August 26, 2026: Indevets - Healing from Errors: A Roadmap for Veterinary Professionals
Dr. Erica Thiel & Dr. Casey Robinson
Wednesday, August 26, 2026
8:30pm EST
By the end of this webinar, you will be able to:
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Navigate the emotional and professional impact of mistakes in veterinary practice using a practical, compassionate approach.
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Draw insights from the speakers’ personal stories and real-world case studies.
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Understand the physiological and psychological ways we respond to clinical errors.
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Apply a step-by-step roadmap for recovery: acknowledging, apologizing, learning, and moving forward.
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Implement actionable strategies for resilience—such as mindfulness, self-compassion, and building support networks—to reframe mistakes as opportunities for growth.
Dr. Casey Robinson, DVM Director of Clinical Excellence, IndeVets
Dr. Casey Robinson brings a decade of clinical experience across general practice and relief settings. He earned his degree in Biological Sciences from Oakland University and graduated from Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2014, going on to complete a rotating internship and a specialty internship in ophthalmology. Within IndeVets, he is known as an experienced educator who has developed and delivered continuing education for his colleagues, with a talent for translating complex clinical concepts into practical, everyday skills. Dr. Robinson joined the clinical leadership team in 2022 and now serves as a Director of Clinical Excellence, working to cultivate a community built on high-quality medicine and a supportive culture. By combining advanced training with real-world general practice and relief experience, he brings a grounded, practical perspective to the veterinary teams and CE audiences he works with.
Dr. Erica Thiel, DVM Director of Clinical Excellence, IndeVets
Dr. Erica Thiel was born and raised in Lincoln, Nebraska, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Nebraska Wesleyan University before attending veterinary school through the 2+2 program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Iowa State University. She practiced in small animal clinics for eight years before joining IndeVets in the fall of 2022, a move that has allowed her to keep practicing quality medicine across a variety of settings while maintaining the work-life balance that matters to her. As a Director of Clinical Excellence, she focuses on supporting Associate IndeVets the way the mentors and leaders in her own career supported her.
(Completed Webinars*)
*Continuing Education (CE) credit is not guaranteed for the available recordings.
*RACE approval for on-demand courses is granted separately from approval for live programs and may not have been obtained for these recordings.
*Relief VMA members can request review of completed CE courses by emailing ce@reliefvma.org. Non Relief VMA Members cannot view completed webinars.
(Completed: July 23, 2026 - A Stress-Free Approach to Respiratory Distress (Dr. Rachel Halpin, DVM, DACVECC with Instinct Standards)
Dr. Rachel Halpin, DVM, DACVECC , Clinical Updates Editor works with Standards of Care and Instinct Science. Dr. Rachel Halpin earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Missouri in 2011. She completed an internship at Angell Animal Medical Center and a residency in Emergency and Critical Care at the University of Missouri, becoming board-certified in 2015. She thrives in the fast-paced and high-pressure environment of Emergency and Critical Care. Her professional passions include respiratory emergencies, sepsis, trauma, fostering strong client partnerships, and advancing veterinary education. After a decade in private practice, Dr. Halpin joined the team at Instinct Science where she now develops and updates clinical decision support content for Standards of Care, helping shape the future of the profession. She also practices part-time, staying connected to patients and the realities of clinical care.
Dr. Halpin will provide a case-based discussion of the diagnostic and management approach for patients presenting with respiratory distress.
We’ll explore a range of etiologies and presenting complaints.
The discussion will address key physical examination findings, point-of-care diagnostic strategies, initial stabilization priorities, and management considerations.
Emphasis is placed on pattern recognition and decision-making under uncertainty, skills that are directly applicable to general practice and emergency settings alike.
The session also highlights how Standards can serve as a practical, real-time framework for navigating these patients, from initial triage through definitive diagnosis and treatment planning. Attendees will leave with a clearer, more confident approach to one of the most high-stakes presentations in medicine.
(Completed: June 25, 2026 - Ranae Bart (NW Mutual) - Assist. Living Planning/ Long Term Disability Coverage
As a relief veterinarian, you enjoy the freedom of working independently, but that comes without the safety net of employer-sponsored benefits.
In this webinar, we’ll cover how long-term disability and long-term care insurance work, the benefits of each, and why every relief vet should consider them in their financial plan.
