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Accreditation Policies and Procedures of the AVMA Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities (CVTEA)

May 2009

Appendix C

Guidelines for Off-campus Clinical Instruction

CVTEA believes that off-campus sites may be used to meet some or all of an accredited program's requirements for clinical instruction. The following guidelines are provided for clarification of accreditation requirements:

1. The parent institution must have clearly defined and appropriate educational goals for off-campus clinical instruction the resources and structure necessary to accomplish these objectives and a contingency plan to replace resources that become unavailable.
   
   
2. Off-campus instructors must be identified. A licensed veterinarian or a credentialed veterinary technician must supervise the instruction.
   
   
3. A course syllabus must be in place, including clearly identified course objectives and an Essential Skills List.
   
   
4. Student knowledge and/or skill must be evaluated at the completion of each course by faculty employed by the parent institution.
   
   
5. Special emphasis must be placed on outcomes assessment to ensure that students achieve the established educational objectives. Provisions for monitoring student progress must exist.
   
   
6. Memoranda of understanding must be established with all clinical sites that provide instruction of required specific skills. Specific criteria must be used to assist site supervisors in appropriately monitoring student progress. Clinical sites must meet objective requirements regarding practice quality, staff, and equipment. Student liability must be formally addressed by the parent institution and a policy implemented. If an off-campus clinical site is a primary source of clinical instruction, the MOU must have appropriate exit strategies and the Program should have a continuity of operations plan.
   
   
7. Academic and student support services must be available.
   
   
8. Clinical sites must be sufficiently diverse to ensure that students receive the variety of experience necessary to meet the requirements of CVTEA.