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Roadmap for Veterinary Medical Education in the 21st Century—Responsive, Collaborative, Flexible


Spearheaded by the AAVMC, the North American Veterinary Medical Education Consortium (NAVMEC) represents the most comprehensive effort ever undertaken to ensure that veterinary medical education meets society's changing needs.

On July 17, 2011, the board of directors of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) approved  the North American Veterinary Education Consortium's (NAVMEC's) Roadmap for Veterinary Medical Education in the 21st Century—Responsive, Collaborative, Flexible for distribution and dissemination.

The report, submitted by the NAVMEC board of directors, is the culmination of several years of work by NAVMEC, a consortium convened by the AAVMC that consists of a wide spectrum of stakeholders of veterinary medical education, accreditation, testing, and licensure. Participants included veterinary students, employers of veterinarians, clinical practitioners, public practice employers, and leaders in veterinary medical education, global health, public health, public policy, the veterinary industry, animal care and welfare, and change management.

NAVMEC drafted the report to reflect the collective views expressed by approximately 400 people representing more than 150 stakeholder groups of veterinary medical education during three national meetings held throughout 2010 and during an extensive feedback process, as synthesized by the nine-member NAVMEC board, comprising  members who represent  education, accreditation, and testing and licensure perspectives.

The Roadmap highlights significant advances in education already underway at North American colleges of veterinary medicine (CVMs) and goes on to make 23 non-prescriptive recommendations. Recommendations in the report describe core competencies in three main areas: 1) multispecies knowledge plus clinical competence in one or more species or disciplines; 2) “one health” competency related to the intersection of animal, human and environmental health; and 3) the development of professional competencies.  Professional competencies include: communication; collaboration; management; lifelong learning related to scholarship and research; leadership; diversity and multicultural awareness; and the ability to adapt to changing environments.

See the full report in booklet format.

See the full report in single-page format.

Get answers to your questions about the report's history, rationale, and process on this "NAVMEC -- Just the Facts" webpage.