We’ll also explore how you may be able to deduct the cost of these policies as a self-employed professional, helping you protect your future while potentially lowering your tax bill.
Meet Ranae Bart
Renae graduated from Seton Hall University in 2006 with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and from Saint Peter’s University in 2013 with her Master of Business Administration. She has worked with Northwestern Mutual for over 5 years.
Renae creates holistic financial plans for families and businesses. She chose this career because building relationships and making an impact has always been important to her. She played and coached college softball at the Division I level and will always bring her competitive, hardworking, relentless mentality forward as she serves her clients. She wins with them, when it comes to helping them secure their financial future! She builds comprehensive financial plans that address many different areas of your financial plan including Risk Management, Wealth Accumulation Strategies and Retirement Distribution/ Estate Planning. She believes it is extremely important to work with someone you trust, enjoy and is quick to respond when needed.
(Completed: May 19, 2026: Dr. Mike Mossop (Co.Vet) - Risk, Ethics, and Data (1 hr RACE for ALL)
Dr. Mike Mossop
This webinar will explore the practical realities of using AI in relief veterinary practice, with a focus on recording, privacy, ethics, data ownership, and professional responsibility. We’ll discuss best practices for client consent, how to think about sensitive information and trust, who owns and controls data in different practice settings, and how recordings can support both documentation and risk management. We’ll also cover the limits of AI, why veterinarian oversight remains essential, and what relief vets should know about working across multiple clinics, teams, and workflows.
This webinar is sponsored by Co.vet.
(Completed: April 29, 2026: Dr. Ingrid Pyka (VetMatch) - Freedom Without Chaos: Strategic Practice Selection for Relief Veterinarians)
Freedom Without Chaos:
Strategic Practice Selection for Relief Veterinarians
Relief work should create freedom—not instability or stress. As market demand shifts, intentional scheduling and practice selection matter more than ever. This session provides a strategic filter for choosing the right hospitals, structuring agreements wisely, and building professional relationships that generate repeat opportunities. Learn how to stabilize your schedule, safeguard your earning potential, and position yourself for long-term success in a changing market.
Objectives
- Define their professional identity and relief priorities.
- Identify early red flags in scheduling, workflow, and communication.
- Apply a practical framework to evaluate culture, efficiency, and compensation.
- Assess team dynamics and workflow structure to determine professional alignment and adaptability.
- Develop strategies for building consistent, mutually beneficial relief partnerships.
Dr. Ingrid Pyka is a dynamic speaker (two-time TEDx), author, and advocate dedicated to transforming the veterinary profession. She specializes in creating positive and efficient workflows while implementing career and financial strategies that empower veterinary professionals and organizations alike. Ingrid’s mission is to eliminate burnout and promote unity, helping teams and leaders rebuild stronger, more resilient career pathways.
A graduate of Colorado State University (CSU), Ingrid combines her expertise in general practice (GP), emergency and critical care (ER), and animal health economics (AHE). With experience as a practice owner and high-level directorship roles, she integrates clinical knowledge with transformational management strategies to improve workplace effectiveness. Ingrid collaborates with veterinary teams across corporate, private, and nonprofit sectors, and actively consults with veterinarians, technicians, leaders, and students to support growth and development at all levels.
Ingrid is the CEO of her own company – VetMatch, an international resource that fosters community, career growth, and valuable connections within the veterinary field. She is also deeply involved in academic and municipal initiatives aimed at enhancing career satisfaction and personal wellbeing. As a passionate volunteer, Ingrid serves on advisory boards and supports local veterinary associations through community outreach and improvement programs. She has published two award-winning self-help books and just released the first of her four-part fantasy novel series.
(Completed March 26, 2026) - Brandy Shumate: Tax Time: Understanding Business Deductions
Meet Brandy Shumate
Account Queen
Accountqueennow.com
Relief Vet Business Owners — are you deducting expenses correctly?
Here are some of the most commonly misused areas
🔹 Mileage
🔹 Meals
🔹 Commingling Funds
We’ll also discuss Schedule C vs. S-Corp — Big Differencee
Structure + documentation = protected deductions.
(Completed January 20, 2026): Ranae Bart with Northwestern Mutual - Are You Prepared for the Tax Impact of Retirement?
Meet Ranae Bart (Northwestern Mutual)
In our upcoming webinar with Ranae Bart of Northwestern Mutual, we’ll cover smart investment planning strategies and proven ways to reduce taxation in retirement, so you can make your money work harder for you—now and later.
