Veterinary Practice Management Training Program to celebrate 25 years at Purdue

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A longstanding management training program for veterinary professionals at Purdue will celebrate its silver anniversary in September, with the start of its 25th series of modules covering core management issues. The Veterinary Practice Management Program (VPMP) offers 72 hours of graduate level instruction through the Krannert School of Management to help veterinary professionals manage the business side of their practices.

The program, originally called the Veterinary Management Institute, has begun accepting registration for its 25th series Sept. 11-14. It will include a reception for participants and alumni, and a day of continuing education for previous attendees on Purdue's campus.

"At Purdue there are few professions we revere as much as that of veterinary practice," said Purdue University President Mitch Daniels. "That's why in the best Boilermaker collaborative tradition, two of our outstanding colleges, the Krannert School of Management and the College of Veterinary Medicine, have come together to create the Veterinary Practice Management Program."

The program is designed to help all members of the veterinary team - including veterinarians, veterinary technicians and technologists, and practice managers - with business decision-making responsibility. The program also aims to foster more networking and interaction between colleagues, program faculty and alumni.

Each three-day module accommodates the business needs of a practice team with on-campus seminars that minimize time away from the practice on weekdays and maximize the benefits to participants of weekend travel discounts. All of the sessions are applicable toward the continuing education requirement for the Certified Veterinary Practice Manager program offered by the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association.

The most recent group of graduates, which completed the program in February, included participants from as far away as Germany.

Logan Jordan, Krannert's associate dean for administration, is one of the program faculty members, and teaches the strategic thinking module.

"The cases we use, the industry specific instruction that we use, the data that we can bring in – the program is all about this industry and it's nice to be able to focus and not be totally general," Jordan said. "We'll bring in examples from other industries because they can be instructive to what might be coming in the veterinary care industry, but we really tailor this program and have had a long time to learn about and understand the trends and upcoming challenges in the business of veterinary care."

The other modules cover human resource management, accounting and financial management, and marketing management.

Michael Dicks, director of the American Veterinary Medical Association's Veterinary Economics Division, says Purdue's program is needed. 

"Somehow it has to be communicated to veterinarians that having the technical skills is not enough," Dicks said. "The problems that veterinarians face are their problems – these problems are not going to be solved by somebody else, they have to be solved by veterinarians. This program will allow veterinarians to see the practice landscape, allow them to understand where they are, what their practice environment is, and the actions that they can take to position themselves for better profitability."

Several of the most recent graduates, along with Dicks and Jordan, are featured in a  video about the program, which is available on the VPMP website.  The website also provides complete program information and online registration.

For additional information, contact Cathy Garrison, senior program manager, Krannert Executive Education Programs at 765-494-1554 or email krannertexec@purdue.edu 

Media contact: Kevin Doerr, 765-494-8216, doerrkr@purdue.edu

Sources: Mitch Daniels, president@purdue.edu

Logan Jordan, 765-494-437, jordan@purdue.edu

Michael Dicks, 847-285-6715, mdicks@avma.org