AVA Conference Adelaide 2016

Changes have been occurring in the accreditation of veterinary schools since AVBC was established in 2000. In Australasia a new set of 12 accreditation standards apply from February 2015. These will be outlined. Internationally, members of the International Accreditors Working Group including Australia and New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the USA plus Canada now have adopted and adapted an accreditation matrix check list developed by the AVMA Council on Education to improve each of their accreditation processes. The manifold advantages arising from these developments for the profession, public and the veterinary schools will be outlined.
The Australasian Veterinary Boards’ Council has also supported moves to assure that standards applied in this region meet best practice. To this end, the AVBC accreditation process was invited to submit to the United States Department of Education for its Accreditation. It was accredited by the USDE as an approved veterinary programme accreditor along with the AVMA and the RCVS Education Committee. This is evidence that the AVBC accreditation policies, procedures and processes meet the highest international standards.
AVBC have also set a goal of interacting with veterinary schools and organisations in the Asian region to work together to develop veterinary accreditation standards in the region. Interest in veterinary accreditation in the region has been stimulated by the development of OIE minimum competencies for veterinary graduates and also the support by OIE for twinning programs to enhance the level of veterinary education