COE Accreditation Policies and Procedures: Self Study

July 2021

12. Elements of the self study

12.1. Organization

Standard 1, Organization

The college must develop and follow its mission statement.

An accredited college of veterinary medicine must be a part of an institution of higher learning accredited by an organization recognized for that purpose by its country’s government. A college may be accredited only when it is a major academic administrative division of the parent institution and is afforded the same recognition, status, and autonomy as other professional colleges in that institution.

The chief executive officer/dean must be a veterinarian. This individual must have overall budgetary and supervisory authority necessary to assure compliance with accreditation standards. The officer(s) responsible for the professional, ethical, and academic affairs of the veterinary medical teaching hospital(s) or equivalent must also be (a) veterinarian(s).

There must be sufficient administrative staff to adequately manage the affairs of the college as appropriate to the enrollment and operation.

The college must create an academic environment that does not discriminate and seeks to enhance diversity, consistent with applicable law. Diversity may include, but is not limited to, race, religion, ethnicity, age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, cultural and socioeconomic background, national origin, and disability.

The college must create an academic environment that does not discriminate and seeks to enhance diversity, consistent with applicable law. Diversity may include, but is not limited to race, religion, ethnicity, age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, cultural and socioeconomic background, national origin, and disability.

12.1.1. Provide a college mission statement for the undergraduate, DVM, or equivalent program. The college mission statement must address:
  • the overall teaching, research, and service commitment,
  • the commitment to undergraduate education,
  • the commitment to provide instruction and clinical opportunities for students in a wide variety of domestic species, including food animal, equine, and companion animal, and
  • the commitment to excellence in program delivery.
12.1.2. Identify the body that accredits the university and the current status of accreditation.
12.1.3. Provide a flow chart indicating the position of the college of veterinary medicine in the university structure and show lines of authority and responsibility, and give the names and titles of principal university administrative officers related to the college.
12.1.4. Provide a flow chart of the organizational design of the college listing names, titles (deans, associate/assistant deans, directors, department heads, etc.), academic credentials, and assignments of the college administrators.
12.1.5. Describe the role of faculty, staff, and students in the governance of the college and list the major committees of the college, and their appointment authority.
12.1.6. If the college plans to change its current organization, provide a summary of those plans.
12.1.7 Provide documentation of policies and activities that demonstrate that diversity is an important part of the academic culture, as consistent with applicable law.

12.2. Finances

Standard 2, Finances

Finances must be adequate to sustain the educational programs and mission of the college.

Colleges with non DVM undergraduate degree programs must clearly report finances (expenditures and revenues) specific to those programs separately from finances (expenditures and revenues) dedicated to all other educational programs.

Clinical services, field services and teaching hospitals must function as instructional resources. Instructional integrity of these resources must take priority over financial self-sufficiency of clinical services operations.

12.2.1. Complete Tables A,B and C for the past five years and analyze the trends for each category.
12.2.2. Comment on the strengths and weaknesses in revenues over the past five years.
12.2.3. Provide a comprehensive trend analysis of revenue sources that have supported the professional teaching program over the past five years (graphs or other visual presentations would be helpful).
12.2.4. Describe how revenues over the past five years have impacted the college's ability to provide a contemporary professional teaching program and ancillary support services.
12.2.5. Compare the percentage of hospital income to total hospital operational costs.
12.2.6. Describe anticipated trends in future revenues and expenditures.

Expenditures for immediate past 5 fiscal years
Table A (PDF)

Table definitions
E1, E2, E3, E4 These should include salary, wages and fringe benefits for faculty and staff engaged in each category of activity (instruction, research, and outreach/continuing education and teaching hospital services).
E1 For distributed models of clinical education, this should include fees paid to clinical hosts.
E6 If colleges are assessed fees for infrastructure support provided by the university, they should be recorded here. These could include expenditures for facilities operations and maintenance (O&M), utilities, and central university administration.
E7 Capital expenditures include the acquisition and maintenance of fixed assets, such as land, buildings, and equipment. If capital expenditures are paid from college resources, they should be entered here.
E10 This should be the sum of expenditure rows 1-9.

