Because I have a history of being heavily involved in organized veterinary medicine (aka I’m a sucker that can’t say no), I was invited by the Missouri Veterinary Medical Association to attend the AVMA Veterinary Leadership Conference in Chicago in January. Many of you would probably question my sanity for flying to Chicago in January, but hey, the trip would be paid for by someone else, and I really can’t turn down the opportunity to stay in a hotel with free cable television. Er, I mean the opportunity to hone my leadership skills. That’s what I was excited about! Anyway, I told them I would be delighted to go and started planning from there. I always like to think of veterinary conventions as little mini vacations. In reality, most of them are far from a vacation as you’re sitting in lecture for 8-11 hours a day. A fellow veterinarian I met at this convention said that she attended veterinary conventions mostly because she couldn’t afford to go on vacation. That’s probably quite common for recent graduates. The very best part about attending a convention is just talking to fellow veterinarians. I will often learn more from them than I will in the continuing education sessions (not that those aren’t enlightening as well). It gives a vet an opportunity to bounce ideas off others and reenergize about the profession. In fact, like most veterinary conventions, there was very little time for sightseeing, watching Real Housewives or the Kardashians on cable, or just sleeping in general. But I have to admit, I still LOVE veterinary conventions. Maybe it’s because I’m a nerd. Maybe it’s because I get to dress up everyday for about five days. Or maybe it’s just because I’m an extrovert and love meeting new people and reuniting with old friends. Either way, I will jump at an opportunity to attend a convention. Thursday I woke up at 2:30 A.M. in order to make my 5 A.M. flight out of a small, regional airport in Missouri, just another “perk” of living right in the smack dab of nowhere. The flight wasn’t long to Chicago, and I arrived there very early as well. I would have a long time to kill before registration that evening. On the shuttle to the hotel, I had a very nice conversation with a local graduate student and the shuttle driver, a Chicago native. They filled me in on places to visit in the city. There may or may not have been some sarcastic comments thrown out by a few of us while driving by the Trump building, but that is the new American pastime. I got to the hotel and was pleased to find out that they would actually let me check-in to my room at 8 A.M., which may be a first in my experience with the hospitality industry, so Chicago was turning up roses so far. This point would have been a good time to nap as I had been up for several hours already, but I had already consumed way too much coffee for that to happen. I decided to find a diner within walking distance of the hotel as a woman clearly cannot survive on coffee alone. As I was leaving the hotel, tall men wearing hats and cape-shaped coats were at the door waiting to assist me. “Here ma’am, let me wave you a cab.” Is this for real?! Doormen?! They don’t have those in Missouri! I guess I should add after that comment that I’m not a complete country bumpkin and am relatively well-traveled, but well-traveled on my dime usually does not include doormen. It includes tents and The Waffle House. However, after living most of the year in a 600 square foot cabin with no AC and exclusively heated by a woodburning stove, even the slightest luxuries impress and astonish me. The doormen pointed me in the right direction, and I was on my way. In the quarter mile walk, I probably spent a good portion of the time looking up and gawking at the tall buildings and skyscrapers. Again, I have been to large cities many times, but I can’t give up the opportunity to act like a complete dork. Picture Amy Adams as Giselle in the movie Enchanted as she steps out of her fairy tale world into Manhattan. You know, that deer in the headlights, awestruck, slightly idiotic kind of look, that locals can spot and quickly avoid. Breakfast was excellent and excessive like all trip meals should be, so I decided to walk off my big plate of eggs Benedict and explore the city a little. As I entered Millennium Park, I passed the Wrigley Square and Millennium Monument, then the BP Bridge, and then the McCormick Tribune Ice Rink where a Zamboni was making its rounds. Personnel were there with bucket trucks, removing decorations from the huge Christmas tree in the park. I couldn’t help but stop by The Bean. I actually didn’t realize that the real name for “The Bean” is Cloud Gate, which I suppose is a little more artistic. I continued to walk past Crown Fountain, and then continued my walk down Michigan Avenue, passing the Art Institute of Chicago. I asked the doorman (another one?!) what the entry fee was for non-Illinois residents. I decided I was too cheap to pay the $25 entry fee and continued exploring the city. I tried to justify going shopping in my mind as I passed several shops along the way. This is technically a “free” trip, so surely I can buy something for myself? Thankfully, my strong will and self-control prevailed, and I walked straight back to the hotel. Okay, nevermind, I confess I bought two pairs of earrings, but for me, that was practicing self-control. I gave my best attempt at taking a nap, and then I decided I’d hit up the fitness center before registration started. I truly hate treadmills (aka dreadmills), but I’d rather run on a treadmill than not run at all. The thought of running outside by myself in Chicago without a gun was a little too daunting. I know, sounds crazy, but you didn’t see what was on the news when I arrived at the hotel. Lack of sleep creates a surprisingly vivid and paranoid imagination. While walking through the lobby and back to my hotel after my workout, I noticed the other veterinarians starting to file in. One thing that seemed distinctly different at this convention than every other convention I have attended was that everyone was very dressed up. I suppose the reason was this convention mostly consisted of leaders or delegates from each state, emerging leaders and professionals in the AVMA. I am guilty of often criticizing many fellow veterinarians for not dressing professionally enough at meetings. Whether it’s a state meeting or national convention, I consistently see veterinarians attending wearing jeans with holes, jeans with tennis shoes, or even jeans, a t-shirt, and flip flops. Call me old fashioned, judgy, or whatever you want to call me, but this disgusts me. We are professionals with doctoral degrees. Are we really that lazy that we can’t bother to look presentable for each other at a convention?! Ironically, I was the one sweaty and underdressed at this point. Anyway, I was surprised and pleased to see people dressing the part. I got dressed like everyone else, registered for the convention, went to the welcome meeting, and then started the networking events for the night. As said before, I am extroverted and very social, so networking events are actually something I enjoy. However, I imagine a good portion of the population finds them very painful. Something I will never get used to is networking exercises, where you’re told to walk around a room and then have to randomly initiate ice breakers with a group of people, which is directed by someone with a mic. I guess my personality type means that I am more comfortable walking up to people and asking them questions, but it feels really unnatural to walk up to a person you’ve never met before and ask them, “What is your hometown famous for?” Can’t we just sip wine and talk like adults? But that’s just me. I guess it prevents the obvious repercussions of having the predominantly older male vets on one side of the room, while the predominantly female younger vets stand on the other, and then the unthinkable happens: a dance off. The networking events continued until around 11 P.M. (past my bedtime), but I had a great time getting to know my fellow Emerging Leaders and people in leadership with the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association). I even got some business ideas from some of the higher ups in the organization. I’ll admit that 2:30 A.M. to 11 P.M. is a pretty long day, but I was feeling energetic from all the new, great people I met. I got a good night's sleep since I wasn’t awakened by emergency calls or my husband’s cover stealing habit. I woke up the next morning to an alarm, not a phone call, so that was pretty awesome, but then I walked to the bathroom, turned on the light, and saw the most disgusting thing that I’ve seen in years, and for someone who sews up prolapses for a living, that’s saying something. It was frightening, it was a mess, it was… TO BE CONTINUED NEXT WEEK.
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Jessica Stroupe, DVM
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August 2017
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