Resolution calls for task force on foreign school accreditation

Published on
information-circle This article is more than 3 years old

The Texas VMA has submitted a resolution asking that the AVMA Executive Board assign a task force to conduct a benefit-risk analysis of the accreditation of foreign veterinary schools by the AVMA Council on Education. The House of Delegates will consider this resolution, the only one submitted by the deadline, at its regular annual session, July 29-30 in Atlanta.

The resolution further asks that the task force present a report at the 2011 HOD regular annual session next July in St. Louis. The text of the resolution and an accompanying statement about it from the TVMA appear on this page.

Resolution 1 – 2010 Regular Annual Session

Submitted by
Texas Veterinary Medical Association

AVMA COE ACCREDITATION OF FOREIGN VETERINARY SCHOOLS

Resolved, that the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) do a benefit-risk analysis of the AVMA Council on Education (COE) accreditation of foreign veterinary schools. Said analysis shall be prepared by a task force assigned by the AVMA Executive Board and shall be ready for presentation at the 2011 Regular Annual Session of the AVMA.

Statement about the Resolution

In March 2010 the Texas VMA's Board of Directors voted to instruct its AVMA delegates to petition the AVMA to discontinue the accreditation of foreign veterinary schools through the COE. Texas VMA has several concerns with the AVMA COE continuing to accredit foreign schools of veterinary medicine.

First is the potential logistical burden being placed on the volunteer members of the COE where an inordinate amount of time will be devoted to accrediting new international veterinary colleges, plus the extra burden of the ongoing seven (7) year re-accreditation of all the current and future accredited schools throughout the world. TVMA believes the follow-up accreditation process of evaluating graduates of foreign schools would be a daunting, if not impossible task, making it more difficult for the COE to maintain its present quality of standards.

Second, TVMA is concerned about potential international pressures being exerted on the COE from countries desiring to have their schools accredited, thereby placing an extra burden on the COE to maintain an unbiased standard for accreditation.

Finally, TVMA is troubled by the fact that graduates of these foreign schools are not required to receive certification from either the Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates (ECFVG) or the Program for the Assessment of Veterinary Education Equivalence. TVMA supports the use of ECFVG or its equivalent to substantiate the individual competency of all foreign graduates.

Financial Impact: To be determined by AVMA Executive Board