What is the best way to stay up to date on advances in veterinary sciences?

As a small animal veterinarian I know that the education I received was out of date the moment I walked out the door with my degree. New diagnostic methods, medications, and surgical procedures are released almost everyday. There are multiple avenues to stay current and relevant.

1) Journal articles - Staying on top of the current advancements in whichever scope of practice you choose can be achieved through the multitude of veterinary journals on the market - JAVMA, AJVR, Clinician's Brief, DVM Magazine, etc. New uses for current medications, better treatment protocols, improved methods for surgical procedures. The topics covered are the most recent peer-reviewed advancements available.

2) Continuing Education conferences and meetings - The meetings you attend give you the opportunity to learn an abundance of knowledge on specific topics. There are continuing ed conferences on almost any topic you can dream of - from internal medicine to dentistry to surgery and everything in between. If you want to have the opportunity to learn from the specialists that have developed the protocols and written the articles, this is the place to do it.

3) Industry Representatives - They are all trying to sell you the newest, most amazing, fastest equipment, diagnostic tools, and medications. They might not know a lot about the products they don't sell (though the really good ones do) but they can provide an immense amount of information on what they are trying to sell to you. They will often have access to unpublished "in-house" data and studies that help to prove their products really are the best. You will always need to use a bit of skepticism when you're being worked by a Rep, but they can and are usually well motivated to provide you with the latest and greatest. Once you have a good relationship with your reps you will often times learn of new advancements before they are readily available.

4) Probably one of the most important resources - your colleagues. Local and regional specialists (Internal Medicine, Surgery, Oncology, Dentistry, etc) are always willing to discuss cases and treatment options with you. Your veterinary medical association will be full of like-minded veterinarians that are also trying to stay ahead of the curve with the latest and greatest tools available. The "Ivory Tower", your closest veterinary teaching hospital, will have almost every specialty imaginable to consult with and learn from. Using the pooled resources your colleagues provide will teach you things you didn't even know you needed to be learning. As soon as you feel confident and comfortable in your abilities, something newer or better will come along, and your colleagues will be right there with you. A great resource is the Veterinary Information Network (www.vin.com), a forum for veterinary professionals to ask questions of their peers and specialists in a safe, comfortable environment.

5) Google. Never be afraid to google something you don't know about. You may not necessarily learn something that was a recent advancement, but acknowledging when you don't know something is possibly more important than knowing about whatever is the latest craze. Having a solid core foundation will help you implement the latest and greatest. There will be times when you have to shore up that foundation before you can add on anything new.

You are asking a very important question. The way most professionals keep up with changes in their career area is to become involved in situations where they can have personal face to face interaction and networking with people working in their career area. This is also the way many professionals find opportunities to advance in their career area. Here are some important steps to take