Accreditation of Veterinary Schools in Australia and New Zealand

Abstract

Veterinary schools in Australia and New Zealand are assessed for accreditation purposes every six years by the Veterinary Schools Accreditation Advisory Committee (VSAAC), which is a standing committee of the Australasian Veterinary Boards Council (AVBC).1 Prior to undertaking an assessment, VSAAC requests a Self Evaluation Report from the school and subsequently spends a week on site to collect additional information. The committee also takes into consideration other quality assurance procedures within the university and aims for a process that complements other evaluation activities. Internal evaluation procedures within VSAAC are designed to reflect the process and outcomes of each visit and lead to annual revisions of the publication Policies, Procedures and Guidelines publication. The committee has close links with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), and there is a routine exchange of observers on all visits in the United Kingdom and Australasia. In recent years VSAAC has become increasingly interested in looking at ways to place greater emphasis on the outcomes of veterinary education and, eventually, to reduce our reliance on input measures. There has been good progress in identifying desirable attributes for veterinary graduates, but further work is needed to establish the reliability of assessment procedures. The Australasian accreditation system is very supportive of recent moves to achieve greater compatibility of veterinary accreditation systems in different parts of the world because we believe it has the potential to assist globalization of animal disease control and veterinary education.

Day-1 Competencies for Veterinarians Specific to Health Informatics

“…This and other frameworks focused on veterinary education (2-4) can serve as a resource for colleges redesigning their curriculum as well as a roadmap for learners. Furthermore, student learning outcomes and competencies are evaluated as part of the accreditation process of the AVMA's Council on Education 1 , the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) 2 , the Australasian Veterinary Boards Council (AVBC) (5) and others. The Competency-Based Veterinary Education (CBVE) framework was developed to train veterinary students to become "practice-ready" (1) and is described as "one of the most substantial pedagogical projects ever undertaken by the AAVMC" (1, p. i).…”

“…Medical schools began developing HI competency frameworks in the last decade. For example, the Certified Health Informatician Australasia Health Informatics Competencies Framework (25) drew on previous frameworks created by the Australian Health Informatics Education Council 4 , American Medical Informatics Association (26), International Medical Informatics Association (27) and Canada's Health Informatics Association 5 . In veterinary medicine, although general statements about HI may be included within competency frameworks, a framework that is focused specifically on HI for veterinarians may prove helpful.…”