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Once a site visit date has been determined, below are general logistic guidelines.
Setting up the Evaluation Team
The evaluation team consists of five members:
- a Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities (CVTEA) member, who serves as chair of the team;
- a state veterinary medical association representative who is a veterinarian;
- a veterinary technician representative;
- a public representative;
- and an AVMA staff member; Dr. Gary Leff, Assistant Director, Division of Education and Research
AVMA staff will contact the State Veterinary Medical Association (VMA) for the person who will represent that Association.
The Program Director is responsible for identifying the names, addresses, phone, and email information of the public member and the veterinary technician. Please include brief backgrounds on each individual. The Program Director is also responsible for confirming the availability of both individuals.
- Public members may not be associated with the College, may not be veterinarians or veterinary technicians, or serve on the Program's advisory committee.
- The veterinary technician member must be a graduate of an AVMA-accredited veterinary technology program and should be chosen by the state technician association, if at all possible. It is preferable that the veterinary technician member not be a graduate of the program; however, the CVTEA recognizes that graduates of other accredited programs may not be available and will accept graduates of your program. The technician cannot be a member of the Program's advisory committee.
Submitting a Self-Study Report
You will need to prepare and mail five copies of your Self-Study Report and a copy of your College catalog, to each of the five evaluation team members at least six weeks prior to the site visit (eight weeks for new programs). Please be sure to track your packages and call or email the AVMA office to confirm when the reports have been shipped. In addition, please email a copy of the self-study report (appendices not necessary) to Ms. Julie Horvath at jhorvath@avma.org.
Hotel, Travel, and Meal Logistics
Hotel: The Program Director is responsible for making hotel arrangements (single non-smoking rooms) for the evaluation team, as needed. If lodging needs of the team members are unknown, it is best to make a total of five room reservations and then cancel them as appropriate. Unless one of the hotel rooms has a separate meeting space from the sleeping area, please arrange for a secure room at the hotel or at the college following dinner on the second night for the team to work on the report. Team members will need to be able to plug in a laptop (Internet access is not required.)
Travel: To help team members make travel arrangements, the following information is needed at least six weeks prior to the site visit (eight weeks for new programs):
- What is the nearest or best airport to fly in to (if applicable)?
- Approximately how much time is needed to travel from the airport to the school?
- Who will pick up team members at the airport or should AVMA staff rent a car? To cut down on cost, it is preferable that someone is available to pick up team members flying in at the airport. However, AVMA staff will rent a car if this is not possible.
- Driving directions and a map to local team members driving.
- Meeting place to begin the site visit. Typically, the team meets in the hotel lobby and then goes somewhere nearby for lunch. However, sometimes the team meets at the school and eats on-campus.
Meals: The Program Director is responsible for arranging all meals including both dinners. If there are any dietary restrictions of a team member, you will be notified as soon as possible.
Hotel, travel, and meal logistics should be submitted at least six weeks prior to the site visit (eight weeks for new programs) to Ms. Julie Horvath (800/248-2862 ext. 6624; jhorvath@avma.org).
Finalizing the Site Visit Agenda
If changes to the agenda are needed, please call Dr. Leff or Mr. Julie Horvath for approval. Please submit a final agenda to Ms. Julie Horvath two weeks before the site visit that includes participant names, meeting room locations, and any other unique aspects of the site visit.
Please keep mind, the Program Director serves as the primary host for the site team and is required to be present for the entire visit, unless otherwise indicated. If available, please provide a secure room for use by the evaluation team during the site visit. It works best if the different groups are able to meet with the team in a central location rather than the team moving from one location to another throughout the visit.
Expenses
During the evaluation site visit, AVMA staff will initially take care of the expenses for the team. Because of this, it is important that lodging and food arrangements are made with institutions that accept American Express. Eventually, all site visit travel, meals, lodging and associated expenses will be billed to the College. New programs are assessed a $2,500 application fee which is due along with your self-study report.
Confidentiality and Conflict of Interest
All evaluation team members will be asked to abide by and sign a confidentiality agreement. In addition, you have the prerogative to reject any member of the evaluation team if you believe there is a conflict of interest. A copy of the AVMA Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality statement is provided to all team members. Please contact the AVMA office as soon as possible if a change to the composition of the evaluation team is necessary.
The outcome of the site visit will be discussed with the Program Director during the exit interview. Further, the Accreditation Report of Evaluation (ROE); all critical, major, and minor recommendations; and the accreditation decision is considered confidential information. This information is provided to the Program Director and the college president by the AVMA. It is the program's choice as to further distribution of the information.
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= AVMA/SAVMA Members Only
