The impact of AVMA COE's accreditation on veterinary medical education

Point 1: the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education's (AVMA COE's) accreditation pro-cess is aimed at minimum training for entry-level veterinarians. This has a two-fold consequence: 1. The opportunity to discover the absolute minimum number of necessary resources is opened. While this is a threat to the standard model of veterinary education, it might have value if it is cost-efficient and students graduate with minimal or no debt. 2. There is no mechanism to measure training,research, or service programs above the minimum or beyond the entry level. Point 2: the implication of the minimum entry-level general standard is also two-fold: 1. We must measure performance above the mini-mum. A separate process is necessary (a) to develop and implement objective metrics and (b) to publicize superior achievement as opposed to minimal performance. 2. We must measure and publicize institutions or programs that advance the field beyond training entry-level veterinarians. Service, research, and training aimed at advancing the field, providing leadership, and improving public health and safety(One Health) require separate measurement and advocacy in order to obtain and justify the necessary resources. I conclude that in the absence of a new process by which to measure excellence, market forces will push the entire profession toward the most cost-effective method of providing minimal training for entry-level veterinarians. But what about the far more expensive goal of providing a global public good of which our profession is so proud?The public health and safety mission of veterinary medi-cine, including the entire One Health initiative, requires separate measurement in order to give objective metrics to the institutions and components of the profession committed to those goals to pursue vigorous advocacy and obtain or retain the necessary resources.     

The accreditation system for colleges of veterinary medicine in Mexico and a comparison with the AVMA system

This article reviews the evolution of veterinary medicine in Mexico in order to explain the foundation of the National Council for Veterinary Medicine Education (CONEVET). This institution performs college accreditation and professional certification procedures in the country. The accreditation process for colleges of veterinary medicine in Mexico is described, and the results obtained to this point are presented. A comparative analysis of veterinary education in Mexico and the United States is also presented. The veterinary college accreditation processes of the two countries are compared and their differences analyzed.