aren’t compliant.
5. Think about your time commitments
We’re all busy. Whether you’re a DVMom trying to juggle your veterinary career with raising three kids or you’re a partner in your practice just trying to keep on top of everything, time is everything. Before booking any of your veterinary CE for 2025, look into the time commitment required and how it fits into your routine. You might find online veterinary CE more suitable, or you might want a shorter consolidated course. There’s no right or wrong answer, just what’s right for you.
Conclusion
Planning your veterinary CE for 2025 doesn’t have to be an arduous task, but putting some thought into what you need to get out of your veterinary CE next year can pay dividends for your job satisfaction and your career. If you need any help planning your CE, our team of experts can help find your perfect course – whether that’s a quick top-up on an area you’re less confident in, or a postgraduate qualification so you can start doing more of what you love!