The Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges board of directors approved the North American Veterinary Medical Education Consortium (NAVMEC) report on the future of veterinary medical education. The nine-member NAVMEC board created The Roadmap for Veterinary Medical Education in the 21st Century report, which details a need for an alliance between veterinary medical education, accreditation and testing/licensure groups to facilitate U.S. veterinary graduates with tools to meet pet owners’ needs. “We recognize that there are many ways to educate students to become veterinarians and that each college is unique and serves a unique constituency,” said Dr. Willie M. Reed, immediate past-president of the AAVMC board of directors and dean of the Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine. “But this effort will go a long way toward ensuring that academic veterinary medicine continues to evolve and adapt in order to remain relevant. With NAVMEC, academic veterinary medicine continues to be one step ahead of change.” NAVMEC Authors’ Industry Goals: • Create proficient veterinarians who use an agreed-upon set of core competencies • Competence-driven admissions, curricula, accreditation and testing/licensure • Share resources to ensure veterinary education is quality and cost effective • Promote an economically viable education system for veterinary colleges and students • Stimulate a profession-wide focus on innovation, flexibility and action Recommendations in the report describe core competencies as multispecies knowledge and clinical competence in one or more species or disciplines, a health competency related to the intersection of an animal, human and environmental health and the development of professional ability. According to the report, veterinarians need communication and leadership skills, collaboration and management abilities, continuing education related to scholarship and research, diversity and multicultural awareness and the ability to adapt to changing environments. <Home>
