What is Veterinary Voices?

Theresa Entriken, DVM, associate medical director

For being a veterinarian in the communications business, I'm not a big talker. But listening is a different story. I like listening to people-especially my colleagues. Years ago in veterinary school, and now at CE meetings and via online networks, I delight in hearing why veterinarians wanted to become veterinarians, which patients hold fast in their memories, where they'd like to see progress in animal health, and what happened on their craziest days in practice. And through the years I've found that my colleagues' stories parallel the intriguing and moving tales featured on programs such as This American Life, StoryCorps, and sometimes even Oprah.

So one afternoon, Margaret Rampey, the editor of Veterinary Medicine, and I talked about how veterinarians and others allied to the profession needed a broader spotlight of their own to dispense their engaging everyday experiences and opinions. Thus the idea behind a new project sprouted from two columns that presented veterinarians' personal insights in the journal's print edition-Veterinary Voices and An Interview With ... . This project took root when we videotaped veterinarians, technicians, students, and practice managers at the premier Veterinary Voices booth at CVC in Kansas City in August 2009 and has blossomed on the stage of dvm360.com.

All of the participants made us smile. See for yourself by clicking on the links below and listening to the funny, teary-eye-inducing, and quietly motivating thoughts that our colleagues shared via this project. You don't have to be a national talk radio host or television guest, or write a novel or even a Tweet to share your voice with a crowd of colleagues. So speak to the profession! Join the dvm360 community. Let us hear your purrs, grumbles, and, yes, in some cases, even hairball-hacking. You'll move many more people than you know.