College revenue for immediate past 5 fiscal years
Table B (PDF)

Table definitions
R1 Includes all appropriated public funds (state, province, region, country, etc.). Include salaries and fringe for positions supported directly by the government, if any.
R2 If tuition is returned to the college from the university, calculate student-derived revenue as the product of enrollment and tuition & fee rate (line R3) and subtract this amount from the university appropriation. Enter the remaining appropriation here.
R3 Line 3 includes all revenue derived from students (tuition and related fees) paid directly to the college or as a part of the university allocation to the college. If this number is not known, calculate student-derived revenue as the product of enrollment and tuition & fee rate. Enter that number here.
R4 Line 4 should include any revenue derived from contracts for providing veterinary student instruction (regional contracts, independent state-to-college contracts, contracts between colleges for clinical education, etc.).
R5 Revenue generated by hospital services. Government and university support for the teaching hospital should be reported in rows 1 and 2, respectively.
R6 Revenue generated by clinical laboratories. This should not include revenue reported for the teaching hospital in line 3. Government and university support for clinical laboratories should be reported in rows 1 and 2, respectively.
R7 Total direct extramural awards. Also include awards that flow through university foundations. This should include grants for scholarly work related to research, instruction, and outreach, but should not include contracts to provide instruction (e.g., clinical year instruction for students from other institutions or contracts through which other states pay for instruction of residents of that state).
R9 Exclude planned gifts. Also exclude research funded through foundations already reported in line 7.
R11 This should be the sum of revenue rows 1-10.

Endowment
Table C (PDF)

12.3. Physical Facilities and Equipment

Standard 3, Physical facilities and equipment

All aspects of the physical facilities must provide an appropriate learning environment. Safety of personnel and animals must be a high priority. Classrooms, teaching laboratories, teaching hospitals, which may include but are not limited to ambulatory/field service vehicles, seminar rooms, and other teaching spaces shall be clean, maintained in good repair, and adequate in number, size, and equipment for the instructional purposes intended and the number of students enrolled.

Administrative and faculty offices and research laboratories must be sufficient for the needs of the faculty and staff.

An accredited college must maintain an on-campus veterinary teaching hospital(s), or have formal affiliation with one or more off-campus veterinary hospitals or other training sites used for teaching. Appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic service components must be present to meet the expectations of the practice type. These include, but are not limited to, pharmacy, diagnostic imaging, diagnostic support services, isolation facilities, intensive/critical care, ambulatory/field service vehicles, and necropsy facilities in the teaching hospital(s) and/or facilities that provide core clinical training. Operational policies and procedures must be posted in appropriate places. Standards related to providing an adequate teaching environment and safety of personnel and animals shall apply to all teaching hospitals and core training sites.

Facilities for the housing of animals used for teaching and research shall be sufficient in number, properly constructed, and maintained in a manner consistent with accepted animal welfare standards. Adequate teaching, laboratory, research, and clinical equipment must be available for examination, diagnosis, and treatment of all animals used by the college.

12.3.1. Provide a brief description of the major functions of, or activities that take place in the facilities used by the college in fulfilling its mission.
12.3.2. Provide an area map that indicates the principal facilities of the college and describe distance and travel time to off-campus facilities.
12.3.3. Describe the college's safety plan and facilities management plan including mechanisms documenting compliance.
12.3.4. Describe how safety and facilities plans are managed and reviewed at all off-campus core training sites.
12.3.5. Describe the adequacy (pertains to all facilities used by the college whether on-campus or off-campus).
12.3.6. Describe current plans for improvement.

