Posted: 05 March 2008
UCD Veterinary Medicine granted full accreditation by the American Veterinary Medical Association AVMA
UCD Veterinary Medicine has been granted full accreditation by the American Veterinary Medical Association for the maximum period of 7 years. As a result, graduates from the UCD programme will now be able to receive a license to practice veterinary medicine in the US or Canada without having to complete a special ‘foreign graduates’ exam.
Designated by the US Department of Education as the accrediting body for the 28 schools of veterinary medicine in the United States, the AVMA educational standards of excellence are recognised worldwide as the "gold standard" in veterinary education.
“With this announcement, UCD joins only a handful of others outside of the United States with AVMA accreditation for their Veterinary programme,” says Professor Grace Mulcahy, Dean of Veterinary Medicine at UCD.
“The accreditation is particularly important for our students and graduates who are now regarded on a par with US graduates for licensing purposes” continues Professor Mulcahy. “It also means that University College Dublin becomes immediately more attractive to North American students wishing to study veterinary medicine,” she explains.
“Seeking AVMA accreditation for the UCD Veterinary Medicine programme only became feasible when we relocated from the old ‘UCD vet college’ in Ballsbridge to our new purpose built accommodation at Belfield. This is an outstanding achievement reflecting years of strategic planning, the vision of previous Deans and the huge effort put in by all our staff in the years, months and weeks prior to the full accreditation visit by the AVMA.”
UCD provides the only programme allowing graduates to practice veterinary medicine, on the Island of Ireland. The programme is accredited by the Veterinary Council of Ireland, and the European Association of Establishments of Veterinary Education, in addition to AVMA.
To receive accreditation, schools must comply with 11 standards set by the AVMA including organisation, finances, curriculum, staff, and clinical facilities. UCD’s journey towards AVMA accreditation began with a consultative visit by the AVMA in 2003.
Established in 1863, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is a not-for-profit association representing more than 76,000 veterinarians working in private and corporate practice, government, industry, academia, and uniformed services in the US. The AVMA acts as a collective voice for its membership and for the profession.
The objective of the Association is to advance the science and art of veterinary medicine, including its relationship to public health, biological science, and agriculture. The Association provides a forum for the discussion of issues of importance to the veterinary profession, and for the development of official positions. The Association is the authorized voice for the profession in presenting its views to government, academia, agriculture, pet owners, the media, and other concerned publics.
