When you think about your veterinary CE allowance, courses and conferences are probably the first things to come to mind. But depending on your employer’s policy, your allowance may cover more than you think. Not everything on this list will count toward required CE hours, and what’s covered varies by employer, but here are six ideas that might surprise you.
1. Learn a Skill That Doesn’t Look Like CE
Some of the most useful skills you can learn in practice aren’t medical at all. For example, if you regularly work with Spanish-speaking clients, a program like Colorado State University’s Spanish for the Veterinary Professional could help with everyday conversations, from taking histories to discussing diagnostics and treatment plans.
If you take a lot of dental or dermatology photos, consider whether a photography class might be helpful. Give client education talks or community presentations? Public-speaking training could be useful. Write handouts or other educational materials? A writing course could be worth considering.
2. Spend It on Tools You’ll Use Every Day
If your policy allows software or work-related equipment, think about things you could use every day that would make your life easier. That might mean a better headset for dictation, an ergonomic keyboard, a second monitor, or a new stethoscope.
If charting is a chore or you’re regularly catching up on records after hours, your allowance may cover a veterinary-specific AI scribe like ScribbleVet. It drafts SOAP notes from appointments, phone calls, or dictation and can also help with client emails and referral letters. Before appointments, it can also summarize the patient’s history so you can get up to speed faster.
ScribbleVet users report saving more than 78 minutes on documentation per shift, and you can try it free for 14 days to see how it fits into your day.
Try a customizable ScribbleVet template on your next case. See 5 Free ScribbleVet Templates for Faster Veterinary Documentation
3. Build a Reference Library That Keeps Up
If your CE policy covers clinical resources, you may be able to use those funds for references you’ll use in practice. Books and journals can be useful, but a resource that’s regularly updated can keep pace as guidance changes.
Standards of Care (formerly Plumb’s Pro) is a continually updated clinical reference, with peer-reviewed monographs written and reviewed by veterinary specialists. It also includes differential lists, algorithms, procedure guides, and medical calculators. And Plumb’s is built in too, with drug information, dosing guidance, client handouts, and the veterinary-specific drug interaction checker all in one place. That gives you one place to turn for both clinical guidance and drug information throughout the year.
Want to see Standards in action? See how it supports a real case in Trauma or Something More? A Veterinary Case Walkthrough With Standards
4. Shadow Another Veterinary Team
Depending on your employer’s policy, your CE allowance may help cover the cost of learning from another veterinary professional or team.
That could mean spending a day with a shelter team that does a high volume of spay/neuter, shadowing a veterinarian who does a lot of dentistry, or watching a surgery service handle procedures you don’t see often in your own practice. You might pick up a different approach to clinical decisions, procedures, patient handling, client communication, or how the team manages a case from start to finish.
Some opportunities may charge a fee, while others may not cost anything beyond getting there. In that case, your CE allowance might help with travel or lodging.
5. Build the Skills You Use Outside the Exam Room
A tough client conversation, mentoring a newer colleague, or dealing with tension on the team can be every bit as challenging as working through a complicated case. Depending on your policy, CE funds may help you build those skills too, through training in communication, conflict management, mentoring, leadership, or practice management.
For example, Uncharted Academy offers veterinary-specific courses and certificate programs in areas like leadership, communication, conflict management, and practice management. AAHA’s Creating Pawsitive Connections is another option, with a 1-hour on-demand course focused on active listening, empathy, emotional intelligence, and challenging client interactions.
Looking for more veterinary CE? Explore Clinician’s Brief for free, RACE-approved options.
6. Use It on a Professional or Specialty Membership
Your CE allowance may also cover professional or specialty memberships, giving you access to education and resources beyond a single course or conference.
Love feline medicine? A Feline Veterinary Medical Association membership includes feline-focused journals, webinars, and guidelines. Want to go deeper into anesthesia? The North American Veterinary Anesthesia Society offers access to discounted RACE-approved anesthesia CE and members-only resources. Interested in pain management? The International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management includes pain-management resources, a members-only forum, and a pathway toward the Certified Veterinary Pain Practitioner credential.
Whatever area you want to spend more time in, it’s worth seeing whether there’s a professional or specialty organization built around it.
Already planning ahead for 2027 veterinary CE? Read Plan Your 2027 CE: Top 16 Veterinary Conferences
Your CE Allowance Can Go Further Than CE Hours
Using your CE allowance doesn’t have to mean another weekend at a conference. What it can cover depends on your employer, but it could help you head into the next year with something that makes your day a little easier, a resource you’ll keep coming back to, or a skill you’ve been wanting to learn. Before you default to another course or conference, check what’s actually covered. You may have more options than you think.
Interested in putting your CE allowance toward a tool you’ll use all year?
Try ScribbleVet free for 14 days and get started with Standards of Care.
