How WVC is using continuing education to drive clinical efficiency

At the 2026 WVC Annual Conference, dvm360 sat down with Anthony Pease, DVM, MS, DACVR, to discuss how continuing education (CE) can meaningfully improve clinical efficiency. In this interview, Pease outlines how case-based sessions, hands-on labs, and intentional speaker development are designed to build clinician confidence. The following is a transcript of the above video:

Transcript

Anthony Pease, DVM, MS, DACVR: What we are trying to do to make practices more efficient and less growth-focused comes down to 1 thing: If you can be more efficient, you can also grow. It is not that you have to choose one or the other. What really builds efficiency is competence. That is one of the things that Viticus Group focuses on when it comes to education. We want to give education that is instantly applicable. We are focused on practice managers, on technicians, and on veterinarians because it takes a team. If your team is not functioning well, you will not be able to practice the best quality medicine, and you will not be able to use your time effectively.

Efficiency means different things to different people. For some, it is getting records done faster, perhaps with [artificial intelligence] tools. For others, it is being able to sit with a client for 20 minutes so they feel heard. Whatever efficiency means to you, [CE] is how we build that competence. We offer large classrooms and small workshops. The only way we will get better is through [CE]. It is like going to the gym; you have to do something beyond your day-to-day work to improve. That is what we try to provide—help so you can practice medicine the way you want to practice it, as well as possible.

When people think of CE and conferences, they often picture sitting in a room for 50 minutes. Some people like that because it mirrors veterinary school. We will have a portion of that, but we encourage instructors to end around 35 minutes and make sessions interactive. We run workshops and escape rooms for people who want a team-based approach. We also run small, hands-on labs where a group of 4, with an instructor, can get a personalized experience. That is where someone can say, “This is where I struggle. How can I do this better?” and get undivided attention for several hours.

Nobody learns the same way. Whether it is a PowerPoint presentation or a TED-style talk, we try to keep it fresh and interactive. We favor case-based material that reflects what you will see in practice so people leave and use something the next day in clinic. It should not be so academic or abstract that attendees never apply it. The goal is that you can take it back to your clinic, implement it, and be more efficient or help patients better than before.

Hands-on training is probably the most powerful format because a lot of inefficiency comes from [a] lack of confidence in surgery or procedures. Everything we do is geared toward building confidence and creating peer networks so clinicians realize they are not alone. In the veterinary community, people often feel isolated, but in reality, everyone struggles. We try to connect people and help them learn. For a given topic, we might use 4 or 5 different teaching methods to reach learners. One of the best things we do is work with speakers to help them engage the audience and deliver practical outcomes.

What makes you efficient is confidence: knowing the process you need to follow, what tests to run, and what resources are available. The internet has also helped. You have specialists a click away. In many cases, you can send a question to a specialist and get an answer in 15 to 20 minutes. That has broken down barriers to care.

When you think about efficiency and CE, there are 2 sides: having more time for yourself and being able to see more patients. For me as a radiologist, efficiency is often at the case level: Take one patient, get to the diagnosis as efficiently as possible, know the treatment, know the next steps, and then move on. That focused approach often prevents unnecessary tests.

Good history taking is critical because a focused history gives you the most information and reduces the need for broad testing. Efficiency also means using your team better. Empower technicians and assistants with clear actions so you can manage multiple cases while maintaining high-quality care for each patient. That requires some multitasking and training the brain to flip between tasks as needed.