Member Needs Assessment Report to the Members June 2012

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1 Member Needs Assessment Report to the Members June 2012 Background In November of 2011, AVMA completed a comprehensive study among its members to assess how well AVMA s strategic direction aligned with the membership s expectations, and to determine their awareness and satisfaction overall and among programs, products and services. The study is conducted every 5 years, and the findings provide guidance to the Executive Board as it evaluates how and where AVMA dedicates its resources. In addition, AVMA staff use the information to develop and execute tactics that deliver on the strategic direction set by the Executive Board. More than 2,900 people responded to the survey. Findings were presented to the Executive Board at its April 2012 meeting. Alignment of Goals A key metric for the Association is member agreement with strategic priorities. Survey results show that members overwhelmingly agreed with AVMA s strategic priorities. In two separate questions articulating short-term strategic goals (from the 2012 strategic plan) and longer term goals (achieve by 2020) members were asked to rate 23 statements. In 17 of the 23 statements, 90% or more of members either agreed or strongly agreed that it was something that AVMA should be doing, or that the stated goal was very or somewhat important. The remaining six statements received agreement levels of the top two ratings from between 54% and 88% of respondents. Of the 23 statements, those receiving agreement levels (either somewhat or strongly agree) of 95% or higher were: Ensure public appreciation and support for veterinary medicine to enable the profession to fulfill its essential role (98%) AVMA should be an advocate for the veterinary profession with legislators and regulators (98%) AVMA should take a position on policies impacting the veterinary profession (97%) AVMA should engage in public outreach to media and the public to create need and understanding of veterinary care (97%) Prepared by the AVMA Communications Division 1

2 AVMA should provide timely and useful information regarding current issues and trends affecting the industry (97%) Secure a vital and economically viable future for all facets of the veterinary profession (96%) Establish and advance a national agenda focused on the health and welfare of animals and their importance in our society (95%) Advance scientific research and discovery to ensure the advancement of veterinary medical knowledge (95%) Although members agree with the AVMA s goals, they rate AVMA s achievement of these goals only moderately well. In particular, members desire improvements in legislative advocacy, public outreach, animal welfare, global leadership, setting educational standards, and being a unifying force for the profession. It is important to note that some goals are newer, and therefore are only beginning to be addressed by the AVMA. With continued focus, it is anticipated that member ratings of achievement of these goals will improve. Why members join Veterinarians have long expressed that belonging to the AVMA is important because it supports the veterinary profession. That sentiment holds true in the latest survey results, as members indicated agreement or strong agreement with statements such as belonging to the AVMA is important because it supports the veterinary profession and AVMA cares about the needs of the veterinary profession as a whole. Members were also asked to rate statements about how membership helps them personally, on topics such as accessing education and information, increasing personal credibility, and advancing personal and professional growth. Among all statements asked, those receiving the highest percentage of agreement and strong agreement (indicated in parentheses below) from members were: Belonging to the AVMA is important because it supports the veterinary profession (89%) AVMA cares about the needs of the veterinary profession as a whole (84%) Being a member gives me access to education and information resources that are useful for my job (74%) The AVMA does a good job developing and advocating positions for veterinary medicine (70%) Belonging to the AVMA increases my professional credibility (64%) Awareness, satisfaction, and needs AVMA looks at membership satisfaction as another key metric of its performance. In order to increase satisfaction, we need to understand how members use and rate specific programs as well how they define their overall career needs. By looking at this information in aggregate we can: Prepared by the AVMA Communications Division 2

