Once again, AASV’s membership and issue-based committees will meet before the Annual Meeting, in addition to meeting in person in Nashville, Tennessee. Meeting times are posted on the AASV committee webpage at aasv.org/aasv/committee.php. Agendas will be posted on each committee page as they become available.
Learn about each committee, read their reports and workplans, and review committee guidelines on the AASV committee webpage. All AASV members and student members are welcome to attend any committee meeting, but only committee members are eligible to vote. If you are interested in joining a committee, please contact the committee chair or Dr Abbey Canon. Not sure which to join? The AASV staff can help you fill an open seat!
The AASV Board of Directors relies on the committees as topic experts and seeks their input regarding issues of importance to swine veterinarians. Committees are called upon to examine an issue and advise the board on official positions the association should take or to develop additional resources to educate membership.
AASV publishes 2023 Salary Survey results
The AASV’s 8th triennial Salary Survey results are now available for members to view and download at aasv.org/members/only/SalarySurvey2023.pdf. The survey requested information about the 2022 calendar year from AASV Active Members in the United States and Canada. Of the association’s 900 eligible members, 43% participated.
Earlier surveys collected salary and employment information. AASV has since expanded the survey to create a comprehensive compensation report. The 2023 report includes demographic, salary, benefit, employment, workload, and compensation satisfaction information.
As in past survey efforts, the membership was classified into 2 categories: practitioners and public/corporate veterinarians, with each category completing a slightly different survey. A few highlights from the 2023 Salary Survey are:
- Age distribution of respondents shows a peak at 30 to 40 years of age.
- Gender comparisons show that respondents in the 60+ age group are predominantly male, while the respondents in the younger age groups are predominantly female. The median age of male practitioners is 47.5, while the median age of female practitioners is 32. The median age of males in public/corporate employment is 55, while the median age of females in public/corporate employment is 39.
- Comparisons show that salaries for females continue to lag behind the salaries of their male counterparts in the same age and employment category, with the exception of those less than 30 years of age in the practitioner category and those 35-39 years in public/corporate employment.
- In comparison with previous surveys, the mean and median salaries for public/corporate respondents had a slight increase since a continued downward trend during 2013-2020. The median salaries for practitioner respondents increased over the adjusted values since the 2016 survey but are still less than the adjusted median salaries reported in 2007 and 2010.
Early-career veterinarians met in September and November
Participants in the AASV Participant-Led, Early-Career Swine Veterinarian Development Program met in September and November. Truly led by the participants, the 25 early-career swine veterinarians selected topics they felt most important for the second and third modules of the program.
The second module was held immediately after the Allen D. Leman Swine Conference in St. Paul, Minnesota September 19-20, 2023. Luke Wells and Macy Dressen, Professional Ag Marketing, discussed risk management, from basic vocabulary and terminology to informed decision making. After completing the module, all participants reported an increase in knowledge, now having the resources and understanding needed to stay connected to future risk management hot topics.
The third module took place November 16-17 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Prior to the module, Program Facilitator Dr Clayton Johnson held virtual “ventilation Q&A sessions.” Drs Billy Flowers and Suzanne Leonard, North Carolina State University, led an on-farm and classroom-based session focused on ventilation. Isaac Singeltary, Munters, described additional real-world ventilation troubleshooting techniques. While participants took away skills and a working knowledge to troubleshoot ventilation issues, they were reminded to not be attached to numbers and instead always evaluate the pigs.
Participants continued building their peer network at Sam Jones BBQ Thursday evening, where the pit master described the restaurant’s pork needs and source and led a tour of the cooler and smoke house.
The fourth of six modules will be held in Nashville, Tennessee Friday, February 23, 2024, before the AASV Annual Meeting.
The goal of the AASV Participant-Led Early-Career Swine Veterinarian Development Program, funded by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Veterinary Services Grant Program, is to create a practitioner-led, early-career swine veterinarian development program to provide participants with resources needed to encourage and ensure successful, lifelong careers as swine veterinarians and to cultivate new leaders in swine veterinary medicine. This program is free to selected participants. Participants attending modules in person are given a $500 stipend per module to offset travel, lodging, and any other costs associated with participation in this program. The current program runs through July 2025. AASV hopes to be able to offer this program to another cohort of early-career swine veterinarians in the future. Learn more about the program at aasv.org/earlycareerdevelopmentprogram.