12.4. Clinical resources

Standard 4, Clinical resources

Normal and diseased animals of various domestic and exotic species must be available for instructional purposes, either as clinical patients or provided by the institution. While precise numbers are not specified, in-hospital patients and outpatients including field service/ambulatory and herd health/production medicine programs are required to provide the necessary quantity and quality of clinical instruction. The program must be able to demonstrate, using its assessment of clinical competency outcomes data, that the clinical resources are sufficient to achieve the stated educational goals and mission.

It is essential that a diverse and sufficient number of surgical and medical patients be available during an on-campus clinical activity for students' clinical educational experience. Experience can include exposure to clinical education at off-campus sites, provided the college reviews and regularly monitors these clinical experiences and educational outcomes. Further, such clinical experiences should occur in a setting that provides access to subject matter experts, reference resources, modern and complete clinical laboratories, advanced diagnostic instrumentation and ready confirmation (including necropsy). Such examples could include a contractual arrangement with nearby practitioners who serve as adjunct faculty members and off-campus field practice centers. The teaching hospital(s) shall provide nursing care and instruction in nursing procedures. A supervised field service and/or ambulatory program must be maintained in which students are offered multiple opportunities to obtain clinical experience under field conditions. Under all situations students must be active participants in the workup of the patient, including physical diagnosis and diagnostic problem oriented decision making.

Medical records must be comprehensive and maintained in an effective retrieval system to efficiently support the teaching, research, and service programs of the college. Students should be trained in the use of an electronic medical records system.

12.4.1. Complete Tables A, B, C, D, E, F and G for the past five years and analyze trends for each species (category). Include only those patients, farm call, and animals examined that have direct student involvement.
12.4.2. Describe and analyze the adequacy of normal and clinically diseased animals (hospitalized, out-patient, field service/ambulatory and production medicine) and how they are used for the DVM teaching program.
12.4.3. Describe unique clinical educational resources or programs that enhance the educational mission.
12.4.4. If off-campus clinical instruction sites are used regularly by multiple students, complete Table H and describe the planning, supervision, and monitoring of students; and contracting arrangements for non-institutional based faculty (Table I).
12.4.5. Describe the involvement and responsibilities of professional students in the healthcare management of patients (and clients) in clinical programs of the college.
12.4.6. Describe how subject-matter experts and clinical resources are integrated into clinical instruction.
12.4.7. Describe the adequacy of the medical records system used for the hospital(s), including field service and/or ambulatory and population medicine. Records must be comprehensive and maintained in an effective retrieval system to efficiently support the teaching, research, and service programs of the college.
12.4.8. Describe how the college has responded to increasing/decreasing clinical resources.
12.4.9.

Describe the means used to maximize the teaching value of each case across the curriculum.

Teaching hospital
View tables (PDF)

Table definitions
Number of Patient Visits – total number of times the patient visits the hospital (if Buffy visits the hospital 3 times this year, this would count as 3 visits).

Number Hospitalized – number of patients that were hospitalized.

Ambulatory/Field service program
View tables (PDF)

Table definitions
Number of Farm (site) Calls – total number of calls/visits made to farm/operations.

Number of Animals Examined/Treated – number of individual animals examined/treated. Include only those patients, farm calls, and animals examined that have direct student involvement.

Herd/Flock health program
Table F (PDF)

Necropsy
Table G (PDF)

Off-campus sites. If your program regularly uses off-campus sites for clinical education of students (excluding educational experiences that are attended sporadically by individual students), please provide the following information for each site. If certain services are not provided, please indicate where the students learn the required clinical skills. If your school/college does not use remote facilities, please do not complete the chart or respond to the requested information.

Off-campus facilities
Table H (PDF)

Please provide a brief description of training and evaluation of faculty, levels of case management by the students, and assessment tools for measuring student progress for the remote site(s). Describe student access to content experts.
Table I (PDF)

12.5. Information resources

Standard 5, Information resources

Standard 5, Information Resources

Timely access to information resources and information professionals must be available to students and faculty at core training sites. The college must have access to up-to-date human, digital, and physical resources for retrieval of relevant veterinary and supporting literature and for development of instructional materials, and provide appropriate training and technical support for students and faculty. The program must be able to demonstrate, using its outcomes assessment data, that students are competent in retrieving, evaluating, and applying information through the use of electronic and other appropriate information technologies.

