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| Education > ABVS > Policies and procedures > Definitions of terms |
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Definitions of Terms Applied to Veterinary Specialization
April 2009 |
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- Academy—An exclusive body of learned persons with the objective of promoting scholarship and service. Membership is based on scientific or scholastic achievement and exercise of professional skills.
- Active diplomate—A diplomate of a recognized veterinary specialty organization (RVSO) who is in good standing with that organization through fulfilling specified requirements and who is active in the practice of the recognized veterinary specialty (RVS).
- Approved qualifying routes—An approved qualifying route is a route, either established or approved by the recognized veterinary specialty organization (RVSO), through education, training, and experience to qualify candidates for examination in a timely manner. Approved qualifying routes can occur either within or outside a standard residency or degree program. Any experience requirements must be clearly defined, relevant to the objectives of the specialty, and amenable to evaluation and approval by the RVSO.
- Association—An organization of veterinarians with the objective of advancing mutual professional interest(s).
- Board—A small group of members designated by a recognized veterinary specialty organization (RVSO) to conduct the examination of candidates, or an organization of specialists having the objective of examining candidates for certification. Some RVSOs have used the term "board" synonymously with the broader concept of college. This use of the term has been accepted by the ABVS.
- Board eligibility—A veterinarian is board-eligible when he/she has successfully completed the established requirements of a recognized veterinary specialty organization (RVSO) and has been accepted to take its next certifying examination. As per the AVMA Guidelines for the Identification of Board-certified Veterinarians, individuals should not use the term board-eligible as a descriptor in promotional materials directed toward other members of the profession or the public.
- Certification—The process of attesting that a veterinarian has successfully completed an approved educational program and examination process designed to assess the knowledge and skills required for providing high quality professional services and patient care in a specialty.
- Certified in—The AVMA limits the use of "certified in" to those individuals who have completed the certification process of an AVMA-recognized veterinary specialty organization, veterinary specialty, or veterinary subspecialty.
- Charter diplomate—Charter diplomates are not required to submit to examination to become diplomates. Charter diplomate status may be granted to a small number of individuals at the time a specialty college or board is established. This distinction should be reserved for only the most distinguished and experienced members of the field. A charter diplomate must:
- Be a member of the organizing committee.
- Have achieved distinction in the field and have qualifications far exceeding those proposed as necessary for candidates desiring to take the certifying examination of the organization.
- Be recognized as a qualified specialist by peers, and
- Have at least 10 years' experience in the specialty, with no less than 75% of his/her professional time in each of the last five years being devoted to the specialty, and by teaching, research, or practice have contributed substantially to the development of the specialty, or
- Be a full professor of the specialty in a college or department of veterinary medicine, and have contributed substantially to the development of the specialty, or
- Have advanced training (PhD or equivalent) in the specialty; have demonstrated competency through teaching, research, or practice in the specialty to which the individual devotes most of his or her professional time; and be an author of important publications resulting from research or practice in the specialty.
- College—An organization of veterinarians that has as its objectives the establishment of standards for the education and experience necessary for qualification as a specialist, and the examination and certification of veterinarians in the specialty. The term college is favored by the ABVS and is synonymous with board in the designation of a recognized veterinary specialty organization (RVSO).
- Criterion referencing—A criterion-referenced score interpretation involves comparing a test score to a cutoff score that represents a performance standard.
- Degree program—A degree program is an educational program leading to an MS, PhD, or equivalent degree that may or may not be combined with residency training.
- Diplomate—A veterinarian who is certified as a specialist in a particular discipline by one of the AVMA-recognized veterinary specialty organizations.
- Diplomate in good standing—See active diplomate.
- Diplomate not in good standing—A diplomate of a recognized veterinary specialty organization (RVSO) who has not complied with the specified requirements of a diplomate in good standing established by that organization.
- Discipline—A field of study or expertise definable as a distinct area of veterinary medicine.
- Distinguished member—A diplomate of a recognized veterinary specialty organization (RVSO) who is acknowledged as distinguished based on criteria established by that organization.
- Emeritus diplomate—A diplomate of a recognized veterinary specialty organization (RVSO) who either reaches an age designated by the RVSO or has retired from active practice of the recognized veterinary specialty.
- Founder diplomate—A member of the organizing committee as described in section II, part D1 of the Policies of the ABVS.
- Full recognition—A classification assigned to a veterinary specialty organization that meets or exceeds all criteria established by the ABVS for recognition by the AVMA.
- Honorary diplomate or honorary member—A veterinarian or nonveterinarian who is nominated by, and meets criteria specified by, the recognized veterinary specialty organization (RVSO) and who is elected by the members of a recognized veterinary specialty (RVS). An honorary diplomate or honorary member shall be a nonvoting member and shall not hold office in the specialty organization.
