Dr. Randy Schuett of Pewaukee - 2002

Dr. Randy Schuett of Pewaukee - WVMA President 2002

 

Randy Schuett, DVM

Photo:  Courtesy of Dr. Randy Schuett

Personal information

       I was raised in Waukesha, Wisconsin on a farm, were we raised beef cattle, hay, and corn. My twin brother Jeff and I attended pre-veterinary and veterinary medical school at Kansas State University and graduated in 1975. I returned to Wisconsin and eventually started Pewaukee Veterinary Service, a mixed animal practice in Pewaukee, Wisconsin where I still currently practice. I am married to Brenda and have three children Leslie, Aaron and Renee as well as five grandchildren.

Involvement in the WVMA

       I had served on the Awards and Recognition Committee and chaired the Alternative Therapies Task Force where we looked into the future of veterinary medicine and developed recommendations to enhance veterinary practice and to increase our knowledge of these therapies. It was an eye opening experience that allowed me to see just how effective the WVMA committee based structure works.

Involvement on the Executive Board

        Because of a problem in the election of president-elect of the WVMA there had to be a revote and I was elected to the office of president elect not until after the Nine States meeting which was hosted by the WVMA in Madison. I attended most of the local association meetings as president-elect or when I was president. I also attended the Minnesota VMA convention and the NCVEI focus group that helped set there goals at that meeting. My introduction to the House of Delegates of the AVMA as president allowed me to eventually serve as the alternative and delegate to the AVMA for Wisconsin from 2004-2011. I attended the AVMA convention in Nashville where Marion Satalowitz was presented the AVMA award. I also attended the Nine States meeting in Indianapolis where Renè Carlson was introduced as a candidate for vice president of the AVMA.

Annual Meeting/Convention

       The annual meeting was held at the Midwest Express center in Milwaukee because we were not able to secure our site in Madison. It was a great convention with a large exhibit hall and excellent speakers, ranging from alternative therapies to advanced dairy and small animal procedures. The Wisconsin Veterinary Technician Association had there 25th annual meeting and I was able to present them with the Presidential Award.

Challenges and difficulties throughout presidency

       One of the main issues that took a lot of time was the support and funding of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Lab (WVDL). This came at an important time as both West Nile Virus and Chronic Wasting Disease were diagnosed in Wisconsin and took a tremendous amount of time and resources to educate us about these diseases.

       Other legislative issues were the introduction of the required continuing education legislation for veterinarians and CVTs as well as the defeat of the animal chiropractic bill which would allow chiropractors to work on animals without the referral by a veterinarian. The January board meeting and annual planning retreat were combined into one meeting and held at the Wildwood in the Wisconsin Dells. We established priorities that would help us plan our future. I attended the Blue Coat Ceremony and helped present the coats. I also attended the SVM graduation and was impressed with the great relationship the WVMA and the SVM have together.

       The Wisconsin State Fair allowed us to highlight our surgery exhibit which educated the public to the importance of sterilizing pets. In an attempt to define the VCPR and to help veterinarians supervise pharmaceutical use to their producers the Best Practice Task Force was established. The Winter Retreat was held at the Kalahari in the Wisconsin Dells and was attended by 700 participants and 100 clinics. It featured Earnest Ward on effective client communications. As a whole, it was a very busy year, but I felt a lot was accomplished.

Final thoughts

      I have heard that one reason I was asked to be president because it was hoped that I could share the practice philosophy that we practice by in Waukesha County. It is really quite simple “we have no competitor’s just colleagues.” It is much more fun to practice when everyone gets along. We meet together regularly to present cases and share ideas in our Grand Round meetings. If we have an issue we talk about it prior to it becoming a big problem. If a client starts to talk badly about a fellow veterinarian I simply stop it by telling them that they are a friend of mine, it works every time. I worked hard to share this though whenever I had the chance. The support and guidance I received from WVMA staff Leslie Grendahl, Brandy Thompsen and Rob Poehnelt was tremendous and very much appreciated. Once again, an opportunity to do a job like this reminds me how lucky I am to be in the best profession in the world.