12.5.1. Describe and comment on the adequacy of information retrieval and learning resources.
12.5.2. Briefly describe the availability of learning and information technology resources support for faculty and students, including personnel and their qualifications.
12.5.3. Describe the reliability and methods of access, as well as security considerations, to library information resources for faculty and students when they are on and off campus.
12.5.4. Describe the resources (training, support) provided and available to students for improving their skills in accessing and evaluating information from sources in any media relevant to veterinary medicine.
12.5.5. Describe assessment of students’ skills in retrieving, evaluating, and applying information pertinent to veterinary medical science including clinical case management as preparation for lifelong learning.
12.5.6. Describe current plans for improvement.

12.6. Students

Standard 6, Students

The number of professional degree students, DVM or equivalent must be consistent with the resources and the mission of the college. The program must be able to demonstrate, using its outcomes assessment data, that the resources are sufficient to achieve the stated educational goals for all enrolled students.

Colleges should establish post-DVM/VMD programs such as internships, residencies and advanced degrees (e.g., MS, PhD), that must complement and strengthen the professional program and not adversely affect the veterinary student experience.

Student support services must be available within the college or university. These must include, but are not limited to, appropriate services to support student wellness and to assist with meeting academic and personal challenges of the DVM program; support for students with learning or other disabilities; and support of extra-curricular activities relevant to veterinary medicine and professional growth.

The college or parent institution must provide information and access to counselling services regarding financial aid, debt management, and career advising. Career advising must include selection of clinical experiences.

The college must promote an inclusive institutional climate that fosters diversity within the student body, consistent with applicable law.

In relationship to enrollment, the colleges must provide accurate information for all advertisements regarding the educational program by providing clear and current information for prospective students. Further, printed catalog or electronic information, must state the purpose and goals of the program, provide admission requirements and procedures, state degree requirements, present faculty descriptions, clearly state information on tuition and fees along with procedures for withdrawal, give necessary information for financial aid programs, and provide an accurate academic calendar. Information available to prospective students must include relevant requirements for professional licensure.

Each accredited college must provide a mechanism for students, anonymously if they wish, to offer suggestions, comments, and complaints regarding compliance of the college with the Standards of Accreditation. These materials shall be made available to the Council annually.

12.6.1. Complete Tables A, B, C, and D, and analyze trends.
12.6.2. Provide a listing of student services. These services must include, but are not limited to, registration, testing, mentoring (advising), counseling, tutoring, peer assistance, financial aid counseling programs, and clubs and organizations. Demonstrate that students are informed of and have ready access to academic counseling, personal wellness, financial aid, and career planning services.
12.6.3. Provide a list of tuition-related information available for prospective students. This information, as consistent with applicable law, must include estimated total educational cost, cost of living, considerations, and a description of financial aid programs. Make collected data on salaries, employment rates, and educational debt available to the public, as consistent with applicable law.
12.6.4. Describe how conflicts of interest regarding academic assessment of students are avoided with individuals who provide student counseling.
12.6.5. Provide a summary of college activities in support of placement of graduates.
12.6.6. Provide academic catalogue(s) (or an electronic address for this resource) and freshman/upper-class orientation materials.
12.6.7. Describe the system used on an ongoing basis to collect student suggestions, comments, and complaints related to the standards for accreditation.
12.6.8. For student services that the college does not provide directly, described how students have reasonable access to such services from the parent institution or from other sources that are relevant to the specific needs of students, and describe current plans for improvement in resources for students.

