LAS VEGAS, NV--(Marketwire - July 19, 2010) - The final of three national meetings to discuss the future of veterinary medical education concluded Friday after three days of presentations and discussions about licensing, testing, accreditation and implementation. The North American Veterinary Medical Education Consortium, or NAVMEC, was launched by the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) in collaboration with its partners in 2009 to ensure that veterinary medical education meets the changing needs of society.
During the first two national meetings, participants discussed changing societal needs and professional competencies and developed nine different veterinary medical education models. The third and final national meeting last week synthesized the information from the first two meetings in the context of moving forward with recommendations to AAVMC for an implementation phase of NAVMEC.
The NAVMEC Board of Directors will be taking the discussions and findings from all three meetings to produce a roadmap for veterinary medical education that is flexible and that builds on the strengths of U.S. and Canadian Colleges of Veterinary Medicine. They will write a report that concludes with key recommendations based on the discussions at the three meetings. This report will be submitted to the AAVMC Board of Directors later this year and will be shared with the leadership of veterinary medical accreditation and testing/licensing associations. The report/roadmap will also include a summary of ideas from NAVMEC participants on how best to implement the findings of the Consortium.
"We understand that implementation of the recommendations in the final NAVMEC report is critical for the NAVMEC initiative to bring about the comprehensive change needed in veterinary medical education," said Dean Bennie Osburn, DVM, Ph.D, University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and Chairman of the NAVMEC Board of Directors. "Our third meeting brought us one step closer to making this change possible."
The third meeting included two days of stimulus presentations on competencies in veterinary medical education developed by participants at the first NAVMEC meeting, educational presentations on licensing, testing and accreditation and innovation break-outs where participants developed their own ideas on how to best modify accreditation standards and licensing and testing processes to address changing societal needs and core competencies. The final half day included a question and answer session with world-renowned author of Leading Change, John P. Kotter, D.B.A., followed by an interactive brainstorming session on how to best implement the recommendations developed through NAVMEC.
"The Consortium has brought together more than 200 stakeholder entities and educational institutions in veterinary medicine to not only discuss the challenges faced in our industry, but to act towards developing a plan for tackling these challenges head-on," said Dean Willie Reed, DVM, Ph.D., Purdue University, School of Veterinary Medicine, AAVMC president-elect and Member of the NAVMEC Board of Directors. "Dr. Kotter's presentation on how to implement change acted as a catalyst for discussion about moving the NAVMEC initiative forward, an urgent task that we recognize as difficult but absolutely necessary."
The comprehensive outcomes report and executive summary from the final meeting will be available upon review and approval by the NAVMEC Board of Directors and will be available at www.navmec.org. The outcomes reports and executive summaries from the first and second meetings are already available on the site.
Who Is Part of NAVMEC?
In order to produce as comprehensive an outcome as possible, AAVMC invited the participation of close to 400 groups and organizations with an interest in veterinary medical education. A total of approximately 200 groups and individuals have joined the Consortium, including co-sponsors who have made some financial contribution to help underwrite NAVMEC infrastructure and other groups and individuals wishing to participate in discussions. Both co-sponsors and partner organizations are invited to send a representative to the three national meetings.
Those groups and individuals making a financial contribution are designated "co-sponsors." All co-sponsors have been invited to name a representative who would not only participate at the national meetings, but are also invited to be part of an Advisory Panel that will help plan the national meetings, make recommendations concerning the organization of Consortium meetings, regularly review the progress of the Consortium, and make recommendations to the Consortium Board of Directors as the final "national report" is being drafted for submission to the AAVMC Board of Directors.
The participants include AAVMC national and international member institutions; accreditation, licensure and testing groups; national veterinary associations from the U.S., Canada and Brazil; state veterinary medical associations; veterinary industry; veterinary species and specialty organizations; animal welfare/activist groups; ancillary veterinary entities; and individuals interested in veterinary medical education.
How is NAVMEC Governed?
AAVMC launched NAVMEC in 2009 and is providing the leadership for this initiative. The NAVMEC Board of Directors, representing the three pillars of NAVMEC -- education, accreditation and testing/licensure -- will make final decisions concerning NAVMEC policies, procedures and outcomes that will be recommended to the AAVMC Board of Directors.
The nine person NAVMEC Board is designed to support significant and meaningful advances in veterinary medical education. It's the first Board ever comprised equally of representatives of licensure/testing, education and accreditation -- the entities most responsible for addressing societal needs that veterinarians will face.
About NAVMEC
NAVMEC is the most comprehensive effort ever undertaken to create a workforce of next generation veterinarians who are ready to address some of society's greatest needs, taking into account educational models, accreditation, testing and licensing. On the Web: www.navmec.org.
About AAVMC
The Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) is a non-profit membership organization working to protect and improve the health and welfare of animals, people and the environment by generating new knowledge and preparing the high quality veterinary workforce needed to meet continually changing societal demands for veterinary expertise. AAVMC provides leadership for and promotes excellence in academic veterinary medicine to prepare the veterinary workforce with the scientific knowledge and skills required to meet societal needs through the protection of animal health, the relief of animal suffering, the conservation of animal resources, the promotion of public health and the advancement of medical knowledge. On the Web: www.aavmc.org.
Contact Information:
CONTACT:
Emily Deckelman
cell: 202 341-6632