Ethos 2025 Mentorship Summit
October 22, 2025
At Ethos Veterinary Health, we believe that excellence in clinical care starts with the people who guide, teach, and inspire rising talent. That belief came to life at the Ethos 2025 Mentorship Summit—a multi-day event in Minneapolis that brought together more than 30 mentors, educators, and leaders from our ER Immerse, internship, residency, veterinary nurse, and ABVP mentorship programs.
The Summit celebrated the impact of mentorship across Ethos hospitals and affiliated training programs, reinforcing its role as a cornerstone of professional growth, learning, and innovation in veterinary medicine.
A Shared Commitment to Mentorship
The event opened with a vibrant welcome reception that set the tone for two days of connection, collaboration, and learning. Attendees engaged in dynamic sessions on topics such as mentoring in the moment, translating expertise into teachable experiences, and using accountability and curiosity to empower others.
Senior Ethos and NVA leaders—including John Bruno (CEO, NVA), Stacy Burdick (Chief Medical Officer), and Patrick Welch (Head of Innovation & Clinical Learning & Development)—joined mentors throughout the Summit, underscoring a shared commitment to investing in mentorship as a critical pillar of medical excellence and the future of Ethos.
Key Themes Shaping the Future of Mentorship
This year’s Summit explored forward-looking themes redefining how veterinary professionals teach, learn, and grow together:
AI in Practice: Understanding current tools and how to experiment with them in day-to-day clinical life, anticipating future use to enhance assessment and mentoring feedback.
Competency-Based Education: Understanding implementation and discussing best practices for assessing learning across both clinical and professional skills.
Naturalistic Decision-Making: Practicing applying the science of how expertise develops with game play.
Veterinary Hospitality: Modeling connected communication and creating welcoming experiences for clients and across teams.
Emotional Intelligence: Building agility, empathy, and self-awareness as mentors through reflection and dialogue.
Each session offered practical tools mentors can apply immediately within their hospitals, reinforcing that mentorship is both an art and a science.
Voices from the Summit
As Dr. Annie Wayne, ER Mentorship Program Lead, reflected; “This Summit was a powerful opportunity for mentors to connect, cultivate skills beyond excellent medicine, and provide feedback that will help shape future projects from our Learning and Innovation teams.”
Another mentor shared, “It made me more confident, and honestly more excited, to mentor others knowing I’m not doing this alone.”
That sentiment echoed across sessions—mentors didn’t just attend; they co-created the future of mentorship at Ethos.
Looking Ahead
The Summit received overwhelmingly positive feedback from participants, with every attendee rating it a top-tier experience. Feedback and discussions are guiding refinements to our existing mentorship resources and programs, such as:
Updating mentor toolkits and frameworks
Strengthening peer mentor connections
Exploring ways to weave hospitality, emotional intelligence, and competency-based assessment into ongoing work
These collective efforts continue to shape our culture of mentorship and learning across Ethos.
Thank you!
A heartfelt thank-you to all mentors, educators, and leaders who joined us—and to those mentoring every day across our hospitals. Special thanks to CareCredit, our event sponsor, and Hill’s Pet Nutrition, our industry partner, for helping make this impactful gathering possible.