NAVC builds a year-round calendar for CE and team development
NAVC is using a year-round events calendar to keep veterinary continuing education in front of clinicians, technicians, managers, and support staff well beyond its flagship VMX meeting. The calendar currently highlights NAVC SkillShop in Orlando on May 24–28, 2026, HiVE South in San Antonio on May 30–31, 2026, HiVE East in Charlotte on August 1–2, 2026, and VMX 2027 in Orlando on January 16–20, 2027. NAVC says its broader education strategy now spans in-person, virtual, and role-specific programming, with HiVE focused on veterinary nurses, technicians, and practice management teams, and VetFolio supporting online learning between live events. NAVC’s VMX 2026 programming also helps show what it is trying to deliver at the top end of that portfolio: the group promoted “Champions of Care” sessions on preventive medicine, dental health, exotic animal care, rehabilitation, rural access, and mixed-practice topics such as backyard poultry, underscoring a CE agenda that mixes clinical updates with broader access-to-care themes. (navc.com)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the bigger story is how CE is being packaged around workforce realities. NAVC’s messaging increasingly emphasizes accessible, shorter-format, and role-targeted education for team members who may not attend a large national conference. That aligns with ongoing industry attention on technician recognition, retention, mentorship, and better use of support staff in practice. NAVC’s own 2025 impact report said its 2025 HiVE events drew more than 650 professionals, with programming designed specifically for veterinary nurses, technicians, and practice managers, while VMX 2026 drew nearly 29,000 attendees, underscoring demand for both large-scale and niche educational formats. Commentary around VMX and the AVMA Veterinary Leadership Conference has also highlighted generational workforce friction as a practical leadership issue, with implications for turnover, engagement, succession planning, and knowledge transfer inside hospitals. (navc.com)
What to watch: Watch whether NAVC keeps expanding these role-based formats, especially as 2026 HiVE and SkillShop programs test how much demand exists for lower-cost, regional, and highly targeted CE. It is also worth watching how much NAVC continues to blend clinical content with leadership, access-to-care, and industry-facing programming across its broader platform, which includes not just CE events but initiatives such as the VETTY Awards recognizing animal health marketing and communications work across clinics, pharma, diagnostics, associations, and advocacy groups. (navc.com)