3 Identify areas where AVMA programs are addressing specific needs Determine areas where improved communication of an existing program (low awareness) or modifying an existing program (low performance) may address a need Discover career needs that AVMA does not currently address, and evaluate if we should (either through development of a new program or by partnering with another organization to deliver it) Satisfaction 67% of members report being either very satisfied or satisfied with their AVMA membership, and nearly half of members responded that they would highly recommend AVMA membership to another veterinarian. 85% feel that their dues value is excellent, good, or fair. When asked about 22 specific programs, members demonstrated a range of awareness and satisfaction levels. The programs with the highest awareness were JAVMA, avma.org, the GHLIT and PLIT trusts, and the AVMA Annual Convention (all above 80%). The remaining programs yielded awareness levels ranging from 21% to 77%, allowing a significant opportunity for AVMA to educate its members about existing benefits that can be immediately put to use. In addition, AVMA can evaluate programs that that had low awareness ratings, to determine if there is sufficient demand to continue offering them. Regarding performance of those same 22 programs, respondents rated PLIT, JAVMA, economic research on veterinarian s incomes, debt, and practice financials, client education materials, and e-newsletters and alerts the highest, with excellent or very good ratings from 56% to 74% of respondents. In addition, respondents were asked to provide open-ended, written responses about what they liked or disliked about the AVMA. The written responses validate the program ratings mentioned above, with 56% of members listing a specific benefit or group of benefits in response to what they like, including insurance, publications, information, or good benefits. Members also frequently mentioned that the AVMA represents the profession, as a united voice and/or does a good job advocating for the profession. In terms of dislikes, 23% of respondents mentioned some form of AVMA s culture, such as decisions take too long or that views were outdated. Other items receiving frequent mentions were that the Association needs to change its priorities (11%) and that the respondent felt a lack of support for his or her area of veterinary medicine (10%). Needs Not surprisingly, survey results showed that veterinarians have a wide array of career needs. Respondents were asked to rate 29 different needs statements on everything Prepared by the AVMA Communications Division 3

4 from obtaining CE for license renewal to assistance managing business finances to staying abreast of regulatory changes to advice on case management. In general, AVMA offers member benefits to meet the needs that are most widely expressed. More than 80% of members somewhat or strongly agreed with these needs statements, which AVMA addresses through one or more programs: I need continuing education credits for my license I need professional insurance to protect my business or myself from liability I need access to information about issues and trends affecting the profession I need to stay on top of the latest innovations in veterinary medicine I need access to the latest research regarding the profession I need to say abreast of regulatory changes There is not one profile or set of benefits that applies to all members. While the needs above were the ones most commonly expressed, AVMA must continue to offer a variety of programs as well as develop new offerings in order to meet the many expectations that come from such a varied and broad profession. For example, women members expressed more needs from the AVMA, and younger members (defined as younger than 40) express more needs and a sharper focus on issues related to employment, career development, and income. Given the shifting demographics of the profession, AVMA will need to address the emerging needs from this growing sector of membership. At the same time, members in academia and industry expressed a greater need for collaboration and networking opportunities, which AVMA will also need to address. By the numbers: a snapshot of survey respondents The average member is 48 years old 52% of members are women Average time in practice is 20 years More than half of members work in companion animal medicine (56%), with the remaining areas breaking down as follows: o Mixed animal private practice: 10% o Equine private practice: 5% o Industry: 6% o Academia: 6% o Government: 5% o Other: 12% 40% of members are practice owners and 29% are private practice associates 15% hold a board certification 65% of members pay their own dues (versus an employer paying it for them) 37% of members who are NOT practice owners indicate an interest in one day owning a practice Prepared by the AVMA Communications Division 4

5 In general, the demographics of survey respondents are comparable to those of the overall AVMA membership. Conclusion The Member Needs Assessment provided critical information to the Association, and benchmarks which will be used going forward to monitor progress against member expectations. While members are in alignment with AVMA s overall strategic goals, there are several opportunities for the Association to meet the emerging and varying expectations that members have for the AVMA. In some cases, there is opportunity to improve the awareness and usage of existing programs, and in other cases the Association will need to explore how it can address needs that aren t yet being fulfilled. By doing so, AVMA can address the more personal reasons that people have for membership in the AVMA, and ensure that overall member satisfaction grows and that the organization remains vital and relevant to its members. Prepared by the AVMA Communications Division 5