Recent vet grads encouraged to make a difference
American Association of Bovine Practitioners members who are recent veterinary graduates were inspired to “Be the Beginning” at the 2025 eighth AABP Recent Graduate Conference Feb. 14 to 15 in Norman, Oklahoma.
In-person attendance was limited to AABP members who graduated veterinary school eight or fewer years ago. This conference had the second highest attendance with 242 veterinarians plus 22 accompanying persons, and 60 attendees who attended preconference seminars.
In addition, seven families registered for the childcare room, which is the highest number since the conference has offered this family-friendly benefit. The conference also had its largest number of exhibitors in the trade show with 26 companies and associations exhibiting.
With a theme of “Be the Beginning” attendees could earn continuing education credits as they could learn more about general, beef and dairy, clinical skills, practice management, and mixed animal sessions. There were also three day-long, intensive preconference seminars on dystocias and fetotomies, beef nutrition and dairy diagnostics.
“The theme was fostered with great speakers, starting with concepts related to developing ourselves to prepare and strive for our fullest potential,” said AABP Emerging Leader and Program Chair Dr. Cody Sacquitne. “The program brought different perspectives to help recent graduates excel—regardless of their practice type. The useful information will help spark new ideas and initiatives that recent graduates can use immediately.”
The program committee, consisting of Sacquitne, Dr. Colleen Potter (dairy), Dr. Patrick Schmitz (beef) and Dr. Annika Johnson (beef) matched the demographic of attendees. Kicking off the program was a keynote by Dr. Michelle Schack on enhancing sustainability through animal and human well-being. Session topics included remote consultation, solo practice, extra-label drug use, diagnostic interpretation, cattle handling and well-being, Salmonella Dublin, biosecurity, parlor evaluation, implant and vaccination strategies, repro topics, radiology, mixed animal sessions including small ruminants and backyard poultry and swine, and much more.
“I believe the scientific and personal information provided at this meeting will help to push the bovine veterinarians who attended this year’s conference to ‘Be the Beginning’,” Sacquitne said. “This doesn’t go without emphasizing our finale, Dr. Jen Schleining, whose emotional closing showed us that failure is not the opposite of success, but it is indeed part of success.”
“The AABP Recent Graduate conference continues to grow each year with new content and continuing education for bovine and mixed animal veterinarians at the beginning stages of their career,” said AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich. “Engaging recent graduates in rural practice, providing networking opportunities with mentors and peers, and ensuring the AABP is an inclusive and welcoming organization for all cattle veterinarians is an important part of our mission. The ultimate goal is to improve retention of bovine veterinarians in rural practice, and this conference is a positive step in that direction.”
AABP President Dr. Dave Sjeklocha has attended several Recent Graduate conferences since its inception, sometimes as a speaker and sometimes as a member of the AABP executive committee.
“It is so refreshing to see these veterinarians interacting and learning in their young careers,” he said. “These veterinarians truly look at CE as something they ‘get’ to do, as opposed to something they ‘have’ to do. I hope that attitude stays with them for the rest of their careers. Attending the Recent Graduate Conference is one of the best decisions a new veterinarian can make.”
The Recent Veterinary Graduate Conference was launched in 2018 as a result of the different needs of AABP members who are recent graduates, many of whom are unable to attend the AABP Annual Conference in the fall.
