Boards?

[twosoakers]

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Does anyone know the individual schools'/colleges' board stats? i.e. how many students passed the boards for their particular states/nations? Thanks.

 

[twosoakers]

bumpity bump bump? or is this info not published?

 

[silverelf]

well i think it has to be at least 95% or something for the schools to be accredited, but i've never seen the actual numbers

 

[seaturtlegirl]

I have been looking for this info as well. I don't think there is a single website that offers the info on all of the schools. The VMCAS site has stats of general pass rates, but they are not school specific. As for the required passing percentages to remain accredited, I don't know...95% seems high. I was just reading something on Minnesota's website that seems to have said that their pass rate last year was only 84%. (which, for the $52,000 a year it will cost me to go there, it'd better be a typo... )

Anyway, the only success I have had with this is to try and find it on the individual school's website!

 

[mtrl1]

This is hearsay from a vet student, but I think Davis had 98% this year and Western 80%.

 

[texlaevis]

I heard at my Penn interview that this information was going to start to be made public in coming years, but it's currently at the discretion of the schools and can be difficult to find. That said, I got this info from my interviews:
Illinois had 98% last year (way to go, UIUC
Penn had 96% (Mr. Keiter said "I guess we had some dummies" ;-) )
I believe Wisconsin had 98% as well, but I could be making that last number up.

 

[VelcroSky]

bumpity bump bump?

OK, could somebody please tell me what this means? I guess I'm web forum ignorant but I've seen it a bunch of times on this board.

 

[twosoakers]

bump = gratuitious self-promotion of my post to the top of the list 😀

we were told at our interview that western had a 90% pass rate for the boards. i wanted to verify this (my ulterior motive).

 

[DVM2b]

I think the average has to 80% to maintain accreditation. Minnesota's average was low last year but I think the national average was lower than usual. That is what they told us, the low scores seem to be a pretty touchy subject. Minnesota is up for inspection in the next couple weeks and they sent a packet of info and the pass rate for Minnesota was well above 90% in previous years.

 

[chris03333]

This is hearsay from a vet student, but I think Davis had 98% this year and Western 80%.

That's bull... National boards are not even published until after the April test dates.

 

[horsybaby]

OK, could somebody please tell me what this means? I guess I'm web forum ignorant but I've seen it a bunch of times on this board ]

Acronym- bring up my post

 

[mtrl1]

That's bull... National boards are not even published until after the April test dates.

Well, like I said...hearsay!

 

[cyrille104]

Acronym- bring up my post

Oh wow, I always thought it just literally meant "bump"ing the post to the top of the list

 

[gemini55]

I believe that to maintain accreditation, schools must have an average NAVLE pass rate of 80%. Beginning in 2008 that rate increases to 85%. Some schools post their pass rate.....the quote below refers to the NAVLE and was found on Purdue's website:

"Purdue veterinary medical students (Class of 2006) pass rate for this exam was 98%."

 

[twosoakers]

a veterinarian here in indiana, who attended purdue, told me that the state boards for california were 'purposely' made difficult, as to weed out out-of-staters. is THAT bull?

 

[runnerDC]

I have been looking for this info as well. I don't think there is a single website that offers the info on all of the schools. The VMCAS site has stats of general pass rates, but they are not school specific. As for the required passing percentages to remain accredited, I don't know...95% seems high. I was just reading something on Minnesota's website that seems to have said that their pass rate last year was only 84%. (which, for the $52,000 a year it will cost me to go there, it'd better be a typo... )

Anyway, the only success I have had with this is to try and find it on the individual school's website!

The AAVMC conducts an annual survey with vet schools to populate their Comparative Data Report. They ask each VMCAS-related school a host of questions about their student body, financials, hospital statistics, etc. They publish a very small amount of this on their website, but they have a lot more data than they publish. If you're curious about additional data, check out their website to see what they collect (see http://aavmc.org/committees_activities/2006_2007ComparativeDataUpdate.htm ), and then contact them to ask for specific tables. I did this for a bunch of data I was curious about (that they did not readily publish on their website) and was able to get most of what I asked for (they withheld some financial data that they deemed not public).