Complete the following table describing enrollment for each of the last five years:
View Tables (PDF)

12.7. Admission

Standard 7, Admission

The college must have a well-defined and officially stated admissions policy and a process that ensures a fair and consistent assessment of applicants. The policy must provide for an admissions committee, a majority of whom must be full-time faculty members. The committee must make recommendations regarding the students to be admitted to the professional curriculum upon consideration of applications of candidates who meet the academic and other requirements as defined in the college's formal admission policy.

The college must demonstrate its commitment to diversity and inclusion through its recruitment and admission processes, as consistent with applicable law. The college's admissions policies must be nondiscriminatory, as consistent with applicable law.

Subjects for admission must include those courses prerequisite to the professional program in veterinary medicine, as well as courses that contribute to a broad general education. The goal of preveterinary education shall be to provide a broad base upon which professional education may be built, leading to lifelong learning with continued professional and personal development.

Factors other than academic achievement must be considered for admission criteria.

12.7.1.  State the minimum requirements for admission.
12.7.2.  Describe the student recruitment and selection process, including measures to enhance diversity.
12.7.3.  List factors other than academic achievement used as admission criteria.
12.7.4.  Complete Table A.
12.7.5.  Describe current plans for assessing the success of the selection process to meet the mission of the college.
12.7.6.  Describe your policies and procedures for admitting transfer students who will receive a degree from your institution, and state the number of transfer students admitted per year for the last five years.

Table A (PDF)

12.8. Faculty

Standard 8, Faculty

Faculty numbers and qualifications must be sufficient to deliver the educational program and fulfill the mission of the college. Participation in scholarly activities is an important criterion in evaluating the faculty and the college. The college must provide evidence that it utilizes a well-defined and comprehensive program for the evaluation of the professional growth, development, and scholarly activities of the faculty.

Academic positions must offer the security and benefits necessary to maintain stability, continuity, and competence of the faculty. The college must cultivate a diverse faculty through its hiring policies and retention practices, consistent with applicable law. The college must demonstrate its ongoing efforts to achieve parity in advancement opportunities and compensation. Part-time faculty, residents, and graduate students may supplement the teaching efforts of the full-time permanent faculty if appropriately integrated into the instructional program.

12.8.1. Complete Tables A and B, and assess the strengths of the faculty and support staff in fulfilling the college mission.
12.8.2. State the current number of academic faculty (head count) who possess credentials as listed in Tables C and D.
12.8.3. Assess the challenges for your college in maintaining faculty numbers and quality.
12.8.4. Provide information on the loss (what discipline/specialty) and recruitment of faculty (Table A).
12.8.5. Provide a concise summary of promotion and tenure policies, and the policy to assure stability for non-tenured, long-term faculty.
12.8.6. Provide an estimate of the weight assigned to promotion/tenure and or compensation for teaching, research, service, or other scholarly activities.
12.8.7. Briefly describe faculty professional development opportunities available in the college/university, including but not limited to learning theory and instructional practices.
12.8.8. Describe college's processes to annually monitor equity in compensation and advancement.
12.8.9.

Describe current plans or major changes in program direction that would be affected by faculty retirements, recruitment and retention.
12.8.10. Describe measures taken to attract and retain a diverse faculty.
12.8.11.  Describe programs for on-campus delivery of curricular content by individuals not employed full time by the institution (other than occasional guest lecturers), including subjects taught. Estimate the percentage of core curricular content delivered in this way.
12.8.12.

  Describe the role of interns, residents, and graduate students in teaching and evaluating veterinary students.​

View Tables (PDF)

12.9. Curriculum

Standard 9, Curriculum

The curriculum shall extend over a period equivalent to a minimum of four academic years, including a minimum of one academic year of hands-on clinical education. The curriculum and educational process should initiate and promote lifelong learning in each professional degree candidate.

