The American College of Veterinary Pathologists (ACVP) training program accreditation will be a voluntary process for veterinary pathology residency training programs worldwide. Accredited programs will meet the program standards set by ACVP.

The Training Program Accreditation Committee (TPAC) is currently finalizing the Training Program Accreditation Policies & Procedures document, which will detail the accreditation process and requirements. When available, training programs will be sent communication regarding program implementation, including informational webinars and workshops.

Applications are not yet being taken for accreditation, and no programs are yet accredited. At this time, no action is required from training programs interested in accreditation.

The four standards of accreditation are briefly summarized:

Standard 1 – Organization
This standard declares the program discipline (anatomic or clinical) and illustrates the organizational flow chart of faculty and staff involved in training, ensuring the minimum ratio of trainees to supervising diplomates (2:1). Anatomic and clinical pathology training programs within the same institution apply separately for accreditation. Training programs may collaborate with other institutions if needed to meet the ACVP accreditation standards.

Standard 2 – Admissions & Program Duration
This standard establishes that accepted trainees meet ACVP’s Certification and Examination Council (CEC) credentialing requirements, describes the admissions processes, including recruitment procedures, timelines, selection criteria, and related data, and confirms the duration of the program.

Standard 3 – Training Resources
This standard describes the resources for the learning and training environment. These include the necessary physical facilities, caseloads sufficient to achieve stated educational goals, access to information resources, support systems for trainee wellness and wellbeing, and the curriculum. The curriculum is the purview of each program and describes the educational structure (e.g., formal and informal coursework, rounds, journal clubs, and opportunities to teach and share scholarly work).

Standard 4 – Trainee & Program Outcomes Assessments
This standard details the outcomes and achievements of individual trainees and the program as a whole. Trainees will demonstrate and document competence outlined in the Competency-Based Veterinary Education in Pathology framework; the processes and resources to remediate trainees who do not demonstrate competence are described. Programs will demonstrate their effectiveness through various metrics. 

Resources

Competency-Based Veterinary Education in Pathology Framework provides a systemized framework of competencies that ensures all programs meet standards in veterinary pathology training and supports the Certifying Examination process by confirming testable and non-testable skills and attributes are assessed within each accredited training program.

The Resident Competency Rubric exemplar may be used by programs to provide routine feedback and necessary documentation for certifying examination credentialing. Beginning in April 2025, training programs may integrate the competency framework and rubric into their training.

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