The 2017 American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Legislative Fly-In was a fantastic experience, both to learn about government advocacy and take in the sights of Washington DC. It was so enlightening to learn about this less traditional aspect of the veterinary profession and to be put on the forefront of policymaking. Here are some highlights from the trip!

We arrived in Washington DC before any Fly-In events took place. So, we took the opportunity to explore the city. As vet students, we had to visit the National Zoo. Because it’s part of the Smithsonian Institute, admittance is free! The exhibits were informational and entertaining. This is a must-see for everyone visiting DC! 

After a short reception where we met some of the AVMA Government Relations directors, we went out to the National Mall. Even at night, there were crowds of people excited to see the monuments that represent American heroes. It also provided us some time for reflection before our big days to come!

The first day of the Fly-In consisted of learning about the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program Enhancement Act and the Higher Education Act, as well as practicing our pitch to our representatives. The AVMA provided us with a packet of everything we would need to discuss the bills when we arrived. By the end of the day, we had a game plan of how to approach each meeting with our representative’s staff members.

We started our day on the Hill at the Cannon House Office Building. It was nerve-racking waiting for our first meeting because we weren’t quite sure what to expect! At each office, we spoke with a legislative assistant who was assigned to work on behalf of each representative on higher education issues. They took notes and asked us questions so they could relay our information to each representative who would then (hopefully) decide to co-sponsor the bills. We shared our personal stories about how the bills would help us now during vet school and in the future as veterinarians with loans to repay. Both bills, the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program and Higher Education Act, are in the first stages of being passed. We were really part of the first steps in giving these bills viability on the floor of the House and Senate.

It was amazing that as vet students, we could go right to the Washington DC offices of our representatives and have a conversation about what we’d like to see changed in the government. To me, it was really advocacy in action; we were out there doing our part to help better our profession. Something we were told during the program was that if a representative is contacted about an issue by just two or three people, they’ll think there’s a major uprising about it. Small steps can add up to make big changes, and anyone can get out there and do it.