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See the full details of each day's breakouts with selected presentation slides!

Friday | Saturday | Sunday

AVTE headed west for its 2023 annual conference. In California's beautiful Coachella Valley at the Westin Rancho Mirage, almost 300 AVTE professionals gathered in Palm Springs last week to discuss everything from lesson planning to wellness to One Health.

"I can't decide what breakout to attend!" was heard frequently at the registration desk. It has been a LOT of information and to help you remember it all, PDFs of selected conference slides are being added to the conference schedule on the website.

See you next year July 25-28, 2024 in Houston, TX!

This year's conference had over 25 breakouts to choose from, along with multiple plenary sessions. Each year, conference speakers are chosen for their knowledge and ability to connect with attendees in a high-energy, engaging fashion.  This year, we also removed the podiums and brought the conversation out, front and center.  Opportunities to engage with our conference faculty, not only hearing about their experience and insight but talking through how that directly applies to your challenges.

From a content experience, this year, we added daily roundtables, creating more time than in years past to sit down with colleagues and talk through shared challenges, helping each other in the process. Each of the end-of-day roundtable sessions will include conversations on many key topics and the opportunity to form a roundtable on any topic a group wants to discuss.

The 2023 roundtable topics include:

• Compassionate Care
• A SOAP for Student Self Reflection
• Date to Dialogue - Technician Style
• How to High School
• How the heck do you hold their attention?!
• Patient Safety
• Innovation in the Classroom: Taking Student Engagement to 100%
• Current Landscape of Graduate/Post-graduate Education Opportunities in the US and UK
• Embedding Evidence-Based Research into the Curriculum of an Australian BVN Program
• Leveling Up to Leadership: Tapping Into the Technician Supervisor
• Any other topic that two to three folks walk to sit down and discuss...

Knowing the beautiful backdrop of this year's conference, our host committee also included additional networking time this year to give you a chance to connect with colleagues, whether that was in the conference center, around the pool, or enjoying all of the wonderful opportunities that the Westin Rancho Mirage has to offer.

2023 Conference Committee

Tricia Gorham - St. Petersburg College (Chair)
Tara Groves - Owensboro Community and Technical College 
Meri DuRand-Kosman -  Dakota County Technical College
Oreta Samples - Fort Valley State University
Nanette Walker-Smith
Beth Stark - Heartland Vet Partners
Teresa Stefan - VCA
Jennifer Serling - Appalachian State University (AVTE President)

VIEW THE AGENDA 

Learning Objectives:

• Learn the twelve parts of the PAVING Wheel along with a brief research overview
• Conduct a personal well-being assessment
• Create a well-being goal

Dr. Beth Frates created the PAVING the Path to Wellness Program, an evidence-based lifestyle medicine education and group intervention, at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in 2012. Her 12-session PAVING Program focused on optimizing health and recovery for stroke survivors but has since been adapted for other chronic conditions, healthcare providers experiencing burnout and worksite wellness. The PAVING program was developed using lifestyle medicine and positive psychology education and interventions to help coach participants through their total well-being transformation.

The acronym PAVING STEPSS identifies 12 areas of growth and focus for the program. We focus on physical activity, nutrition, and sleep for a healthy body. The emphasis on purpose, social connection, and energy helps us have a joyful heart. Stress resiliency, attitude, and time outs are important for a peaceful mind. To make all of this work and to make progress, our action steps include goals, investigations, and variety.

PAVING the Path to Wellness can be useful to individuals, training programs, and companies to support the well-being of veterinary professionals. With a focus on tangible steps that can be taken to support physical, mental, and emotional well-being, this program provides an interactive opportunity to reflect on well-being and set goals for success. Veterinary professionals can use assessment and goal-setting skills to identify actions and create a plan to support their personal and professional well-being.

Faculty

Melyssa Allen
Veterinary Well-Being Coach
Learn More About Melyssa