The curriculum in veterinary medicine is the purview of the faculty of each college, but must be managed centrally based upon the mission and resources of the college. There must be sufficient flexibility in curriculum planning and management to facilitate timely revisions in response to emerging issues, and advancements in knowledge and technology. The curriculum must be guided by a college curriculum committee. The curriculum as a whole must be reviewed at least every seven (7) years. The majority of the members of the curriculum committee must be full-time faculty. Curriculum evaluations should include the gathering of sufficient qualitative and quantitative information to assure the curriculum content provides current concepts and principles as well as instructional quality and effectiveness.

The curriculum must provide:

  1. an understanding of the central biological principles and mechanisms that underlie animal health and disease from the molecular and cellular level to organismal and population manifestations.
  2. scientific, discipline-based instruction in an orderly and concise manner so that students gain an understanding of normal function, homeostasis, pathophysiology, mechanisms of health/disease, and the natural history and manifestations of important animal diseases, both domestic and foreign.
  3. instruction in both the theory and practice of medicine and surgery applicable to a broad range of species. The instruction must include principles and hands-on experiences in physical and laboratory diagnostic methods and interpretation (including diagnostic imaging, diagnostic pathology, and necropsy), disease prevention, biosecurity, therapeutic intervention (including surgery and dentistry), and patient management and care (including intensive care, emergency medicine and isolation procedures) involving clinical diseases of individual animals and populations. Instruction should emphasize problem solving that results in making and applying medical judgments.
  4. instruction in the principles of epidemiology, zoonoses, food safety, the interrelationship of animals and the environment, and the contribution of the veterinarian to the overall public and professional healthcare teams.
  5. opportunities for students to learn how to acquire information from clients (e.g. history) and about patients (e.g. medical records), to obtain, store and retrieve such information, and to communicate effectively with clients and colleagues.
  6. opportunities throughout the curriculum for students to gain an understanding of professional ethical, legal, economic, and regulatory principles related to the delivery of veterinary medical services; personal and business finance and management skills; and gain an understanding of the breadth of veterinary medicine, career opportunities and other information about the profession.
  7. opportunities throughout the curriculum for students to gain and integrate an understanding of the important influences of diversity and inclusion in veterinary medicine, including the impact of implicit bias related to an individual's personal circumstance on the delivery of veterinary medical services.
  8. knowledge, skills, values, attitudes, aptitudes and behaviors necessary to address responsibly the health and well being of animals in the context of ever-changing societal expectations.
  9. fair and equitable assessment of student progress. The grading system for the college must be relevant and applied to all students in a fair and uniform manner.
12.9.1.  State the overall objectives of the curriculum and describe how those objectives are integrated into individual courses.
12.9.2.  Describe major curricular changes that have occurred since the last accreditation.
12.9.3.  Describe the process used for curriculum assessment (including course/instructor evaluation) and the process used to assess curricular overlaps, redundancies, and omissions.
12.9.4.  Describe the strengths and weaknesses of the curriculum as a whole.
12.9.5.  Describe preceptor and externship programs (including the evaluation process).
12.9.6.  Curriculum Digest
In an addendum (printed or electronic) provide information on courses and rotations in the curriculum according to the following guidelines.
12.9.6.a. Organize listing by year of the curriculum.
12.9.6.b. Include both courses and clinical rotations in each year's listing.
12.9.6.c. In each year, list required courses/rotations first, followed by a listing of elective courses/rotations. Clearly mark the division between the two.
12.9.6.d. For each item listed, please include:
12.9.6.d.i. Course # and title,
12.9.6.d.ii. Credit hours (divided by lecture/lab if appropriate),
12.9.6.d.iii. Position in curriculum (quarter/semester as appropriate),
12.9.6.d.iv. Predominant mode of instruction (didactic, problem-based, clinical rotation, or other with explanation), and
12.9.6.d.v. Brief catalog-style course description.
12.9.7.  Describe current plans for curricular revisions.
12.9.8.

