Continuing Ed: ATLANTIC CITY OCTOBER 2006

On October 16, 2006 Dr. Kelly and his wife Jodi,  along with three other staff members traveled to the Atlantic Coast Veterinary Conference in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Our philosophy has always been in order to be the very best you need to keep yourself in the loop of professionals on the cutting edge. Sue Metz (Assistant Hosp. Mgr.), Carla Fields (Animal Nurse), and Tina Hadlock (Receptionist/Animal Assistant) eagerly accepted this trip as an educational adventure.

We all met at the Manchester Airport on Monday night for a short flight to Philadelphia. Most of us are seasoned travelers, most of us except the newlywed. Tina had only flown  once and it was a bad experience so she was a little on edge. Count on Dr. Kelly to play up on that (always a joke to be had). Uneventfully we landed in PA. We took a shuttle to Atlantic City, arriving around 11:00pm. The city was lit up like a Christmas tree, flashing neon signs, concrete towers, and as Tina nervously exclaimed “and where are all the TREES?"

The next morning we arrived early at the Atlantic City Convention Center. We quickly got enrolled then found the ballroom where the breakfast lecture on Lyme Disease was being held. After a great buffet breakfast and some new information on Lyme Disease, we separated in search of our lecture rooms. Sue was going to spend the morning learning about communication and medical team building. Carla and Tina spent the day learning about fluid therapy, lab procedures and behavioral issues in dogs and cats. Dr. Kelly was drawn to new surgical techniques (how surprising) while Jodi listened to various veterinary management leaders talk about tuning up for client satisfaction and patient comfort.

After a full day of meetings we all met for dinner and comedy show. The comedian traveled around the room poking fun at various members of the audience. Soon he had found our table, Dr. Kelly and four women, surely you can just imagine where it went from there. Before the night was over, Tina had been singled out and totally embarrassed Atlantic City style. You ain’t in Vermont anymore!

Early Wednesday morning we returned to the convention area for another full day of meetings.  Carla had some very good sessions on grief counseling, something she has become a leader in for SAC. Tina learned a lot about internal parasites, common diseases, and pet toxicity. Meanwhile Dr. Kelly was learning about emergency/critical care techniques, and Sue and Jodi were elbows deep in finding solutions for various management issues.

On our last night we split off, Jodi and Dan out for a nice dinner together, while Sue, Carla and Tina hit the town. Later they met up on the boardwalk, a famous and very popular seaside walk lined with shops, casinos and restaurants. Jodi found the boardwalk a great place for nighttime photo ops. Before very long Sue, Carla and Tina wandered into the picture and Jodi had the opportunity to record their boardwalk experience. Tina was in a state of shock having seen her first homeless people that inhabited the “walk”, as well as a “lady of the night” and some pretty rough teens. She was ready to return to the Vermont woods. Carla managed to make friends with a Chihuahua that was definitely in need of and RD diet. Dr. Kelly seemed to look the other way.

We all had a fantastic time and learned a lot. Each of us came back energized and refreshed! Spending some time speaking with people from all over the country, that do the same things as we do is always fun.

We learned the newest techniques, ground breaking information, and new ideas on many important topics. As always, we pride ourselves on educating our clients with the most up-to-date information so that they can make informed choices about their pets' health and lifestyle. Our medical team is here to make your experience the very best. Thank you for choosing SAC!