CVC has all the Practice Management hours you need

(Shutterstock.com)A couple of fantastic practice managers-members of the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association, of course, and already with a Certified Veterinary Practice Manager degree under their belt-have told me the past couple of years that they don't think they can get enough practice management CE at a CVC show to satisfy their certification requirement: 48 hours every two years.

Say, whaaaaaat?!

I took their skepticism as a challenge to prove what four fantastic days of practice management CE might look like at, for instance, the upcoming 2017 CVC Kansas City Aug. 25 to 28. Here's where I think a bright, experienced CVPM might want to go at my show-with bonus ideas for what you and your practice owner should attend together:

Friday, Aug. 25

• Are you in large- or mixed-animal practice? This is your afternoon of CE
• 12:30 - 6:30 p.m.: financial intelligence, practice opportunities, crises, culture and day-to-day objectives

• An innovative approach to driving revenue
• 12:30 - 1:30 p.m.: "Client compliance-builder workshop: Inspiring ideas to drive medical services"

• Bring your practice owner! Inspiring team members with finance (seriously!)
• 1:45 - 2:45 p.m.: "Forget the P&L-Sharing real numbers with your team," with VHMA president Brian Conrad

• Check out hot new print and online resources for promoting the Human-Animal Bond
• 3 - 4pm: "The Pet Effect: Wonder and why of connection"

• The bad habits have to stop!
• 4:15 - 5:15 p.m.: "Creating better expectations for interpersonal behavior in practice"

• Learn how your biggest asset can cost you a little less
• 5:30 - 6:30 p.m.: "Help! I think I'm spending too much on staff compensation"

• Bring your practice owner! Get inside pet owners' heads
• 7:30 - 9:30 p.m.: "Ask the pet owner: A LIVE panel and learning session," with VHMA president Brian Conrad

That's at least 7 hours on your first day! But you're just getting started ...

Saturday, Aug. 26

• Spend the morning with a president you'll like-VHMA president Brian Conrad
• 8 a.m. - noon: Find new clients, train up your receptionists' phone skills and learn how to explain the value of the wonderful work in your treatment area

• Bring the practice owner! Cut taxes and avoid lawsuits
• 12:15 - 1:30 p.m., FREE LUNCH AND CE: "Your legal tool box to manage lawsuits and taxes"

• Laugh while learning how to wow clients with improv-comedy-based learn with Dr. Andy Roark and Meg Pierson
• 1:30 - 2:30 p.m.: "Customer service crash course"

• Ideas to get more black on your balance sheet
• 3 - 4 p.m.: "The inside skinny on boosting revenue"

• Take a break!
• Find your practice owner or team members. Talk over what you've learned. Find out what they've learned. Get outside, get some food and get pumped for the evening session!

• Bring the practice owner! Get a drink with that practice management CE
• 7:30 - 9:30 p.m.: "Management happy hour," with Drs. Dave Nicol and Andy Roark

You're up to at least 16 hours, and your second day's cooked like a Christmas goose! Let's fly to Day 3 ...

Sunday, Aug. 27

• Need a crash course in all things HR? Mark Opperman and Sheila Grosdidier have you covered all day
• 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.: hiring, training, compensation, employee manuals, termination and staff retention

• Bring the practice owner! Signing up with an online pharmacy? Check out the big players!
• 6:30 - 7:45 a.m., FREE BREAKFAST AND CE: "VetSource: Convenience improves compliance-How to support your pharmacy and your clients"

• 12:15 - 1:30 p.m., FREE LUNCH AND CE: "VetsFirstChoice: Simplify your life!"

• Learn body language skills to take home
• 8 - 9 a.m.: "Body language for the veterinary team"

• A doctor and a technician walk into a classroom ... it rocks
• 9:30 - 10:30 a.m.: "Epic fails in team harmony," with Dr. Andy Roark and anesthesia technician Tasha McNerney

• Bring the practice owner! Implementing a hospital-wide Fear Free culture
• 11 a.m. - noon: "Fear Free: Creating the veterinary hospital 'spaw'"

• Lunch option 1: Adding therapy laser?
• 12:15 - 1:30 p.m., FREE LUNCH AND CE: "K-Laser: Successful laser implementation workshop"

• Lunch option 2: Need digital marketing help? Ask the expert
• 12:15 - 1:15 p.m., $50: "25 big digital marketing hacks"

• Solve your team problems here
• 1:30 - 2:30 p.m.: "Toxic team-A crash course in the antidote"

• Does your website work?
• 3 - 4 p.m.: "SEO basics-How to convert 'prospects' into 'clients'"

• Team members? Hold onto the good ones!
• 5 - 6 p.m.: "Motivation and retention"

• Bring the practice owner! Get your team together and enjoy food, music and drinks at our big party right down the street!
• 6:30 - 11 p.m.: CVC 2017 Block Party

You're up to at least 24 hours-that's your CVPM CE done for the year-but the show's not over yet. Overachievers (and folks who don't want to miss the awesome last-day speakers I picked) will join us on the last day ...

Monday, Aug. 28

• Bring the practice owner! Is your practice ready for the big changes that are coming?
• 8 - 9 a.m.: "How pet owners are changing and what it means to your practice"

• Do workdays with your team seem like a sad, slow song? Rock 'n' roll!
• 9:30 - 10:30 a.m.: "How to rock 'n' roll with your staff-Getting it done"

• Have fewer "But I can't afford that!" conversations
• 11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.: "Financial tools that can get clients to say 'yes!'"

• Do you need to drop dollars on Facebook or not?!
• 2 - 3 p.m.: "Paid social media-The art of 'pay to play' on social networks"

• Stop all the "he said, she said"
• 3:10 - 4:10 p.m.: "Solve the Bermuda triangle of triangulated conversations"

• Bring the practice owner! Don't be stunned by the boss's retirement
• 4:20 - 5:20 p.m.: "5 things you must ask before your boss retires"

That's at least 30 hours of hard-core, rock-n-rollin', fast-learnin', brain-expandin' Practice Management CE folks.

Do that once a year for two years, folks, and your CVPM CE is sewn up for your two-year requirement. I told you I got your back.