As far as MN's NAVLE pass rate, check out MN's most recent annual AVMA Self-Study Report (published in Apr 2007):
http://www.cvm.umn.edu/img/assets/8965/AVMA Report.pdf

Doing a search for "NAVLE" within that document should bring up what you're looking for as far as current and historical pass rates (I also have a personal interest in MN, since I deposited there!).

Hope this helps,
Jen

 

[4theanimals]

a veterinarian here in indiana, who attended purdue, told me that the state boards for california were 'purposely' made difficult, as to weed out out-of-staters. is THAT bull?

Yes, bull! Trust me the last thing we want to do is weed out out-of-staters. We don't graduate enough vets to fill our needs. I will say though, that CA has a reputation for having the most difficult state boards (same with vet tech). I don't have specific data to back that up, but it's definitely the rumor. Here are the exam stats for 2006.
http://www.vmb.ca.gov/exam/csbst1206.pdf
You will see that there are plenty of out-of-staters who took the exam and passed. It only makes sense that Davis students would beat out others as they are in state, probably teach at least somewhat to the test, and most likely have some sort of test bank. I don't know how these pass rates compare to other states.

 

[cyrille104]

Wait, how does making the exam more difficult weed out out-of-staters? Everyone has to take the same test, right?

 

[twosoakers]

the state exams are different per state.

 

[twosoakers]

um, that Western number looks kind of bad in comparison. why would 16 westerners fail the (in)state boards? what does that mean, per se?

 

[cyrille104]

the state exams are different per state.

Yeah, but what does it matter if you're in-state or out-of-state when you take the test?

 

[twosoakers]

i think the western curriculum is designed to help you pass the boards, providing you with similar cases as would be pertinent. you probably have a number of people to communicate with about the state boards, depending on which state you're in.

purdue gears much of their lectures on agriculturally/production based issues, even in tissue development. "carnivores" are touched upon, but the primary focus is mare, ewe, heifer, sow, etc. little to no instruction is given based on exotics/wildlife, except for an elective or two. not that you would come from there lacking, but you may have to make up for the non-agricultural material on your own.

 

[4theanimals]

So their are two sets of tests. The NAVLE is your "nationwide" exam. Then you take a state exam in the state where you want to practice. Each state has their own exam hence the difference in perceived difficulty.

So, in theory, each vet school is prepping you to pass their state exam. So CA vet students would be better prepared to pass the state exam as they are prepped for it. And as I said earlier I imagine they build test banks, although completely unofficially. So Davis students would get an idea of the types of questions on the exam whereas a Kansas student would not be prepped. How different are the exams in actuality? Lord only knows. I'm just guessing that is where the theory came from. The numbers back that up somewhat with Davis students having the highest pass rate, but it's not like all the other schools have dismal pass rates.

Twosoakers: I noticed the Western pass rate. I'm not sure. Maybe chris03333will have some insight. But this also explains the previous post of Davis at 98% and Western at 80% - that is what the state boards pass rates were not the nationals.

 

[AuburnPreVet]

I was under the impression that the state boards were essentially testing your knowledge of the state laws & practice acts - as opposed to your knowledge of medicine (which is tested by the NAVLE). Is this incorrect?

 

[Bill59]

Wait, how does making the exam more difficult weed out out-of-staters? Everyone has to take the same test, right?

You make the state board very difficult then make sure your state vet. school gives their students the specific info they need in order to pass.

In the past, several states were known for doing this because the vets on the state board wanted to minimize competition. Over time this has pretty much disappeared as this type of good 'ol boy shenanigans became frowned on. Not to mention the good 'ol boys needed to hire associates to work in their practice. Now most of the state boards are just rules and regulations that pertain to the particular state.

 

[chris03333]

a veterinarian here in indiana, who attended purdue, told me that the state boards for california were 'purposely' made difficult, as to weed out out-of-staters. is THAT bull?

It is a tough if you are not trained in CA or do a lot of studying. I personally thought it was quite fair (but I was trained in CA). The questions tend to have 2 technically correct answers but the fact that they pertain to CA is what will give you the actual correct answer.

