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I want to preface this by saying I do realize I'm hitting a very touchy subject and I do know this is a serious can of worms. Under no circumstances am I trying to imply that international veterinary schools (and certainly not their graduates) are somehow less than those in the United States.
That having been said -
Dr. Walter Threlfall - the newly-elected Vice President of AVMA - came to talk to SCAVMA at VMR on Monday. (Quick sidenote: if you ever get the chance to see him talk - go. He is incredibly inspiring, a fantastic, passionate speaker, and all about working with students to the betterment of the profession as a whole.)
Among the many things discussed was a quick feature on protecting the industry in the United States. As we're all very well aware, it could use some protecting in the current economic climate.
The question arose that since the American Veterinary Medical Association is a United States institution, should it have the ability - or, to an extent, the right - to accredit veterinary schools outside of the country?
He brought up the point that by offering international accreditation, AVMA is able to create a multi-national organization. This, I think, is critical; medicine will fail if we don't communicate across countries and continents, and quality of all domesticated life (humans included 😉 ) will decrease globally.
But I'm also of the school of thought that AVMA needs to do something to protect its industry domestically.
It would make sense to me for AVMA to exist internationally, but to adapt a 12th standard of accreditation - one that limits AVMA accreditation to schools located within the United States. This wouldn't disallow foreign veterinarians from practicing within the United States - they would be required to take the additional licensing exams that current students from non-accredited universities must take - but it may help bolster the industry here.
Anyway, I'd like to get your thoughts on the situation as a whole?
That having been said -
Dr. Walter Threlfall - the newly-elected Vice President of AVMA - came to talk to SCAVMA at VMR on Monday. (Quick sidenote: if you ever get the chance to see him talk - go. He is incredibly inspiring, a fantastic, passionate speaker, and all about working with students to the betterment of the profession as a whole.)
Among the many things discussed was a quick feature on protecting the industry in the United States. As we're all very well aware, it could use some protecting in the current economic climate.
The question arose that since the American Veterinary Medical Association is a United States institution, should it have the ability - or, to an extent, the right - to accredit veterinary schools outside of the country?
He brought up the point that by offering international accreditation, AVMA is able to create a multi-national organization. This, I think, is critical; medicine will fail if we don't communicate across countries and continents, and quality of all domesticated life (humans included 😉 ) will decrease globally.
But I'm also of the school of thought that AVMA needs to do something to protect its industry domestically.
It would make sense to me for AVMA to exist internationally, but to adapt a 12th standard of accreditation - one that limits AVMA accreditation to schools located within the United States. This wouldn't disallow foreign veterinarians from practicing within the United States - they would be required to take the additional licensing exams that current students from non-accredited universities must take - but it may help bolster the industry here.
Anyway, I'd like to get your thoughts on the situation as a whole?
