Access to curated, high-impact and affordable continuing education (CE) and professional development programs is a key benefit of your VMG membership. Each year, the VMG Professional Development team offers a range of courses in topics ranging from surgical skills to finance to leadership, specifically for VMG members and their staff. With 28 successful programs in 2025 and more coming in 2026, members who take advantage of this benefit see a lasting positive impact on themselves and their practice.
Curated content for clinical and business excellence
This isn’t just another shopping list of classes of dubious relevance or questionable quality. VMG’s Professional Development team selects programs in response to member requests and current hot topics in veterinary medicine and leadership. Some of the most popular and impactful courses include:
Financial Bootcamp
This program teaches the basics of business finance including budgeting, financial analysis and marketing, and using VMG Datalink. It also helps attendees set and understand goals for the practice’s financial success.
Customer Service Representative 1.0 and 2.0
Two programs specifically for your customer relations team, focusing on communication, conflict resolution, and dealing with customer concerns.
Small Animal Basic and Advanced Surgical Procedures
VMG’s two RACE-approved surgery courses emphasize sound surgical principles while teaching improved techniques. The basic course covers gastrointestinal and urinary surgery and wound treatment. The advanced course covers more complex procedures, including limb amputations, perineal and scrotal urethrostomy and gastropexy. Participants practice their skills on cadavers with expert instructors.
VMG Productivity Summer Leagues
This unique program for veterinary practices uses the Four Disciplines of Execution process to move you from thinking about improving your business to turning your thoughts into action.
Members consistently report receiving value from these programs. As Rebecca Kilmartin, Senior Director of Operations at VMG and the leader of the Professional Development Team says, “Attendees return to their home clinics feeling more confident and energized by the skills they have learned.”
The VMG advantage: Quality and affordability
Rebecca Kilmartin and Taña Welch of VMG’s Professional Development Team are committed to making every course valuable to every attendee. They personally partner with known experts, prescreening providers and course content to ensure that every course leader knows their topic intimately and communicates in an engaging way that makes learning fun.
Whether it’s experts from VMG Preferred Partner Johnson & Johnson leading a wet lab on vessel sealing, professors from Daniels College of Business teaching Leadership 1.0, or board-certified specialists giving recent graduates the confidence to Power into Practice, you can be sure that the course will provide ample value for your continuing education investment. Thanks to VMG and its Preferred Partners, your dollars go much further: Many Professional Development courses are sponsored by partners or by VMG itself, dramatically reducing the cost of each training session for members.
VMG members and their staff can earn continuing education credits by attending many of these unique courses. More than half are already certified for RACE credit; for others, Professional Development will provide a letter of attendance and other content needed for submitting the course to your State Board of Veterinary Medicine for possible CE credit.
Maximize retention by investing in your team
The VMG Professional Development offerings are built around the needs of VMG members: trusted programs with effective and engaging providers, skills that translate immediately into better business or clinical performance, and the chance to network with other VMG members from across the country, all in a relaxed and congenial environment that encourages learning. Many VMG members invest in their staff by sending outstanding employees to Professional Development courses. This not only brings valuable new knowledge back to the clinic, it’s also a strong signal to the staff member that they are valued – a crucial factor in encouraging long-term employee retention.
Sharpen your practice’s competitive edge with VMG Professional Development
The Professional Development program exists to serve VMG Members’ needs, from technical CE to essential communication, financial, and problem-solving skills that help independent veterinary practices thrive. Unique and useful courses, reasonable pricing, and the chance to network with other VMG members are just a few of the reasons that Professional Development courses fill up quickly.
Don’t miss out on securing your practice’s competitive edge. Stay on top of the latest offerings by visiting the Professional Development page in VMG Connect and register yourself and your team members today.
