In attendance:
Mike Midgley, Vice-President for Instruction at ACC
Dr. Enrique Solis, Interim Provost at ACC
Dr. Eileen Klein, Executive Dean of Health Sciences at ACC
Elizabeth Warren, RVT, Curriculum Developer for Veterinary Technology at ACC
Dr. Gary Warner, DVM, Elgin Veterinary Hospital
Dr. Glen Otto, DVM, Director of Animal Resources Center at UT Austin
Dr. Mark McArthur, DVM, Professor at UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
Dr. Linda Czisny, DVM, Director of Veterinary Services at Austin Animal Center
Stacey Zieschang, CVA, former Veterinary Assistant Program student at ACC
Elsa Allen Kohlbus, VA, current Veterinary Assistant Program student at ACC
2)
Status report on veterinary technology at ACC.
Mike Midgley
Austin Community College has committed to creating an AAS degree program in veterinary technology, to be based at the new Elgin campus. The goal is to start classes this fall, when the campus opens. However, no facilities specifically for vet tech have been built or allocated. This means that the program will be dependent upon the use of equipment owned by other ACC programs (such as radiology technician, surgical technician, medical lab technician) for teaching and demonstration purposes, and upon the local veterinary community for hands-on learning opportunities for students.
This program is to be placed in the Health Sciences Department under the direction of Dean Klein and the Program housed at the Elgin campus.
3)
Challenges of starting a new A.A.S. degree program.
Mike Midgley
Any new degree program must meet the requirements of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB). General education course hours and subject areas for an Associate Degree are determined by the board. The Workforce Education Course Manual is used to develop degree-specific program curricula. Link to the WECM list for veterinary technology courses: http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/aar/undergraduateed/workforceed/wecm/wecmlist.cfm
In addition, a veterinary technology program must be accredited by the AVMA Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities (CVTEA). Link to the AVMA standards: https://www.avma.org/ProfessionalDevelopment/Education/Accreditation/Programs/Pages/cvtea-pp.aspx
These requirements include exposure to specific equipment and tools, which must be either owned by the program or readily available for teaching: https://www.avma.org/ProfessionalDevelopment/Education/Accreditation/Programs/Pages/cvtea-pp-appendix-h.aspx
The proposed curriculum includes a semester of prerequisite courses, which will meet most of the students’ general education requirements as well as prepare veterinary technology students for the rigors of a science-based program. This semester of courses includes a one credit hour introductory course in veterinary technology: Canine and Feline Care and Husbandry. This course could be waived for students who apply to the program with previous work or educational experience in veterinary technology, veterinary assisting, or veterinary medicine.
Students would apply to the veterinary technology program once prerequisites are complete. An admission process, selection criteria, and other program requirements (such as vaccines) will need to be developed.
In order to admit the first class of veterinary technology students to start the vet tech specific coursework in the Spring of 2014, the Care and Husbandry course will need to be offered as a short, 8 week course in Fall 2013. This will give students time to complete applications and for the selection committee to accept and admit students to begin courses in January 2014.
The proposed curriculum includes laboratory hours wherever possible. These hours include both classroom “dry labs” as well as hands-on clinical hours at affiliated veterinary facilities. Affiliation agreements will need to be developed in order to satisfy the AVMA CVTEA requirements for skills mastery: https://www.avma.org/ProfessionalDevelopment/Education/Accreditation/Programs/Pages/cvtea-pp-appendix-i.aspx
A nation-wide search for a Veterinary Technology Program Director will be conducted and that position filled as soon as possible.
4)
Nomination and selection of Committee Chairperson.
Mike Midgley
The Veterinary Technology Program Advisory Committee will need a Chair or Co-chairs to lead discussions and help guide ACC in its implementation of the vet tech program. The Chair or Co-chairs will be nominated at the next advisory board meeting, to be held in early April.
5)
Additional comments.
An Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee will need to be established and Animal Use Protocols developed. This program may or may not need to be registered with the USDA, depending on the source of animals used for teaching. This will be addressed at the next advisory board meeting.
Transfer of courses from the Veterinary Assistant Program, currently offered by the Health Professions Institute on the Continuing Education side of the college, will also need to be considered. The Veterinary Assistant Program was developed beginning in 1999 and received THECB approval as a non-credit certificate program in 2002. The initial goal was to roll this program into a veterinary technology program within a few years of its inception, but it has since become a stand-alone program in its own right.
6)
Next meeting date.
A follow-up meeting will be scheduled for early April.