CVM Hosts AAVMC Leadership Academy Meeting

Cornell Welcomes participants
Karen Cornell welcomes AAVMC Leadership Academy participants to Texas A&M and the CVM during the academy’s first day of the College Station meeting.

The Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVM) welcomed 35 participants in the AAVMC’s Leadership Academy for three days of informational sessions and workshops led by leaders from Texas A&M and across the country.

The CVM-hosted meeting, held Dec. 7-9 in the Veterinary & Biomedical Education Complex (VBEC), addressed issues including strategic thinking and management; self-awareness and implicit bias; managing conflict; the art and practice of feedback; and audience-focused communication.

In their second day, participants broke into small groups for simulated sessions held in the VICI Building’s Communications Suites in which they could practice offering feedback and managing conflict.

For both Andrew Hanzlicek, an associate professor in small animal internal medicine at Oklahoma State University, and Amara Estrada, a cardiologist and professor at the University of Florida, the simulations were a highlight.

“We learned different strategies to effectively deal with conflict and ways of doing that respectfully, yet making our point and being direct,” Hanzlicek said. “I think it is going to be very useful in a lot of areas of my life, because every day, all the time, you run into various challenges, even if they’re small conflicts, that you can deal with in a better way.

“The actors were very good, and there was some anxiety, but I think that’s where we learned the most, outside of our comfort zone. It was very fun,” he said. “What I’ve learned here in using these tools will help me to deal with those conflicts in a more respectful way.”

Because this was the second meeting for leadership academy participants, Estrada said they felt comfortable giving and receiving honest critiques from their peers, who would offer their feedback following each role-playing scenario.

“It was really good practice to work through a scenario, sit in the hot seat, and then get evaluated by your peers,” she said. “It was nice to be able to fail and know you’ll get honest feedback on what you can do better next time.

“It (also) makes me feel like I have a camaraderie, like I’m not the only one who’s had these issues, and that there are other people in leadership positions who are not skilled in this either, so it’s OK for me to ask for help,” Estrada said.

Hanzlicek talking
Colleagues look on and take notes as Andrew Hanzlicek runs a scenario with an actor during the Communication Suites simulation exercise, a highlight for AAVMC Leadership Academy participants.

AAVMC launched its leadership academy in 2012 to provide leadership development for emerging leaders in academia. Participants, who were selected by their university, represented veterinary schools from across the United States, Canada, and Australia. As part of the academy, educational meetings are held in Indianapolis, College Station, and Washington, D.C.

Hanzlicek said while he’s not really in a leadership position now, he hopes that someday, if he is, he will be well-prepared to lead a group of people.

“This meeting has been amazing,” he said. “I certainly think it’s been very useful in teaching me a lot of strategies to be an effective leader.”

Likewise, Estrada said she isn’t necessarily participating in the academy for career advancement, but has learned a lot in terms of communications and making conversations more productive.

“I’m just looking for ways I can grow and give back,” she said. “I’m at the point in my career where I’m looking for bigger ways to make an impact.”

“It’s been awesome to be at Texas A&M; I was here maybe 20 years ago, so I hadn’t been back in a while,” Estrada said. “It’s been cool to see all of the growth and learn about a lot of the new missions at Texas A&M.”

Estrada talks with one of the actors
Amara Estrada talks with one of the actors in the Communication Suites simulation activity.

Both agreed that the CVM’s new facilities are amazing and that spaces like the Communications Suites offer students opportunities to learn in ways that they wish they had had in veterinary school.

“Communication is huge; it’s in all of our competencies but none of us have any training on how to do it, at all,” she said, adding that there are times when she still doesn’t feel prepared.

Activities like the mock scenarios they did in the Communications Suites will definitely help students, who participate in similar activities as part of the CVM’s curriculum.

“They’re going to encounter every single situation that we’re trying to practice; they’re not made-up situations,” Estrada said. “They’ll be better equipped to deal with these issues, having talked about them with people who know what they’re talking about. Breaking it down into small digestible pieces, hopefully, will better equip them for life.”


Print
Show Buttons
Hide Buttons