(Completed February 23, 2026): Dr. Sonja Olson - Navigating Moral Injury as a Relief Veterinary Practitioner: The What, How, and Who (1-hr RACE CE*)
DR. SONJA OLSON:
VETERINARIAN & WELLNESS EDUCATOR
SONJAOLSONDVM.COM 
Learning objectives
- Define “Access to Care” and “Moral Distress” to explore the interconnectedness between these two concepts in clinical practice
- Outline and quantify the impacts of barriers to veterinary care and the subsequent moral injury impacts on a practice, community, and profession-wide level.
- Discuss strategies that can be applied on an individual or team level to address challenges to access to care and how to cultivate moral resiliency.
Access to veterinary care refers to the ability of individuals to obtain necessary health services for animals in their care, companion or otherwise. Barriers to care encompass not just financial aspects, but also factors like geographic location, availability of services, and cultural competence of healthcare providers. Moral distress occurs when healthcare professionals know the ethically appropriate action to take but are constrained from taking it, leading to emotional and psychological stress. In veterinary medicine these scenarios may be a direct result of inadequate access to care.
During this presentation we will explore these connections as we understand it in the profession currently, but also to look at how individuals and teams can address these scenarios to work towards improved occupational wellness and build moral resiliency.
Topics discussed will include reframing team approaches to the spectrum of care, palliative care and humane euthanasia as strategies for improving animal welfare as well as Self-Care and Professional Support. Additionally, exploration of the unique elements of being a relief veterinarian in these instances and how that may impact preparation for and integration of moral strain when it occurs.
More About Dr. Sonja Olson:
Dr. Sonja A Olson (C-MMT, C-Neuroinformed Coach, MentorVet Certified Veterinary Mentor) is a credentialed veterinary wellness coach, educator, and emergency room veterinarian with nearly 30 years of experience. She specializes in helping veterinary individuals, teams, and leaders navigate personal and professional stress with more skill, optimize their holistic health, and cultivate emotional well-being. C ombining evidence-based neuroplasticity coaching, mindfulness, and her clinical expertise, Dr. Olson creates compassionate, transformative spaces that empower her clients and audiences to thrive in their lives. She is an author of 2 books (one to be published mid-2026) and a contributing author to many other veterinary textbooks and journal articles.
Through her tailored sessions, keynote presentations, webinars, retreats, and resilience-focused writings, she shares practical tools to manage change, enhance self-awareness, and foster healthy veterinary teams and culture. As a certified mindfulness meditation teacher, neuroinformed and trauma-informed coach, and Mental Health First Aid instructor, she is dedicated to inspiring calmer, kinder, and more resilient communities. Dr. Olson’s mission is to harness the innate human potential for healing and growth, guiding veterinary professionals toward a healthier, optimized way of living.
*RELIEF VMA MEMBERS receive *1- hour* RACE-Approved CE Credit.
*Non-members can attend this webinar for free without CE credit.
(Completed Sat, Oct 25, 2025)- Controlled Substances 101: How & Why You Must Comply! DEA Regulations for the Relief Veterinarian Explained
(3 hour RACE approved virtual CE for EVERYONE)
Presented by Jan Woods
www.askjanforhelp.com
jan@askjanforhelp.com
(Sponsored by Epicur)
Attendee Learning Objectives:
- Learn about the DEA controlled substance regulations from a previous veterinary practice owner, consultant & public speaker/educator, who has worked with Veterinarians cited by the DEA.
- Learn how to protect your license, and your profit margin with effective risk reducing suggestions .
- Learn how the DEA’s controlled substance regulations affect your relief practice.
- Learn what’s really required by the DEA for controlled substance compliance in your relief practice.
- Learn why you should follow the DEA’s controlled substance regulations, when you feel no one at the practice where you are providing relief services does.
- Learn how to manage controlled substances effectively and efficiently, according to DEA regulations and best practice suggestions.
- Learn how to make controlled substance inventories easier and more accurate.
- Learn what to do if the location where you are providing relief services experiences a significant loss or theft of controlled substances.
- Learn how to transfer controlled substances correctly between Primary Registrants.
- Learn how to destruct controlled substance medical waste and expired/unwanted controlled substances.
- Learn how to think like an auditor.
- Learn how to minimize your risk.
