Atlantic Veterinary College achieves full accreditation

The Atlantic Veterinary College (AVC) has been granted full accreditation by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Council on Education (COE) for the next seven years.

“This achievement by the College is a testament to the quality of our program and the people engaged in its delivery,” said Dr. Greg Keefe, dean of AVC. “This is an important milestone--one that will drive us forward as we strive to continuously improve.”

Dr. Keefe thanked the AVC faculty, staff, and students who helped prepare for or participated in the AVMA COE site visit last fall and those who ensure the quality of the College’s program.

“The accreditation process is rigorous and lengthy,” said Dr. Keefe. “To prepare for our site visit last fall, we began to prepare 16 months in advance. Last summer we submitted a detailed self-study to the AVMA COE. This was followed up by a week-long visit by a team made up of representatives from the AVMA COE, the AVMA itself, and the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, who interviewed faculty, staff, and students, and conducted a detailed evaluation of our programs and inspection of our facilities.”

While the actual site visit is important, said Dr. Keefe, accreditation is an ongoing process. The College’s programs are reviewed each year by the AVMA COE, and AVC works continually to achieve the high standards set by the accrediting body. AVC has achieved full accreditation since it was first eligible in 1990 with the graduation of its first class of veterinarians.

Dr. Alaa Abd-El-Aziz, president and vice-chancellor of UPEI, expressed his pride in AVC’s achievement.

“On behalf of the entire UPEI community, I congratulate everyone at AVC for achieving full accreditation,” said President Abd-El-Aziz. “Our veterinary medicine program, research agenda, and teaching hospital are second-to-none, and this reaffirmation by the AVMA is a testament to the excellence of the College’s programs and people.”

The accrediting body for veterinary colleges in North America, the AVMA COE assures that minimum standards in veterinary medical education are met by all AVMA-accredited veterinary colleges, and that students receive an education which will prepare them for entry-level positions in the profession.