New to WhatsApp?
Install the free WhatsApp Messenger app on your phone, complete its setup, then use the NMVMA invitation link or QR code on this page. NMVMA checks membership before admitting participants.
Open the NMVMA invitation ↗A colleague to turn to, wherever you practice or study.
New Mexico is a big state. We hope this members-only pilot makes it easier to trade practical ideas, share timely resources, introduce colleagues, and stay connected between the times we can meet in person. Especially for those working far from other practices, even one useful exchange could make a difference.
Optional. Member-verified. Focused by interest. This is a pilot, and your feedback will shape what comes next.
No special technology skills or big time commitment needed. You can read along before posting, and you can mute notifications whenever you like. Pick the step that fits where you are.
Install the free WhatsApp Messenger app on your phone, complete its setup, then use the NMVMA invitation link or QR code on this page. NMVMA checks membership before admitting participants.
Open the NMVMA invitation ↗Open the NMVMA Community in WhatsApp, look for its list of groups, and join or request access to one or two that interest you. The Announcements group is not the same as a discussion group.
Try Rural & Mixed Animal, Small Animal, Equine, One Health, Student, or another available group.
Start with a brief hello: your name, your New Mexico community, your area of work or study, and something you are interested in learning or sharing. You do not have to be an expert to contribute.
See an introduction you can use →Check in when you can. Answer a question, share one useful link with a sentence about why it matters, thank someone for a resource, or invite a colleague to compare experiences. Small contributions count.
See what you could share →Can't find the groups or not sure what to tap? Open the Community, look for the groups list, and select a discussion group. Inside a group, tap its name to see participants. Screen labels vary by phone and app version. Email nmvma@nmvma.org or call 505-985-7124 and we'll help you get started.
These groups work best when members bring real questions and experiences, not polished presentations. Here are a few starting points. Adapt the examples to your work and the interests of your group.
Hi! I'm [name] and I work or study in [community]. My interests include [species or topic]. I'd enjoy meeting others working in this area, and I'm happy to share what I've learned about [topic].
Tip: Use a recognizable profile name, if comfortable, so colleagues know who's speaking.
For those practicing in rural parts of New Mexico, what approaches have helped you build backup coverage or maintain referral connections? I'd appreciate hearing what has worked in other communities.
Ask about workflows or resources rather than sharing identifiable cases.
I came across this [article / short video / CE resource] on [topic]: [link]. The part I found most useful was [one sentence]. Has anyone tried something similar or seen a different approach?
Choose credible sources, add context, and avoid repeated promotions or link dumps.
We're hearing more client questions about [general topic] in our area. Are others across New Mexico having similar conversations? What education or communication resources have you found helpful?
Keep observations general. Don't include a patient's identity, clinical record, photos, client details, or information that could identify a particular practice or case.
I'd be glad to spend 15 minutes comparing notes with a student or colleague interested in [topic]. Or if you've worked through [general professional challenge], I'd value a short conversation. Anyone interested?
Make introductions individually and only when both people agree.
Thanks for sharing this. The [specific part] was helpful. Have you found it works differently in smaller or more remote practices?
Sometimes one thoughtful reply does more for connection than a brand-new post.
Consider sharing credible veterinary education and research, public agency updates with the original source linked, upcoming CE, general workforce or referral-resource questions, field-practice logistics, student opportunities, or useful short videos and podcasts. Add a sentence about why you think the group would care. Before forwarding another member's words outside the group, please ask permission.
New Mexico’s veterinary community stretches across a large geography, and members work in very different settings. In-person relationships remain important. This pilot adds a lightweight way to keep those relationships moving between events, especially when travel, time, and distance get in the way.
About 40% of respondents indicated that text- or phone-based messaging could be useful for timely information and knowledge exchange.
In NMVMA’s 2026 student survey, 91% wanted networking with New Mexico veterinarians.
Students wanted New Mexico externships or rotations — another reason to make introductions easier.
Students also wanted mentoring or short career conversations with professionals in the state.
Context matters: these findings come from different surveys and populations. They show a demand for connection; they do not measure support for WhatsApp specifically. The pilot is how NMVMA learns whether this tool adds real value.
Members do not need to follow everything. Join the community, choose the conversations that match your work or interests, and participate when you have a question, resource, introduction, or experience to share.