AVMA Committee and Council positions open
The AASV designates representatives for several committees of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Current representatives are listed at aasv.org/members/only/AVMAreps. Visit avma.org/membership/volunteering-avma/avma-volunteer-opportunities-vacancies for more details and descriptions of each committee. Some committees have openings; please contact the AASV office if you are interested in representing AASV.
Scholarships available for MentorVet Leap; apply by February 2
The American Association of Swine Veterinarians and MentorVet collaborated in spring 2023 to offer 5 scholarships to swine veterinarians early in their careers. After a successful pilot, AASV has now approved funding of 5 additional scholarships for early-career swine vets to participate in the 2024 MentorVet Leap program.
The MentorVet Leap program is a six-month, entirely virtual, evidence-based mentorship and professional development program that aims to promote wellbeing and decrease burnout in the transition into veterinary practice. The mentorship program has been adapted to meet the needs of early-career swine veterinarians including swine-specific case examples and paired mentorship with a more experienced swine veterinarian.
In addition to paired mentorship, the program provides holistic support to veterinarians through a combination of professional skills training, financial and mental health coaching, and peer mentorship. Mentees engage in a self-paced online curriculum and then meet monthly with other early-career veterinarians to discuss shared challenges and share perspectives on how to create a sustainable career path.
Jenna Scott, DVM, a 2023 AASV MentorVet Leap scholarship recipient, shared, “MentorVet Leap is a great way to gain knowledge and learn skills to better navigate early-career veterinary practice. Through the MentorVet Leap program, I’ve also been paired with an excellent mentor whom I plan to stay in communication with after the program ends. I have found it very helpful to have a supportive person to talk to about goals and stresses associated with work.”
During the pilot, small group discussions were facilitated by a MentorVet team member allowing early-career swine veterinarians to connect with one another and share experiences. After participating in the program in the spring, swine veterinarian Jordan Buchan shared, “Being able to discuss topics such as self-care, professional boundary-setting, and conflict resolution, amongst many others, with colleagues in the same discipline of veterinary medicine, was life-changing. In addition, being assigned an external professional mentor in the industry continues to be a great asset. I actively use the lessons learned during my participation in MentorVet every day in my career. I am very grateful to AASV for funding my enrollment in the program, and know it will continue to be transformative for many young swine veterinarians in the future.”
The spring 2024 Leap program will take place February 11 to July 31, 2024. The deadline to apply for the spring 2024 scholarship is February 2, 2024. AASV members who have received their veterinary degree in the past 5 years (Classes of 2019-2023) can apply for a scholarship to participate in the MentorVet Leap Program by visiting mentorvet.net/scholarships.
It’s time to vote!
Are you a veterinarian member of AASV who resides in Canada, Mexico, or the United States? If so, it is time to exercise your “civic duty” to elect your association leaders. Voting for your association leaders opens January 8. Here’s how to vote:
Vice president and president-elect
Balloting for the vice president and president-elect begins in January. Dr Rebecca Robbins of Amarillo, Texas and Dr Stephen Patterson of Shelbina, Missouri are this year’s candidates for vice president. Their candidate messages appear in this issue. The current AASV Vice President Dr Locke Karriker is on the ballot to ascend to the president-elect position. Dr Karriker is unopposed. All balloting is conducted electronically. Voting members may access their ballot by logging into their member account at aasv.org/members. The last day to submit or change a vote is Friday, February 16.
District directors
Voting members in 5 AASV districts may vote in January and February for their district’s representative on the AASV Board of Directors. Elections are being held for candidates in District 1 (Northeastern US: OH, PA, WV, VA, MD, DE, NJ, NY, CT, RI, MA, NH, VT, ME); District 4 (IN, MI); District 6 (IA); District 8, (NE, SD); and District 10 (Mexico).
District members can access their ballot by logging into aasv.org/members. The last day to submit or change a vote is Friday, February 16.
The election results will be announced during the AASV Annual Meeting in Nashville, Tennessee.