AVMA spotlights Journey for Teams 3.0 and its THRIVE Sessions: full analysis
AVMA is using its My Veterinary Life podcast to draw attention to Journey for Teams 3.0, the latest iteration of its workplace culture initiative, in a conversation with Dr. LaTanya Craig, AVMA’s chief veterinary engagement and belonging officer. The focus is the new THRIVE Sessions, which AVMA describes as tools for building cultures that support performance, innovation, and belonging across veterinary teams. (journeyforteams.org)
The program builds on Journey for Teams, a national AVMA and Veterinary Medical Association Executives initiative launched to help veterinary workplaces address diversity, equity, inclusion, and broader team culture issues through short, guided learning modules. In a 2023 AVMA report, the association said the program had surpassed 11,000 users in its first year and was designed to prompt discussion and behavior change at the practice level rather than deliver one-off training. (avma.org)
On the current THRIVE Sessions site, AVMA says the modules are meant to be used either independently or with a team, pairing short videos with workbooks and veterinary-specific case examples. Available topics now include Championing Universal Design, Leveraging Multigenerational Strengths, and Empowering Faith-Based Inclusivity. Additional modules, including Accelerating Racial Inclusivity and Breaking Down Class and Positional Barriers, are listed as coming soon, which suggests the 3.0 version is still being actively expanded. (journeyforteams.org)
That rollout matters because workplace culture has become a core business and workforce issue for veterinary medicine, not just a people issue. Recent JAVMA-indexed and AVMA-linked research has found that positive clinic culture and work-life balance predict better wellbeing and lower burnout, while psychological safety, purpose, and partnership are associated with lower desire among associate veterinarians to leave their jobs. AVMA’s 2025 report on the profession also said burnout scores have eased somewhat since the pandemic, but retention risks remain, creating an opening for employers to keep investing in culture and team support. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
AVMA’s earlier messaging around Journey for Teams also framed the initiative in operational terms, not only moral ones. The THRIVE Sessions page says organizations that address cultural issues can see improved retention, stronger team performance, and sustained financial and operational excellence. In the 2023 AVMA coverage, industry participants praised the short-module format and voluntary structure, with Hill’s Pet Nutrition’s chief veterinary officer calling the content focused and thought provoking, and NAVC reporting strong internal participation. (journeyforteams.org)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the significance of Journey for Teams 3.0 is that it reflects a continued shift toward treating belonging, accessibility, communication, and leadership as practice infrastructure. In a labor market still shaped by burnout, turnover, and staffing strain, resources that help managers and teams make concrete workflow and culture changes may be more useful than broad calls for resilience alone. That is especially true as the THRIVE topics move beyond traditional DEI framing into practical workplace design questions, such as intergenerational collaboration and reducing barriers without forcing personal disclosure. (journeyforteams.org)
What to watch: The next signal will be whether AVMA continues adding modules and whether practices, associations, and hospital groups adopt the sessions as part of onboarding, leadership development, or retention strategy. If uptake grows, Journey for Teams 3.0 could become a more visible benchmark for how veterinary organizations operationalize culture, not just talk about it. That last point is an inference based on AVMA’s ongoing expansion of the program and its positioning around measurable workplace outcomes. (journeyforteams.org)