USDA accreditation training available

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The National Veterinary Accreditation Program's first four supplemental training courses became available in July, and another five courses were expected to become available in September.

The Department of Agriculture is adding the supplemental training as part of its updates to the NVAP, through which veterinarians can gain federal accreditation that lets them to perform some work for the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. The department announced in December 2009 that veterinarians who wanted to continue being accredited would need to participate in a new, tiered program that requires continuing education and renewals. It replaced a system that had lifetime accreditation without separate categories.

One of the two accreditation categories allows veterinarians to perform some APHIS-related work on companion animals such as cats, dogs, and rodents, while the second accreditation category allows veterinarians to perform such work on all animals. Veterinarians accredited under the first category need to complete at least three units of APHIS-approved supplemental training every three years to renew their accreditation, and each course provides one unit. Veterinarians accredited under the second category need to complete six units. Each training course is expected to require about one hour of work.

APHIS officials also announced plans to make four more training modules available in March 2012 and five more in September 2012.

More information on the supplemental training is available at www.aphis.usda.gov/nvap.