- Internship—An internship shall be one-year of flexible, rotating clinical training in veterinary medicine beyond the professional degree. It provides practical experience in applying knowledge gained during formal professional education and offers an opportunity for recent graduates to obtain additional training in the clinical sciences. An internship is composed of a broad range of supervised clinical assignments. This year of comprehensive, broad, postgraduate training and experience prepares a veterinarian for high-quality service in practice or for a decision on an area of specialization. It is important that an internship be truly a rotation, involving a wide range of clinical activities.
- Job/task analysis—A systematic procedure for defining the tasks required by a job and the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other personal characteristics required of individuals performing that job.
- Organizing committee—A group of founder diplomates that conduct the business of an emerging veterinary specialty seeking recognition by the AVMA.
- Probationary recognition—A classification assigned to a recognized veterinary specialty organization (RVSO) that meets most, but not all, of the established criteria for continued full recognition.
- Provisional recognition—A classification assigned to a new veterinary specialty organization, veterinary specialty, or veterinary subspecialty that has not applied for full recognition or has not met all the criteria pertaining to complete formalization of its structure and objectives.
- Recognized veterinary specialist—A veterinarian who is certified by an AVMA-recognized veterinary specialty organization.
- Recognized system specialist—A recognized specialist in a field that has as its primary emphasis a specific organ or body system within veterinary medicine (e.g., ophthalmology, neurology, dermatology). This field may involve different species, and may involve different medical and/or surgical disciplines within the representative body system or organ that is the primary area of specialization.
- Recognized discipline specialist—A recognized specialist in a field that has as its primary emphasis a particular discipline within veterinary medicine (e.g., internal medicine, surgery, pathology, virology, toxicology, pharmacology, nutrition, preventive medicine and public health). This field may involve different species, and may involve different body systems or organs within the representative discipline that is the primary area of specialization.
- Recognized species specialist—A recognized specialist in a field that has as its primary emphasis a particular species or group of species within veterinary medicine (eg, laboratory animal medicine, zoological medicine, or canine and feline practice). This field may represent different medical or surgical disciplines, and may involve different body systems or organs within the representative species that are the primary focus of specialization.
- Recognized veterinary specialty—A clearly defined field of veterinary medicine comprising a species, discipline, or system within veterinary medicine and whose members acquire knowledge and skills through formal training, experimentation, and a standard approach to veterinary medicine. These focused areas of practice are under the umbrella of a parent AVMA-recognized veterinary specialty organization (see Figure 1 (PDF)). Examples include, but are not restricted to, the recognized veterinary specialties of neurology, cardiology, oncology, and internal medicine within the ACVIM and the practice categories of avian, feline, equine, dairy, swine, health management and food animal within the ABVP.
- Recognized veterinary specialty organization—An organization that has been recognized by the AVMA as establishing standards for a specialty, certifying veterinarians who meet those standards, and serving as the organizational and administrative unit for one or more recognized veterinary specialties (see Figure 1 (PDF)). Veterinarians undergoing a formal program of credentialing and certification will be members of the recognized veterinary specialty organization (RVSO) and designated as a diplomate (a recognized specialist in one or more of the recognized veterinary specialties under the organizational umbrella.)
- Recognized veterinary subspecialty—A component of a recognized veterinary specialty (RVS) requiring the exercise of skills and the application of knowledge in a specific field but performance at a higher standard than that required for a veterinary recognized specialist functioning within a RVS (see Figure 1 (PDF)).
- Residency—A residency shall be advanced training in a specialty in veterinary medicine that is intended to lead to specialty certification in an AVMA-recognized veterinary specialty organization. An approved residency program is conducted under the supervision of a board-certified specialist. A residency is usually narrowly confined to a specific discipline. A residency may in some instances be related to an advanced degree program.
- Society—An organization of veterinarians and others having a common interest in a discipline of veterinary medicine. A society usually has as its objective the encouragement of scholarship, through educational programs, among those interested in the discipline. A society is not a recognized specialty certifying organization.
- Specialist—See recognized veterinary specialist.
- Specialty—See recognized veterinary specialty.
- Student associate—A veterinary student who is interested in a particular recognized veterinary specialty (RVS), but who is not a diplomate of that recognized veterinary specialty organization (RVSO) and thus not a voting member of that organization.
- Subspecialty—See recognized veterinary subspecialty.
- Waiting period—A waiting period is defined as a period of time between completion of an approved qualifying route and candidate eligibility to sit for the certifying examination that cannot be justified as necessary and relevant to the objectives of the recognized veterinary specialty organization (RVSO). A waiting period is not permitted by the ABVS.
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American Veterinary Medical Association
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