When we graduated from veterinary school, we thought homework would finally end. Little did we know that even after we became full-fledged veterinarians, homework would never end. Veterinary medicine is constantly evolving. Because new medical treatments and surgeries are constantly being developed in all fields of veterinary medicine, it is our responsibility, even our obligation, to ourselves, our clients, and our patients to keep abreast of these developments. Making time and resources available to obtain continuing education (CE) can be challenging given the demands of our work and families. In veterinary school, new information was spoon-fed to us in a classroom. But as graduate veterinarians, we have to actively join organizations, spend hard-earned salaries, and often travel long distances to obtain CE. We also must be knowledgeable of CE requirements demanded by the various states in which we practice and by the various specialty colleges to which many of us belong.

Veterinarians handle CE in different ways. Some look forward to CE; others dread it. To address this issue, I invited 6 practitioners working in different states to comment on their feelings and approaches to CE. The participants are William Benner, MS, DVM, VCA South Hadley Animal Hospital, South Hadley, MA, USA; Kenneth D. Dazen, VMD, Dipl ABVP (Avian Practice), Animal and Bird Health Care Center, Cherry Hill, NJ, USA; Robert Hess, Jr, DVM, Winter Park Veterinary Hospital, Winter Park, FL, USA; Michael Lutz, DVM, West Meade Veterinary Clinic, LLC, Nashville, TN, USA; Robert Ness, DVM, Ness Exotic Wellness Center, Lisle, IL, USA; and Rhoda Stevenson, DVM, Dipl ABVP (Avian Practice), Exotic Bird Hospital, Jacksonville, FL, USA. I hope this discussion will make you aware not only of how your colleagues approach CE but also of how you think about CE, so that you can stay on top of new developments in veterinary medicine.