AVMA plans for changes to veterinary accreditation to comply with Dept of Ed rules
AVMA Council on Education will continue accrediting veterinary colleges during the transition to a new entity
By Malinda Larkin
The Education Department (ED) issued a final rule on October 30 that marks the most significant overhaul of the higher education accreditation system in decades.
Accreditation of colleges and universities not only affects education quality but also student access to federal loans and public confidence in the qualifications of graduates in many professions.
Now, the AVMA Council on Education (AVMA COE) and other accrediting bodies recognized by the department must adhere to the new regulations by next summer or risk losing agency recognition, which could jeopardize graduates’ eligibility for licensure and states’ ability to administer their existing practice laws.
To avoid those issues, the AVMA says it will create an entity to carry on veterinary accreditation under the new rule. Meanwhile, the AVMA COE, as it currently is organized, will continue to accredit veterinary colleges “for as long as necessary [with respect to the ED rule] to ensure an orderly transition,” according to a November 4 letter from the Association sent to state veterinary licensing boards.
ED staff has stated that the final rule takes effect July 1, 2027, while some parts may be implemented moving into 2028.
The AVMA had hoped for a longer transition period but says it will abide by the requirements.
“AVMA will work closely with the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges and individual colleges/schools to ensure these ED changes will not have a negative impact on veterinary students and the ability of the profession to meet the needs of the public and animals we all serve,” wrote Dr. Jen Quammen, AVMA president, in the letter.
Changes ahead
Developed through the negotiated rulemaking process earlier this year, the Accreditation, Innovation, and Modernization final rule advances President Donald Trump’s agenda to reform federal oversight of higher education. In particular, the administration has taken aim at programmatic accrediting agencies and their relationships with affiliated professional organizations or trade associations.
“The Department strongly believes that close relationships between accrediting agencies and related, associated, or affiliated trade associations has led to the outsized and direct influence of accreditation standards and decisions. This provision ensures that the conflict of interest is removed from the agency and the aforementioned entities,” according to the rule.
This means more than 30 accrediting bodies, including the AVMA COE and the Liaison Committee on Medical Education for human medical education programs, will need to adjust aspects of their structure and operations to maintain federal recognition.
For example, the AVMA and American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges provide support for the AVMA COE, but the council independently establishes accreditation policies and standards and makes accreditation decisions separately from the two associations.
The department’s position now is that accrediting agencies and trade associations or professional organizations must be “structurally and financially independent.” The ED prohibits shared staff, services, technology, facilities, equipment, information technology infrastructure, and office space.
In response, the AVMA plans to establish a nonprofit that will house a new accrediting agency for veterinary medicine that will carry forward the work of the AVMA COE. It will be formed and governed to comply with the final rules, Dr. Quammen said.
In addition, accrediting agencies will be required to establish their dues independently. This could affect costs for veterinary colleges as the AVMA currently subsidizes approximately 50% of AVMA COE accreditation expenses.
Composition of the accreditors will likely change as well. Currently, the AVMA has a separate selection committee, which appoints eight members, and the AAVMC appoints eight members to the AVMA COE. The council itself elects three public members and the Canadian VMA appoints the Canadian representative.
The AVMA COE also has more than 65 site visitors in place to conduct site visits at veterinary colleges. Many council and site visit team members are current or former veterinary faculty members. But the final rule now requires that members of an accrediting body cannot vote on standards or policies if they are part of an accredited institution or program, which includes current administrators or faculty members.
Dr. Quammen wrote in an open letter earlier this fall: “The COE’s composition brings together veterinary practitioners, educators, researchers, and public representatives with subject matter expertise across disciplines. This breadth of perspective supports [veterinary medicine’s] highly specialized education, encourages innovation, and guarantees compliance with rigorous accreditation standards that are grounded in evidence. Moving accreditation away from a nonprofit, profession-led model could have significant implications for educational quality, accreditation standards, graduate outcomes, animal health, and public health.”
Maintaining quality veterinary education
Recognition by the Education Department is a voluntary process and is not required for the AVMA COE to accredit veterinary colleges. However, an institution must be accredited by a federally recognized accreditor to take part in Title IV programs, which include federal loans and grants.
The AVMA and AVMA COE also “highly value and plan to preserve their vital role in assuring the quality and integrity of veterinary medical education–a role we have proudly served since 1921 when the Essentials of an Approved Veterinary College were first established by the AVMA Committee on Intelligence and Education, which became the COE in 1946,” according to an FAQ from the council.
The AVMA COE has been recognized by ED as a programmatic accrediting body for veterinary medical degrees since 1952. The council has had to meet federal criteria, undergo periodic review, and accept federal oversight of its standards.
The AVMA COE currently accredits 40 veterinary colleges in the U.S. and its territories, seven of which are developing colleges with provisional accreditation and one of which is a developing college with a letter of reasonable assurance, meaning it is allowed to seat its inaugural class.
Forty-six states and the District of Columbia specifically require graduation from an AVMA COE–accredited veterinary school in statute or regulation as part of the prerequisites for veterinary licensure.
The AVMA, in comments submitted to the ED in September, emphasized that any changes from the department must protect students, colleges, and the public.
“An abrupt or poorly structured transition may jeopardize graduates’ eligibility for licensure; disrupt access to federal educational loan programs that assist healthcare education, create uncertainty for currently accredited veterinary programs; and delay accreditation and increase costs for programs already in the accreditation pipeline,” wrote Dr. Janet Donlin, AVMA executive vice president and CEO, in the AVMA’s comments.
Now with the rule finalized, the AVMA has already started developing a plan for the ongoing accreditation of veterinary colleges that will be in compliance with the final rules and guidance from Education Department and that will ensure an orderly transition from the current to the new environment, Dr. Quammen said.
“AVMA is committed to supporting continuity in veterinary medical education accreditation while preserving the independence of accreditation standards, evaluations, and decisions,” she wrote. “We will keep you informed, through additional correspondence … as we move forward implementing these changes.”
Fonte: https://www.avma.org/
