Meet Breanne....

My name is Breanne and I have been working at Allandale Veterinary Hospital for just over two years now. I began as a veterinary assistant while I was still in school for the Veterinary Technician program at Georgian College. When I graduated in April and passed the VTNE, I got hired full time as an RVT.

I recently attended my very first veterinary conference, the VMX in Orlando Florida. The VMX is the world’s leading veterinary conference; thus, I felt very thankful for the opportunity to attend it so soon after graduating and becoming an RVT. Prior to the VMX, I did not really know what to expect, other than what co-workers told me about the conferences they had attended previously. Essentially, this entire conference was spread over five days (Saturday-Wednesday), with lectures running from 6:30am until 7-8 at night. In addition, there were celebrity lecturers and the country band, Little Big Town, put on a concert for all attendees on the Monday night.

            Ultimately, I was amazed by the number of topics that were discussed, as well as the fact that I could choose the lectures that interested me most. Specifically, I attended multiple dentistry lectures, a neonate care lecture, some nutrition lectures, and several more. I even had the opportunity to meet the Instagram famous “Kitten Lady” and listen to her lecture about fostering neonate kittens as well.

It would be difficult to choose a lecture more favorable than the others, as I enjoyed all of the topics equally and was interested in learning about each one. Having graduated so recently, I find it hard to choose an area of study that I prefer more than the others. In addition to the topics being amazing, all of the lecturers were specialists in the topics they were speaking about, so I was always very intrigued when listening because they all displayed the utmost passion and knowledge.

While we were in Orlando, we were lucky enough to be made a finalist for the Pet Plan Practice of the Year award. Because we were finalists, we were able to attend the black tie awards dinner, hosted by Youtube famous, Dr. Andy Roark. In addition, we were able to meet all finalists for pet parent of the year, receptionist of the year, veterinary nurse of the year, veterinarian of the year, as well as the other finalists for practice of the year. It was, without a doubt, a great night and all of us felt so fortunate to have had the opportunity to be present.

A selfie with Dr. Andy Roark!

Overall, I can say my very first veterinary conference was an amazing experience. I learned so much, and got to meet so many people who are experts in a number of different fields of veterinary medicine. Being able to continue my education and see how passionate so many people are in this field, only solidified my career choice more. I feel so lucky to have been a part of VMX 2019 and can’t wait to keep learning throughout my future years as an RVT.