Requirements finalized for administering CPE

To shorten the waiting period for candidates who wish to take the Clinical Proficiency Examination, the AVMA has been working to interest additional sites in administering it.

The CPE is a hands-on test of entry-level clinical skills and judgments designed for graduates of veterinary colleges that are not accredited or approved by the AVMA. It is one of two ways such graduates can become eligible for licensure through the AVMA's Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates program. The other route is a year of evaluated performance.

Until now, the test sites were limited to AVMA-accredited or -approved veterinary colleges, and only three are presently giving the examination: Mississippi State University, Oklahoma State University, and Tuskegee University. This past November, the Executive Board extended the option of applying as a CPE site to "private sites" by approving a set of requirements that lifts that limitation.

A private site is any site other than an AVMA-accredited or -approved school/college of veterinary medicine.

Any entity aspiring to become a CPE testing site must be able to provide appropriate animals and their care, qualified personnel, and adequate facilities and equipment. Examination sites are monitored to ensure examination quality and consistency.

The board also approved a document that delineates the steps to evaluate CPE site proposals. As proposed by the ECFVG, the board authorized a meeting to serve as a forum for discussing matters related to testing and licensing procedures. Representatives of the AVMA, testing agencies, and licensing oversight bodies will attend.

Also at the request of the ECFVG, the board reaffirmed the location and management of the ECFVG program within the AVMA structure, at least until two related task forces report their findings to the board. During the past year the American Association of Veterinary State Boards has asked that it be given management responsibility for the program.