 

[chris03333]

So their are two sets of tests. The NAVLE is your "nationwide" exam. Then you take a state exam in the state where you want to practice. Each state has their own exam hence the difference in perceived difficulty.

So, in theory, each vet school is prepping you to pass their state exam. So CA vet students would be better prepared to pass the state exam as they are prepped for it. And as I said earlier I imagine they build test banks, although completely unofficially. So Davis students would get an idea of the types of questions on the exam whereas a Kansas student would not be prepped. How different are the exams in actuality? Lord only knows. I'm just guessing that is where the theory came from. The numbers back that up somewhat with Davis students having the highest pass rate, but it's not like all the other schools have dismal pass rates.

Twosoakers: I noticed the Western pass rate. I'm not sure. Maybe chris03333will have some insight. But this also explains the previous post of Davis at 98% and Western at 80% - that is what the state boards pass rates were not the nationals.

Davis students have quite a LONG history of "practice questions" .....

 

[twosoakers]

chris, do you know anything about the 62/88 state board pass rate for Western or why that occurred? thanks.

 

[4theanimals]

I was under the impression that the state boards were essentially testing your knowledge of the state laws & practice acts - as opposed to your knowledge of medicine (which is tested by the NAVLE). Is this incorrect?

I obviously haven't taken the boards but what I've found on the state website is pretty interesting stuff really. And they are testing medical knowledge of at least regional diseases/conditions. See the following:

The test plan and content includes, but is not limited to
questions regarding:
1. Working with clients, employers, and consultants, complying with government requirements and helping
clients or employers comply with them:
a. Department of Health Services (rabies, psittacosis)
b. Radiation Safety regulations
c. Department of Food and Agriculture regulations (regulatory and reportable diseases/certificates of veterinary inspection)
d. Drug Enforcement Agency regulations
e. Pharmacy regulations
f. Other government agencies that regulate veterinary medicine
2. Diseases and conditions which are more prevalent in California and the western U.S.
(i.e., foxtails, salmon poisoning, coccidioidomycosis)
3. Diseases and conditions that occur elsewhere but due to demographics or husbandry practices occur with an above average
incidence in California
4. Diseases and conditions that have a public health concern (i.e. rabies)​

If your procrastinating (as I am) and want to peruse here is the link. http://www.vmb.ca.gov/exam/vetapp_inst.pdf

 

[wildfocus]

So their are two sets of tests. The NAVLE is your "nationwide" exam. Then you take a state exam in the state where you want to practice. Each state has their own exam hence the difference in perceived difficulty.

So, in theory, each vet school is prepping you to pass their state exam.

so potentially dumb q' - how does a residency work then? i plan on doing a residency somewhere then hopefully a postdoc at an institution that will eventually hire me as faculty. do i take the state exams for where i want to do residency and postdoc, and should, therefore study throughout vet school according to my future locations?

oh yeah - dream is to eventually end up at davis

 

[4theanimals]

Well, Wildfocus, I don't know as much about the details of that. However, if you plan on doing your residency at a university there are usually "outs" for licensure - meaning you don't actually have to get your license to work within the university system. Some states also allow for temporary licensure if you've been practicing medicine for a certain amount of time. I think there will be plenty of people at CSU who actually know something about this (unlike me) to advise you. 😉 I did notice that CSUs students had a decent pass rate for the CA boards so that helps. And I have to say I found it interesting that the CA board site specifically mentioned fox tails...I deal with these all the time in the shelter and wouldn't have even considered that it wasn't like that everywhere! So those would be the kinds of things you would need to prep for. And it seems someone told me that their is a prep class that you can take just to get up to speed on those CA issues. But hey there is plenty of time to figure all that out right?!🙂

 

[chris03333]

chris, do you know anything about the 62/88 state board pass rate for Western or why that occurred? thanks.

Well, no I cannot explain it. Those numbers are impossible though. We only have 81 students that are in my class and not all of my class took the CA boards. So I have no clue where that came from.

