The Australasian Veterinary Boards Council has finalised its review of the approved accreditation standards (‘the standards’) for veterinary programs leading to registration as a veterinarian in Australia and New Zealand.
As the first finalised report from this review, AVBC has released its new Day One Competencies (D1Cs) for veterinary graduates. The D1Cs replace the current “AVBC Attributes of Veterinary Graduates” and the “RCVS Day One Competences” and come into effect on 1 January 2024.
AVBC’s D1Cs are an essential benchmark for veterinary schools and programs, guiding the outcomes required for the profession. The competencies will help ensure that veterinary graduates in Australia and New Zealand have the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for their professional careers and continued career development post-graduation.
The D1Cs were developed by a Task Group led by VSAAC Co-Chair Prof Jennie Hodgson and joined by Associate Prof Rowland Cobbold (UQ) and Dr Stuart Bruere (Massey) with the support of AVBC’s Dr Susan Keane. They were developed after two phases of stakeholder consultation. AVBC’s D1Cs were informed by international veterinary accreditation standards, including the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) Competency-Based Veterinary Education (CBVE) framework, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Day One Competences, as well as the European Association of Establishments for Veterinary Education (EAEVE) World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) standards. The extent of engagement with the consultations was very pleasing, and feedback from respondents indicated that they felt the Task Group carefully considered their inputs.
According to Dr Julie Strous, AVBC Executive Director, “The D1Cs were developed to ensure that New Zealand and Australian veterinary graduates are prepared for their first day on the job. We are proud to have developed these competencies with extensive input from stakeholders while maintaining alignment with international veterinary accreditation standards”.
As these new D1Cs come into effect early next year, VSAAC Co-Chairs Professor Rosanne Taylor and Professor Jennie Hodgson said, “We are mindful that integrating the new D1Cs into the curriculum is not a small undertaking, and VSAAC will make some allowance for this transition to occur.”
To view AVBC’s Day One Competencies and the accompanying mapping document, please visit the AVBC website.
Notes:
The Australasian Veterinary Boards Council (AVBC) drives the quality of the Australian and New Zealand veterinary profession by providing a forum for discussion, advice and cooperation among veterinary boards in Australia and New Zealand, encouraging the standardisation and quality assurance of veterinary services to the community and assuring and promoting uniform educational standards.
The Veterinary Schools Accreditation Advisory Committee (VSAAC) is a standing committee of the AVBC which plans and advises on the accreditation process for the nine veterinary schools AVBC currently accredits. As part of this role, VSAAC conducts on-site inspections of Australasian veterinary schools and regularly liaises with veterinary accreditation bodies in the UK, USA, South Africa and Europe.