Animal health organizations launch business simulation challenges

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Veterinary Business Management Association (VBMA) students are invited to compete against each other in Merck Animal Health’s first Veterinary Simulation Business Challenge. The competition, which will be funded by Merck for the next 3 years, will address the connection wellbeing of veterinary professionals and financial management.

"Veterinary schools do a good job of clinically preparing students for the profession, but business education is what allows them to be successful personally, professionally, and financially, and what shapes the future of veterinary leaders," said Taylor Tillery, DVM, veterinary academic and industry liaison lead at Merck, in an interview with the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) News.¹

According to the AVMA, the competition is looking to provide hands-on learning and equip veterinary students to become flourishing and successful practitioners through simulated exercises.¹ Teams made up of 3 members from VBMA chapters across the United States will be given the chance to participate in these real-world simulations of a hypothetical clinic with the chance to win $30,000.

Each simulation will be created by Advantexe, an experiential learning provider, and the competing teams will run as well as operate the startup clinic as a general manager and owner. The teams will be responsible for real work decisions a clinic could face every day, ranging from purchasing equipment, planning budgets, and building relationships with clients.

“This experience will not only build their confidence, but also provide them with a competitive edge as they move forward in their careers, equipping them with skills that will be highly valuable whether they pursue practice ownership or other leadership roles in the veterinary field. The contest launched on January 19 at the 2025 VBMA National Meeting in Dallas and the response has been “overwhelmingly positive,” explained Bella Raux.¹

In January 2001, Meghan Stalker Wood, the first VBMA president, began a club at the University of Pennsylvania called the Veterinary Business Management Association, which will go on to become the VBMA it is today. The goal of the VBMA is to improve the success of veterinarians and the veterinary profession and was founded at a time when recently graduated veterinary students were entering practice ownership, and were in need of skills to help practices succeeded.² In 2004, with support from advisors and sponsors, the VBMA expanded to the original 16 chapters nationwide, including²:

• University of Pennsylvania
• Cornell University
• Tufts University
• The Ohio State University
• Kansas State University
• North Carolina State University
• University of Minnesota
• University of California, Davis
• Purdue University
• Western University
• Mississippi State University
• University of Florida
• Washington State University
• University of Illinois
• Louisiana State University
• Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine

Now, as of today, the VBMA has 38 chapters in 100% of all veterinary schools in the United States, and 7669 members.³

The winning team, along with the grand prize of $30,000, will receive trophies during a ceremony at the 2025 AVMA Veterinary Business and Economic Forum, taking place on October 8-9, 2025.

References

1. Won C. Merck Animal Health, VBMA partner for inaugural business simulation challenge. American Veterinary Medical Association. Published January 27, 2025. Accessed January 30, 2025. https://www.avma.org/news/merck-animal-health-vbma-partner-inaugural-business-simulation-challenge
2. Veterinary Business Management Association . About Us – VBMA. Vbma.biz. Published December 4, 2015. Accessed January 30, 2025. https://vbma.biz/about-us/
3. 98 Veterinary Business Management Association. VBMA – Veterinary Business Management Association. Vbma.biz. Published December 3, 2015. Accessed January 30, 2025. https://vbma.biz/