Proposal would cease accreditation of foreign schools

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The AVMA House of Delegates will consider a resolution that would call on the Executive Board to cease accreditation by the AVMA Council on Education of veterinary schools outside the United States and Canada. 

In July 2011, the HOD passed a resolution for a task force to evaluate the accreditation of these foreign veterinary schools. The Task Force on Foreign Veterinary School Accreditation submitted its report to the board in April 2013 (see JAVMA, June 15, 2013. In June, the board reached consensus that the COE should continue foreign accreditation.

Dr. Janver D. Krehbiel, then board chair, wrote: “Allowing international schools to seek accreditation and recognition according to established COE standards improves the quality of global veterinary education. With the growing focus on one health and the global community, it’s more important, now more than ever, that we foster international collaboration and communication; accreditation serves a vital function in this regard.”

The New York State Veterinary Medical Society submitted the resolution that calls on the board to discontinue foreign accreditation. The statement about the resolution cites some of the challenges of accrediting foreign schools, such as the complexity of applying a common set of standards in diverse countries.

“The focus of the Council on Education should be to continually improve the quality of the graduates, programs, and institutions of domestic and Canadian veterinary colleges,” according to the statement.

The COE currently accredits 46 veterinary schools—28 in the United States, five in Canada, and 13 in other countries.

The House of Delegates will consider the resolution during its regular winter session, Jan. 11, 2014, in Chicago. Proposals going to the delegates are available at here. AVMA members can find contact information for their delegates by clicking on "My AVMA Leaders" here.