 

[chris03333]

Well, no I cannot explain it. Those numbers are impossible though. We only have 81 students that are in my class and not all of my class took the CA boards. So I have no clue where that came from.

Oh now I see it said 62/80, now that is possible. I would say that probably stems from the fact that we do not have "board review" from our faculty (well I think they will start to do it now, but my class did not have it). I personally did not try to find out who did not pass so I cannot give an honest reason (I myself passed).

If you look at the total pass rate for all avma accredited schools it is not too bad results considering this is the very first class to ever take this test. I would go as far to say I am proud of that score when we had no real board preparation meetings. I would not compare the results of Davis as I mentioned about their "practice questions they all have access to and the fact that their professors are the ones that write the CA boards (and you all know during lectures they will point out what topics show up on the boards.

 

[Bill59]

so potentially dumb q' - how does a residency work then? i plan on doing a residency somewhere then hopefully a postdoc at an institution that will eventually hire me as faculty. do i take the state exams for where i want to do residency and postdoc, and should, therefore study throughout vet school according to my future locations?

It depends on the state. A lot of states don't require veterinarians at teaching hospitals to have a license as long as they are practicing only at the school. If you do a residency at a private hospital, it's more likely you will need a license, as well as DEA number, accreditation, etc. Do a program search on the AAVC website and the program info will often indicate whether you need a license.

But don't worry about that now. For many residencies you will need an internship first and you usually go through the match for both of those. So there's no way to know where you will end up. The match results come out around March 1st so you'll have some time to get stuff together before start date in July.

 

[wildfocus]

But hey there is plenty of time to figure all that out right?!🙂

thank our lucky stars (disengage obsess mode)... good news about csu students on ca boards - and it sounds like wash has a lot of the same medical issues as cali, so may be familiar territory. (yeah, foxtails are a bugger)

bill59 - saw your post after i posted - great info, and will definitely not worry about it now

 

[twosoakers]

chris - you might want to consider reporting those numbers to Shirley Johnston. it perpetuates the false info circulating about Western. unless those numbers include some 3rd years who attempted the boards.

 

[birdvet2006]

chris - you might want to consider reporting those numbers to Shirley Johnston. it perpetuates the false info circulating about Western. unless those numbers include some 3rd years who attempted the boards.

You are only permitted to register for the CA board exam within 6 months of graduation - so there goes the "3rd years taking the exam" idea.

The CA boards are truly notoriously difficult. I passed on my first try. I don't like the style of questions, in truth. But it's passable. 🙂

 

[aggiegolf]

The California boards are the hardest, from vet school to hair school.

NAVLE pass rate required
by COE standard for outcomes
assessment: Currently 80%

NAVLE Pass Rates:

Michigan State University in 2005 and April 2006: 91%

St. George's University in Grenada: 96%. Who says us caribbean students can't hack it? 😉

Purdue University: 98%

Louisana State in 2003: 97.3. The national average was 93.3 percent at that time.

University of Glasgow website: "The average North American Veterinary Licensing Education (NAVLE) pass rate for the Faculty is 80%." That sounds really low. Maybe they meant the AVMA minimum requirement to keep accreditation status?

University of Pennsylvania: Class of 2006 = 96%
Class of 2005 = 98%
Class of 2004 = 99%


bump bumpity bump.

 

[chris03333]

The California boards are the hardest, from vet school to hair school.

NAVLE pass rate required
by COE standard for outcomes
assessment: Currently 80%

NAVLE Pass Rates:

Michigan State University in 2005 and April 2006: 91%

St. George's University in Grenada: 96%. Who says us caribbean students can't hack it? 😉

Purdue University: 98%

Louisana State in 2003: 97.3. The national average was 93.3 percent at that time.

University of Glasgow website: "The average North American Veterinary Licensing Education (NAVLE) pass rate for the Faculty is 80%." That sounds really low. Maybe they meant the AVMA minimum requirement to keep accreditation status?

University of Pennsylvania: Class of 2006 = 96%
Class of 2005 = 98%
Class of 2004 = 99%


bump bumpity bump.

But this thread is talking about CA state boards not NAVLE