Preparing veterinarians for success through business education

Shiv Salwan, D.V.M. '24 grew up in the San Francisco Bay area flanked by two supporting, yet differing veterinarians, as both mom and dad were veterinarians owning their own separate practices. Intending to return home post-graduation to join the service side of both practices, Shiv did not come to Cornell thinking about business education. This all changed during his first academic year when he became exposed to the newly implemented veterinary business education curriculum provided by the Center for Veterinary Business and Entrepreneurship (CVBE).

The opportunity to learn about the business side of veterinary medicine completely shifted Shiv's post-graduation plans, as the dream of helping mom and dad run their individual businesses, and ultimately taking over the business management, became an attainable new goal. "Concepts of finance and business and accounting are very important to understand so you know how much it costs to run your business as a veterinarian. Understanding those principles will allow me to figure out ways to run things more efficiently, keep costs down, and ultimately provide a better product to the clients," he said. "It all comes down to the human-animal bond. I take a great sense of responsibility to further this model, to serve our patients and clients." As a recent graduate already deep into the family businesses, Shiv shares that "after several months of practice, the business education could very well be the most relevant and practical part of the entire curriculum". His feelings are due in part to the CVBE's teaching efforts surrounding the incorporation of value delivery into the veterinary service provision.

Shiv's situation is not unique. Demand for the business education curriculum is robust, as noted by the consistently solid course enrollment numbers and the feedback received through student course evaluations. It is not uncommon for the CVBE to receive emails from recent alumni expressing the impact that the business curriculum has had on their young professional careers, and we are seeing new student applicants stating that the business education program is a factor in their decision-making process for enrollment in the college.

The CVBE's education program introduces core business concepts through foundation courses and expands its footprint through the eight current distribution / elective level courses and the capstone experience project that make part of the center's Certificate in Veterinary Business and Management program.

An additional benefit of understanding business is being able to work with your team members," says Shiv. "When the whole team is in unison functioning together to serve the patient and the client, you get better outcomes, and the health of our pet population improves greatly."

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