Thank you for your interest in accreditation by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities (CVTEA). Accreditation of veterinary medical education programs is conducted within the Education and Research Division of the AVMA. Accreditation activities take place in the Center for Veterinary Education Accreditation.
Accreditation is a voluntary process and by choosing to achieve this goal, you have demonstrated a commitment to providing quality education and training for veterinary technicians. To begin, review the steps to accreditation outlined in the Policies and Procedures Manual of the CVTEA.
Prospective programs are strongly encouraged to contact the AVMA office to discuss the current status, long-term goals, curriculum sequence, and facility and faculty structure of their program to determine the readiness of a program for an accreditation site visit before investing time and resources in the self-study report.
Because site visits are booked nearly one-year in advance, programs are strongly encouraged to apply for accreditation as early as possible by submitting the application form found in Appendix E and the material requested in Step 1 in Section VI by using the Application Material and Review Form. The application fee is due along with the application form. Typically, a site visit is conducted once the initial class has completed at least 2/3 of the curriculum.
For programs at the grassroots stage of development, a terrific resource is the Association of Veterinary Technician Educators (AVTE) at www.avte.net.
Program directors may benefit from observing a site visit before going through their own; therefore, individuals approved by the CVTEA and by the institution being assessed may accompany a site visit team as an observer. Costs associated with attending a site visit will be the responsibility of the observer. Contact the AVMA office for further information.
The AVMA is pleased to help you achieve the prestige of accreditation. Please feel free to contact Ms. Rachel Valentine, RVT or Ms. Laura Lien, CVT, VTS (LAIM), MS (800/248-2862) or Ms. Julie Horvath, CVTEA Program Administrator at ext. 6624 for further information.