What to Look for in Veterinary Conferences for CE
Discover how to choose the right veterinary conference for your continuing education, skills development, and networking to enhance your veterinary...
3 min read
If you want to build your surgical skills, a lecture isn’t always the best way to gain information. Sometimes, you need to pick up the instruments and work through the technique with an experienced instructor there to guide you.
That’s what makes hands-on surgical training such a valuable part of many veterinary conferences. Along with continuing education (CE) credits, the right event can give you practical experience, introduce you to new animal health innovations, and create opportunities for professional development and veterinary career growth.
If you’re considering which United States veterinary events are worth your time and investment, look beyond CE hours. Consider what you will learn from the experience, and how it can benefit your patients and practice.
How to evaluate veterinary surgical training
When your goal is to strengthen surgical skills, not all veterinary learning options offer the same experience. Before registering for a veterinary conference, consider what you want to gain from the experience and how easily you can apply the knowledge you gain once you return to practice.
| What to consider | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Hands-on surgical training | For surgical training, practicing a technique can be far more valuable than simply watching a video or seeing someone demonstrate the procedure. Look for conferences that offer small-group labs, opportunities to work directly with instructors and time to practice the procedures yourself. |
| Continuing education credits and value | CE credits are an important part of any veterinary conference investment, but the number of hours is only part of the equation. Consider whether the available sessions align with your clinical interests and whether the overall program gives you enough relevant education to justify the time and travel involved. |
| Clinical relevance | The most useful education is something you can apply to your patients and practice. Look for sessions that focus on techniques, procedures and clinical decision-making you are likely to encounter in everyday work. |
| Professional growth | Conferences can offer learning opportunities that extend beyond the classroom. Connecting with instructors, fellow veterinary professionals and others working across the animal health industry can introduce new perspectives, ideas and opportunities. |
When you want more than a veterinary conference session
If you want to strengthen a specific procedure or skill, a broad veterinary conference schedule may not be enough. Viticus Group Academy offers a more focused approach to hands-on veterinary education, with courses designed around specific surgical, procedural and diagnostic skills.
Academy courses are offered in Las Vegas and Nashville and provide RACE-approved CE in a hands-on lab environment. Participants work in small groups with experienced instructors, allowing them to ask questions, practice techniques and receive direct guidance rather than simply watch a demonstration.
The course lineup covers a wide range of clinical interests. Current offerings include TPLO skills labs for orthopedic training, flexible and rigid endoscopy, soft-tissue and general surgical procedures, dentistry, ophthalmic surgery, fracture stabilization, and abdominal and cardiac ultrasound.
Some courses also allow participants to spend substantial time practicing a skill. For example, the four-day flexible and rigid endoscopy course combines lecture with hands-on laboratory sessions covering flexible GI endoscopy, foreign body retrieval, biopsies and rigid procedures including laparoscopy, rhinoscopy, video-otoscopy and urethroscopy/cytoscopy.
Combining conference-scale CE with hands-on training
For veterinary professionals who want the breadth of a major veterinary conference without giving up the opportunity to practice new skills, WVC brings these experiences together. The conferences combine a large, multi-specialty CE program with hands-on labs, workshops, learning tracks and other educational formats, allowing attendees to build an experience around their own clinical interests and professional goals.
WVC Vegas
WVC Vegas is Viticus Group’s flagship conference experience, bringing hundreds of hours of veterinary education to the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. For 2027, the program includes 900+ hours of RACE-approved CE, plus more than 60 hands-on labs, workshops, learning tracks and Side-Quests.
The hands-on component takes place close to the main conference floor at Viticus Group’s Education Centers. These small-group labs are designed around active learning, with direct instructor guidance and topics ranging from surgical and procedural skills to diagnostics and other techniques.
WVC Nashville
WVC Nashville extends the veterinary conference experience to another location while maintaining the combination of broad CE and practical training. The inaugural WVC Nashville 2026 offered more than 400 RACE-approved CE hours and 15+ hands-on labs, giving attendees access to education across a wide range of clinical and professional topics.
The hands-on labs were held at the Viticus Group Education Center in Nashville and were designed for small-group instruction and active skill development. The offerings included surgical, diagnostic and procedural training, with direct access to instructors.
Whether in Las Vegas or Nashville, the value of the WVC model is the ability to choose how you learn. You can use veterinary conferences to explore new ideas and earn CE, and also go a step further with hands-on training that lets you practice a skill with expert guidance. For surgical education in particular, this combination can help ensure you carry valuable knowledge and new skills back to your clinical practice.
If you’re looking to strengthen your surgical skills, hands-on labs and focused instruction can turn CE into practical experience you can use as soon as you return to the clinic.