Focused spaces can include Small Animal, Rural & Mixed Animal, Large Animal & Livestock, Equine, Exotics, Shelter Medicine, and One Health.
Career questions, New Mexico introductions, externship information, informal mentoring, and connections to experienced colleagues.
Important alerts can stay separate from peer discussion so members can choose the level of interaction that fits them.
NM VetList stays. It serves the broader New Mexico veterinary community. WhatsApp Member Networks are an optional, members-only layer for smaller interest-based conversations; they do not replace VetList, email, the website, CE, or in-person gatherings.
NMVMA is testing a simple structure, watching what members actually use, and gathering feedback before making long-term decisions.
NMVMA will verify participants so the networks remain a member benefit.
Each space has a defined job so members know what belongs there and why they might join.
NMVMA can seed useful prompts, redirect off-topic discussion, and help unanswered questions find a path forward.
Success means useful answers, introductions, mentoring connections, and manageable message volume — not the highest number of posts.
Research in health-professional education and communication suggests that WhatsApp can support learning, information sharing, collaboration, and professional connection when groups are focused and actively moderated. The evidence is not specific to veterinary medical associations, so NMVMA is treating this as a pilot rather than assuming it will work for everyone.
A 2019 scoping review found WhatsApp popular and convenient, with educational uses commonly relying on online moderation. The authors said it may be effective as a learning tool, while noting limitations in the evidence base.
Read the scoping review ↗A 12-week WhatsApp learning intervention with 208 nurses reported significantly better post-intervention learning in infection prevention/control and leadership/communication in the intervention group.
Read the randomized trial ↗A systematic review of social-network use among health professionals identified benefits including information sharing, network building, collaboration, and education, alongside privacy, professionalism, technical, and data-protection concerns.
Read the systematic review ↗Why this matters for NMVMA: the research does not prove that WhatsApp is the answer for New Mexico. It does support testing a focused, moderated, asynchronous model — exactly the kind of connection that may be useful when professionals are busy and geographically spread out.
We hope members will try the pilot and tell us what is useful. If WhatsApp is not a fit for you, your experience and ideas still matter. NMVMA can route questions to colleagues who prefer email, phone, or a brief conversation, and we welcome other practical ideas for connecting people across New Mexico.
WhatsApp may feel informal. NMVMA’s professional standards still apply.
Do not share identifiable client information, veterinary medical records, identifiable patient images, confidential employer material, or active investigation details.
General and anonymized discussion is welcome. The network is not an emergency service, official medical record, or substitute for clinical judgment.
Do not coordinate current or future pricing, bidding, customer allocation, boycotts, or other nonpublic competitively sensitive plans.
No harassment, pressure, repeated unsolicited promotion, or redistribution of another participant’s post without permission.
The pilot is meant to be easy to try, easy to mute, and easy to leave. Join the spaces that are relevant to you and ignore the rest.
The Community brings groups together, but most discussions happen inside the individual interest groups. Open the NMVMA Community, browse its group list and join one or two. Announcements is primarily for updates, not peer discussion.
No. The goal is asynchronous connection. Read when it suits you, contribute when you have something useful to add, and use WhatsApp’s notification controls to keep the experience manageable.
People in a WhatsApp discussion group may be able to see one another’s phone numbers and contact one another directly. Members-only does not mean anonymous. Participants should be comfortable with that visibility and review their WhatsApp privacy settings before joining.
Yes. Keep it relevant to your group's interests, add a sentence about why you're sharing it, and choose trustworthy sources. Avoid identifiable cases, patient or client information, confidential work matters, and commercial promotion. This is not an emergency consultation channel.
The community is being piloted as an NMVMA member benefit. NMVMA will verify membership and organize spaces around relevant professional interests and career stages.
NMVMA will look for useful peer responses, introductions, mentoring connections, resource sharing, member-reported value, manageable message volume, and whether moderation or privacy concerns remain manageable.
Our hope is simple: make it easier for a New Mexico colleague to find someone who understands the work, especially when other practices are far away. Join, say hello, share one useful thing, or ask a question. Then tell us whether it helped. Your experience will shape what NMVMA does next.
Before you join: participation is optional. Discussion-group participants may be able to see one another’s phone numbers. NMVMA will verify membership, share community guidelines, and provide setup help as needed.
