Accreditation of veterinary schools in Australia and New Zealand

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.     

Resident and graduate training in veterinary nutrition

Training programs for veterinarians seeking board certification by the American College of Veterinary Nutrition (ACVN) are structured in one of two ways: (1) as programs similar to specialty training in other clinical disciplines or (2) as graduate programs leading to advanced degrees combined with clinical training. Residency training occurs through a variety of approaches, including didactic coursework, case-based and applied learning, clinical training, teaching, research, and self-study. Challenges to successful residency and graduate training include low numbers of diplomates, particularly at veterinary schools; low numbers of applicants; small numbers of funded programs; and faculty promotion systems that do not reward residency or graduate training and program development. The mentoring of individuals seeking both board certification and a graduate degree presents additional considerations, including recruitment of individuals motivated in research and structuring a combined program that facilitates completion of both tasks in a timely fashion.     

美国、欧盟的兽医管理体制是如何运作的？

2005年7月13日，在全国兽医体制改革工作会议上，传出了令广大兽医工作者振奋的消息——我国将推行官方兽医制度和执行兽医制度。此项决策是在为适应降控重大动物疫病和提高动物产品安全检查的大背景下提出的，是继农业部兽医局成立后，为加快我国兽医体制改革的又一举措，标志我国从大体上来说，兽医官制度分三种类型，分别以美国、欧盟和澳大利亚为代表。借鉴国外兽医体制改革的一些成功经验，对我国顺利推行官方兽医制度和执行兽医制度会大所裨益！