NAVC maps out 2026 education calendar and workforce efforts
Bottom line
NAVC is using its 2026 calendar to signal a broader year-round strategy for veterinary education and workforce development, not just a slate of conference dates. In a February 12 roundup, Today’s Veterinary Practice highlighted upcoming NAVC programs including a March 4 VetFolio webinar on reptilian CPR, HiVE Midwest for veterinary support professionals on March 21-22 in Covington, Kentucky, and NAVC SkillShop 2026, a hands-on CE event in Orlando on May 24-28. SkillShop, formerly the NAVC Institute, now offers a reworked format with customizable course schedules, 8 to 32 CE credits, and an all-inclusive registration model. NAVC is also tying education to pipeline-building: the organization says a $250,000 Zoetis Foundation grant is supporting its partnership with blendVET to expand access for underrepresented youth interested in veterinary careers. (todaysveterinarypractice.com)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the update shows how large education providers are responding to two persistent pressures at once: demand for flexible CE and concern about the profession’s future workforce. NAVC’s event mix now spans short virtual learning, role-specific support-staff programming, and immersive procedural training, while its broader VMX platform continues to draw major participation across the profession. NAVC said VMX 2026 brought together almost 29,000 attendees, with nearly 600 speakers and about 1,300 hours of CE, underscoring the scale it can use to influence both clinical education and career pathways. (navc.com)
What to watch: Watch for how NAVC converts this calendar into measurable engagement, especially attendance at SkillShop and HiVE, and whether its blendVET partnership yields expanded student-facing programming tied to future VMX events. (todaysveterinarypractice.com)
NAVC’s latest event calendar is more than a scheduling update. It offers a snapshot of how one of veterinary medicine’s biggest education organizations is trying to serve the profession year-round, with a mix of virtual CE, role-specific in-person training, hands-on procedural education, and workforce pipeline efforts aimed at underrepresented students. Today’s Veterinary Practice outlined that strategy in a February 12 article spotlighting upcoming programs across the NAVC portfolio. (todaysveterinarypractice.com)
The near-term lineup starts with a live VetFolio webinar on reptilian CPR set for March 4, followed by HiVE Midwest on March 21-22 in Covington, Kentucky. The HiVE series is designed for veterinary nurses and technicians, practice managers, and support staff, with programming focused on team training, leadership, culture, finance, and problem-solving. That positioning is notable: while many CE headlines center on veterinarians, NAVC is explicitly marketing education to the broader practice team. (todaysveterinarypractice.com)
The biggest item in the calendar is NAVC SkillShop 2026, scheduled for May 24-28 in Orlando. NAVC describes SkillShop as the successor to the longtime NAVC Institute, with a new format and location at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort. According to the event page, registrants can mix and match courses, earn 8 to 32 CE credit hours depending on selections, and access an exhibit component, lodging, meals, digital notes, a VetFolio subscription, and even a complimentary VMX 2027 registration if redeemed by October 31, 2026. That all-inclusive packaging suggests NAVC is trying to make premium, hands-on CE easier to plan and justify for busy clinicians and practice leaders. (navc.com)
The calendar also connects education to workforce development. NAVC’s partnership with blendVET is backed by a $250,000 Zoetis Foundation grant, according to a NAVC press release on the initiative. In that release, blendVET founder and CEO Dr. Niccole Bruno said the program is intended to open doors for minority youth pursuing veterinary careers, while NAVC CEO Gene O’Neill framed it as part of the organization’s effort to expand opportunities for underserved youth who are underrepresented in the profession. The release describes hands-on exposure for students, including surgery, emergency medicine, clinical pathology, preventive care, nutrition, and networking with veterinary professionals. (navc.com)
That workforce message fits with NAVC’s broader positioning after VMX 2026. In a January 29 recap, NAVC said the conference drew almost 29,000 attendees, featured nearly 600 expert speakers, and delivered 1,300 hours of CE sessions and workshops. A separate VMX fact sheet says attendance has climbed from 18,000 in 2020 to nearly 30,000 in 2026, reflecting how central large-scale CE events remain in veterinary medicine even as online and niche learning formats expand. NAVC Chief Veterinary Officer Dana Varble called VMX “the launchpad” for what will shape animal healthcare in 2026 and beyond, emphasizing the event’s role in introducing new products, procedures, and science. (navc.com)
For veterinary professionals, the significance is practical. A calendar like this shows where major CE providers think demand is moving: toward flexible formats, skills-based training, and content tailored to the full healthcare team, not only DVMs. It also shows how education organizations are increasingly linking CE with profession-level concerns such as staff utilization, leadership development, and long-term workforce diversity. For hospitals facing staffing strain, retention challenges, or uneven access to advanced training, that combination may be more relevant than any single event announcement. (todaysveterinarypractice.com)
There’s also a competitive and strategic angle. By spreading programming across webinars, support-staff conferences, immersive workshops, and the flagship VMX meeting, NAVC is building a year-round ecosystem rather than relying on one annual event. That matters for sponsors, educators, and practices deciding where to invest limited CE budgets and staff time. It may also help NAVC keep professionals engaged between VMX cycles while extending its influence over both clinical training and professional identity across the veterinary field. This is an inference based on NAVC’s event structure and messaging. (navc.com)
What to watch: The next signals will be whether SkillShop’s revamped format gains traction, how HiVE continues to position support-staff education as a standalone priority, and whether NAVC expands blendVET-style pipeline programming as workforce shortages and representation gaps remain central issues for the profession. (todaysveterinarypractice.com)