 Provide a description of the testing/grading system (scoring range, pass levels, pass/fail) and the procedures for upholding academic standards.
12.9.9. Describe the opportunities for students to learn how different cultural and other influences (e.g., ethnic origin, socio-economic background, Describe the opportunities for students to learn how different cultural and other influences (e.g., ethnic origin, socio-economic background, religious beliefs, educational level, disabilities and other factors) can impact the provision of veterinary medical services.
12.9.10. Describe opportunities for students to learn principles of business management skills in veterinary medicine, and opportunities to learn personal financial management (e.g. coursework in financial literacy in the curriculum).

Should the educational program of a college be disrupted for more than two weeks (for example, closure of a hospital due to an infectious disease, loss of core course or rotation, etc.), the college must report in writing to the COE the cause of the disruption and remedies to minimize or to provide an alternative educational opportunity for students in response to the disruption.

12.10. Research programs

Standard 10, Research programs

The college must maintain substantial research activities of high quality that integrate with and strengthen the professional program. Continuing scholarly productivity within the college must be demonstrated and the college must provide opportunities for any interested students in the professional veterinary program to be exposed to or participate in on-going high-quality research. All students must receive training in the principles and application of research methods and in the appraisal and integration of research into veterinary medicine and animal health.

Research Programs

12.10.1.

Describe up to five programs of research emphasis and excellence and specifically focus on how these programs integrate with and strengthen the professional program.
12.10.1.a. Provide a description (one page or less) of measures of faculty research activity, apart from publications and grants enumerated in Tables 12.10.3.b and 12.10.3.c; include faculty participation and presentation of original research in scientific meetings; involvement of faculty in panels, advisory boards or commissions; and national and international research recognitions received.

Student Experiences

12.10.2.

Describe courses or portions of the curriculum where research-related topics are covered (for example - literature review/interpretation, research ethics, research methods or techniques, and study design).
12.10.2.a. Describe/list the current opportunities for participation in research, including summer research programs (Merial, NIH, Howard Hughes, etc.), academic year programs (NIH fellowships, industry funded, curricular time allowed for research), student employment in research labs and projects, and individually mentored research experiences.
12.10.2.b. Describe college research seminars and presentations for veterinary medical students, including the number of internal and external speakers, endowed research lectureships, veterinary medical student research seminars, veterinary medical student poster presentations, and college research days and awards and presentations made by veterinary medical students at scientific meetings or seminars at external sites.
12.10.2.c Describe efforts by the college that facilitate the link between veterinary medical student research and subsequent or concurrent graduate education, and that enhance the impact of college research on the veterinary professional program.
12.10.3. Complete the following tables

View Tables (PDF)

12.11. Outcomes assessment

Standard 11, Outcomes assessment

Outcomes of the veterinary medical degree program must be measured, analyzed, and considered to improve the program. New graduates must have the basic scientific knowledge, skills, and values to provide entry-level health care, independently, at the time of graduation. Student achievement must be included in outcome assessment. Processes must be in place to remediate students who do not demonstrate competence in one or more of the nine competencies.

The college should have in place a system to gather outcomes data on recent graduates to ensure that the competencies and learning objectives in the program result in relevant entry level competencies. Data must be collected from both graduates and employers of graduates and evaluated.

The college must have processes in place whereby students are observed and assessed formatively and summatively, with timely documentation to assure accuracy of the assessment for having attained the following competencies:

  1. comprehensive patient diagnosis (problem solving skills), appropriate use of diagnostic testing, and record management
  2. comprehensive treatment planning including patient referral when indicated
  3. anesthesia and pain management, patient welfare
  4. basic surgery skills and case management
  5. basic medicine skills and case management
  6. emergency and intensive care case management
  7. understanding of health promotion, and biosecurity, prevention and control of disease including zoonoses and principles of food safety
  8. ethical and professional conduct; communication skills including those that demonstrate an understanding and sensitivity to how clients’ diversity and individual circumstance can impact health care
  9. critical analysis of new information and research findings relevant to veterinary medicine.

