What veterinary students are saying and how AVMA VP Marshall is listening

Dr. Gary Marshall, the 2024-26 AVMA vice president, is nearing the halfway point of his two-year term as the AVMA’s official liaison to the Student AVMA (SAVMA) and its student chapters in addition to veterinary college deans and faculty. In late February, Dr. Marshall was visiting veterinary schools in the United Kingdom when he made time for AVMA News to share insights from his first year in office.

Dr. Marshall talked about what he’s hearing and how the AVMA is helping.

The following responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Q. How would you describe the role of the AVMA vice president?

A. I’m glad we’re getting this question out of the way first. It seems so simple, but I believe it will be the trickiest one to answer. The main thing that I want to share: the AVMA vice presidency is the best position I could ever hope to hold. That being said, there are times I feel completely unqualified for this office, like when I’m speaking before a room full of veterinary professionals who I stand in awe of. Then I remind myself that the people of veterinary medicine are amazing humans and that I am well suited to fulfill my duties as AVMA vice president.

Those duties include serving a two-year term on the AVMA Board of Directors (BOD) as a voting member. I visit veterinary colleges with SAVMA chapters, meeting with student leaders, faculty, and administrators. Then there’s all the meetings, conferences, and symposia. Those include the SAVMA Symposium and SAVMA Executive Board meetings, AVMA Early Career Development Council meetings, and American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges conferences and joint meetings with the AVMA as well as the Veterinary Leadership Experience. I attend several BOD meetings throughout the year along with AVMA Convention and Veterinary Leadership Conference, which include two regular annual sessions of the AVMA House of Delegates.

Q. What are some highlights from your first year?

A. There have been so many highlights, and the few that I will describe are just a small portion of the wonderful experiences I have had so far. In no particular order:

• Visiting 10 veterinary colleges.
• After a presentation where I shared my immigrant heritage, a student opened up to me about the challenges she has had to overcome as a first-generation American.
• Inviting myself to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters in Atlanta and being welcomed with open arms for a day of tours and meetings to learn about public health veterinarians.
• Being lectured to by the head of the Royal Veterinary College in London about kilt history and etiquette.
• Making Dunkin Donut runs in several states with AVMA Student Initiatives Team directors and maybe eating the leftovers.
• Treating AVMA colleagues to coffee and learning their stories.
• Talking with a veterinary student on a train outside of London and realizing we went to the same high school.

Q. Are there common themes coming out of your discussions with veterinary students?

A. This is such a great and important question. Every veterinary student and veterinary college is unique. I believe there are some overarching common themes, though. Everywhere I go, I see energized optimism as well as overwhelming exhaustion. They tell me their highest hopes and the deepest fears. Students are truly striving to absorb all the learning opportunities presented to them, and yet, the majority feel they will never be able to learn it all nor be good enough to be a confident veterinarian upon graduation. Regardless of these common hopes and fears, I see that the institutions I have visited are preparing our future veterinarians very well. I think we’ve all been here. I think at every step along our careers, we still feel this. I’d like to encourage all of us to tell every veterinary student they encounter that you get it, you’ve been there, and that it will all be OK.

Q. Was the midlevel veterinary practitioner position in Colorado a topic of your conversations? If so, what are some key takeaways from those discussions?

A. The topic of the midlevel practitioner has come up quite often. Key takeaways from these discussions usually revolve around a bit of fear concerning how it may affect future roles they may choose to accept. The issue highlights the value of staying informed and the importance of advocacy within our profession. There’s a great opportunity in these discussions to encourage empathy for those wanting to join the veterinary profession, but who may have faced hurdles getting accepted to veterinary school. This often starts a conversation about the vital role of every job position within a veterinary practice, including career paths to become a veterinary technicians, veterinary technologists, or veterinary technician specialists. It also stimulates thinking about our current credentialed support staff and promoting desirable and sustainable careers for these crucial team members.

Q. What’s the best part about being AVMA vice president?

A. The doors that have opened since receiving the title of AVMA vice president have blown me away. I never expected this. I pinch myself during every interaction I take part in, be it with students, educators, deans, industry partners, AVMA leaders, or Association members curious about my role. A goal of mine going forward is to be a bit bolder in leveraging this for the benefit of AVMA members.

Q. What advice would you share with today’s veterinary students?

A. I’d like to encourage them to completely embrace that they are fully a part of this great profession of veterinary medicine. That they have arrived and all of the very hard work of being accepted to veterinary school has gotten them to this point. Veterinary school is incredibly hard, but students are capable of achieving very hard things. If they’re here, they truly can go anywhere. I always tell students they are leaders now, and not to wait; that they will impact those around them and the world. It’s up to them to determine what they want that impact to look like and that there is no better time to start strengthening their 'leadership muscles' than right now.

Q. Is there anything else you want to share?

A. I truly would like to thank the AVMA House of Delegates for the service they provide to the AVMA and for representing their constituents in their states and allied groups, and for giving me the opportunity to serve in this role for the current two-year term. I’m so grateful for this amazing opportunity.