Overview Hour by Hour:
11am-12pm EST: An Introduction to DEA Controlled Substances Regulations and Why Controlled Substances Are the Practitioner’s Biggest Risk!
12pm-1pm EST: Controlled Substances and DEA Regulatory Requirements For Relief Practitioners When Recordkeeping, Logging, Administering, Dispensing, Prescribing & Destructing Controlled Substances. Best Practice Time Saving Suggestions and Controlled Substance Daily Reconciliation Logs Will Be Shown and Discussed at length in Hour 2.
1pm-2pm EST: Recognizing and Handling Staff and Client Addiction and What the DEA Says the Practitioner Must Do About It. Improving Security and Preventing Theft per DEA Regulations. Proactively Preparing for a DEA Audit and How to Handle a DEA Audit When the DEA Knocks on the Door!
(Completed Wed, Oct 1, 2025) Sole Prop, LLC, or S-Corp? Leashing Your Entity Choices & Taming Taxes for Relief Vets
(1 hour FREE virtual webinar for EVERYONE)
Wednesday, October 1, 2025
8:30pm EST/ 7:30pm CST
Brandy Shumate
Account Queen
Accountqueennow.com
>Register Here<
You’ve battled grumpy cats, survived surprise anal gland expressions, and filled in at more clinics than you can count— but now it’s time to turn your attention to a slightly less furry challenge: taxes.
Whether you’re wondering if you should stay a Sole Prop, form an LLC, or level up to an S Corp, this relief vet-specific webinar is your armor and shield. We’ll walk you through the entity types most relevant to relief veterinarians, help you understand what each means for your income and taxes, and teach you how to conquer the beast that is quarterly estimated tax payments.
You’ll Learn How To:
- Choose the right entity structure to protect your income (and sanity)
- Slay the self-employment tax dragon with smart planning
- Tame quarterly estimated payments so they stop sneaking up on you
- Pay yourself like the boss you are—without ticking off the IRS
(Completed Aug 12, 2025) Clients Keep Asking About Fresh - What Does the Science Say?
(1 hour RACE approved virtual CE for EVERYONE!)
Dr. Joseph Wakshlag, PhD, DVM, MS, ACVIM (Nutrition), ACVSMR graduated from the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine in 1998 and continued his training to become board certified in Veterinary Clinical Nutrition in 2008, in tandem with becoming a founding member of the College of Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation in 2010. He also received his PhD in Pharmacology in the department of Molecular Medicine at Cornell University. He started his academic career at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2006 eventually becoming a Full Professor in 2019. He has taught veterinary nutrition in the curriculum for nearly 25 years and continues to foster productive research in multiple areas including cancer cell biology, sporting dog physiology and nutraceutical use. His latest interest has been the use of cannabinoids in companion animal medicine along with longevity in dogs.
(RVMA Memebers and attendees can have access to recordings of this webinar. Contact ce@reliefvma.org for more information.)
(Completed July 31, 2025) Navigating AI: What You Need to Know
(1 hour virtual webinar is *FREE FOR EVERYONE*!)
Join Dr. Kat Reardon, a fellow Relief Veterinarian that also works at Scribble Vet, to chat and discuss and educate us on the ins and outs of AI Scribe software for veterinary medical records. Many companies have similarities and differences, but Dr. Kat is going to break it down for us of all generations to help record writing efficiency improve!
Hear more from Dr. Kat here:
- Why Relief Work Saved My Veterinary Career
- Setting Up the Right Workflow with a Veterinary AI Scribe
(You may join as an RVMA Member for just $45 to access this webinar and future webniars and discounts!)
Sponsored Lecture by: 
(RVMA Memebers and attendees can have access to recordings of this webinar. Contact ce@reliefvma.org for more information.)
(Completed June 12, 2025) Retiring When You Want, or If You Want: Deciding the Inevitable
Join Ranae Bart, MBA from Northwestern Mutual for webinar on retirement planning …specifically for Relief Veterinary Medical Association members!
This webinar is free for RVMA members! (Non RVMA Members can pay JOIN to attend)!
(RVMA Memebers and attendees can have access to recordings of this webinar. Contact ce@reliefvma.org for more information.)
(Completed July 10, 2024) Financial and Retirement Planning for the Self- Employed Veterinary Professional
(RVMA Memebers and attendees can have access to recordings of this webinar. Contact ce@reliefvma.org for more information.)