The Council on Education expects that 80% or more of each college’s graduating senior students sitting for the NAVLE will have passed at the time of graduation.*

*Colleges that do not meet this criterion will be subjected to the following analysis. The Council will calculate a 95% exact binomial confidence interval for the NAVLE scores for colleges whose NAVLE pass rate falls below 80%. Colleges with an upper limit of an exact 95% binomial confidence interval less than 85% for two successive years in which scores are available will be placed on Probationary Accreditation. Colleges with an upper limit of an exact 95% binomial confidence level less than 85% for four successive years in which scores are available will, for cause, be placed on Terminal Accreditation. If no program graduates take the NAVLE, the Council will use other student educational outcomes in assessing compliance with the standard including those listed in 12.11.1.

Data to demonstrate outcomes of the educational and institutional program(s) may be collected by a number of means that include, but not limited to, subjective and objective measures such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, self-assessments, observation and evaluation of skills and competencies. Data reported to the COE must be summarized for brevity.

Except for the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE), the Council does not assign numerical values to document levels of achievement for students in any of the outcome delineators, but closely analyzes trends for the college. Decreasing trends in student achievement over a five-year period may imply deficiencies in the program. The trends are used by the Council in its analysis of the compliance of the college with the Standards. In the case of declining trends in the delineators, the college must provide an explanation for the decline(s), and must provide a plan to reverse the trend(s).

12.11.1. Student educational outcomes must include, but are not limited to:
12.11.1.a. Evidence of direct observations of students performing and/or having attained entry level competence in skills that demonstrate mastery of the nine competencies. Processes must be in place to provide remediation for any of the nine competencies in which students do not demonstrate competence.
12.11.1.b.

Describe how student progress is monitored in each academic year and how each student is given formative assessment for their further development or timely remediation.
12.11.1.c.

NAVLE school score report data and passage rates over the past five years (Table A) Each college must submit a copy of the annual NAVLE School Score Report with the AVMA-COE Interim Report each year for those graduating students who sat for the examination.
12.11.1.d. Assessments of graduating seniors; and assessments of alumni at some post-graduation point (for example, three and/or five years post-graduation) assessing educational preparedness and employment satisfaction.
12.11.1.e. Assessments by employers of graduates to determine satisfaction with the graduates.
12.11.2. Program Outcomes.
12.11.2.a.

Student attrition rates with reasons (Table B) Each college must submit data on attrition every year. The Council on Education expects that an increasing (positive) trend in proportionate absolute attrition from the college will be explained, including the factors that are contributing to the trend, and that the college will implement steps and a timelie for arresting the trend. If proportionate absolute attrition over a five year average is greater than 20%, the Council may request a focused site visit.
12.11.2.b. Employment rates of graduates (within one year of graduation) (Table C) Annually each college must submit data on employment during the first year following graduation. The Council on Education expects that a declining (negative) trend in proportionate employment from the college will be explained. Colleges with an average employment rate over five years of less than 80% must provide an assessment of the factors that are impacting the trend.
12.11.2.c. Assessments by faculty (and other instructors, for example interns and residents) related to such subjects as adequacy of clinical resources, facilities and equipment, information resources, etc.; and preparedness of students entering phases of education, and
12.11.2.d. Additional assessment that might assist the college in benchmarking its educational program.
12.11.3. Institutional Outcomes.
 

12.11.3.a. Describe the adequacy of resources and organizational structure to meet the educational purposes (dean should provide).

12.11.3.b. Describe how the college evaluates progress in meeting its mission (for example, benchmarking with other institutions, scholarly activity of the faculty, faculty awards, faculty and staff perception of teaching resources, student satisfaction with the educational program, teaching improvement benchmarks, and others, etc.).

12.11.3.c. If your program assesses other outcomes, briefly describe the results.
12.11.4. Describe how outcomes findings at the student, programmatic, and institutional level are used by the college to improve the educational program (give examples).

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