Prior Years’ Residency Training Standards
The Residency Training Standards and Requirements (Standards) for ACVS residents are updated annually and are applicable to residents beginning their residencies between July 1 and June 30 of the listed years.
2023-2024 Residency Training Standards and Requirements
Residency Training Standards and Requirements (July 2023–June 2024)
Summary of changes:
These Standards were reissued on August 1, 2023, to reflect necessary process and terminology changes with the introduction of CERT, the new certification record tracker. No requirements were changed.
- Terminology change: To eliminate confusion between program registration requirements and resident supervision requirements, “core ACVS Diplomate” replaces “Supervising ACVS Diplomate.” The definition and requirements of a core ACVS Diplomate remain the same.
- An expanded list of accepted additional educational events has been included.
- Clarification: Educational events should occur on average a minimum of every two weeks throughout the residency.
- Supervision of residents on specialty service rotations by Diplomates from international specialty counterpart colleges may now be accepted. The list of recognized reciprocal specialty colleges is on the ACVS website.
- Clarification: The criteria for acceptance of a publication specifies the applicant must be first or sole author. Co-first authorship of a publication is not accepted for credentialing.
- The process for matriculating new residents has moved into CERT.
ACVS launched CERT, a new certification management system, in December 2022. The requirements included in this document are final, although there may be changes in how requirements are logged. For assistance using the new system to track requirements, visit the CERT help page.
2022-2023 Residency Training Standards and Requirements
Residency Training Standards and Requirements (July 2022–June 2023)
Summary of changes:
- Requests for additions to the Approved Journals List will now be reviewed twice a year by the Resident Credentialing Committee. Petitions must be submitted by February 1 and August 1.
ACVS launched CERT, a new certification management system, in December 2022. The requirements included in this document are final, although there may be changes in how requirements are logged. For assistance using the new system to track requirements, visit the CERT help page.
2021-2022 Residency Training Standards and Requirements
Residency Training Standards and Requirements (July 2021–June 2022)
Summary of changes
- The External Surgical Rotation form is required for all cases logged from a site that is not part of the registered residency training program.
- Seminars may be completed via live, interactive teleconference modalities.
- Educational events may be completed via live webinars or live, interactive teleconference modalities.
- Eligibility for the Phase I Surgical Knowledge Examination will be determined by the program and the resident through attestations completed during the examination registration process.
- “Good standing” was defined for Phase I eligibility.
2020-2021 Residency Training Standards and Requirements
Residency Training Standards and Requirements (July 2020–June 2021)
Note: The ACVS Board of Regents approved changes to the Phase I examination eligibility requirements. Clarifications have been made to existing Specialty Service rotation requirements to allow for the full Clinical Pathology rotation and part of the Diagnostic Imaging rotation requirements to be fulfilled either in-person or via telemedicine. The 2020 Residency Training Standards and Requirements were amended in August 2020 to reflect this change.
Summary of changes
- Full-time defined for program registration personnel requirements.
- ACVS Diplomates must be employed full-time and meet other requirements to qualify as “Supervising ACVS Diplomates”.
- Reminder: renewing programs must be compliant with availability requirements for ACVIM (Internal Medicine) and additional allied specialists.
- New process established for programs who wish to transition to inactive status at the conclusion of the current residency training year.
- Approved Journals List subdivided into a permanent list of core journals and list of journals subject to periodic review.
- The Resident Credentialing Committee will evaluate the Reviewed Journals list every five years.
2019-2020 Residency Training Standards and Requirements
Residency Training Standards and Requirements (July 2019–June 2020)
Note: The ACVS Board of Regents approved changes to the Phase I examination eligibility requirements. Clarifications have been made to existing Specialty Service rotation requirements to allow for the full Clinical Pathology rotation and part of the Diagnostic Imaging rotation requirements to be fulfilled either in-person or via telemedicine. The 2019 Residency Training Standards and Requirements were amended in August 2020 to reflect this change.
Summary of changes
- Availability of ACVIM (Internal Medicine) specialist more fully defined.
- Availability of additional allied specialists more fully defined for large animal and small animal programs.
- Deadline for programs to meet revised allied specialty Diplomate requirements clarified.
- Supervision of educational events to include Diplomates of other AVMA-recognized veterinary specialties.
- Large Animal Curricula: Angular Limb Deformities has been removed as a category.
- Small Animal Curriculum: Interventional Radiology and Endoscopy cases to be recorded separately from other MIS cases.
- Semi-Annual Review requirements for Phase I examination eligibility have been further clarified.
2018-2019 Residency Training Standards and Requirements
ACVS Residency Training Standards and Requirements (July 1, 2018–June 30, 2019) (amended August 2020)
Note: The ACVS Board of Regents approved changes to the Phase I examination eligibility requirements. Clarifications have been made to existing Specialty Service rotation requirements to allow for the full Clinical Pathology rotation and part of the Diagnostic Imaging rotation requirements to be fulfilled either in-person or via telemedicine. The 2018 Residency Training Standards and Requirements were amended in August 2020 to reflect this change.
The 2018 Standards were first published in May 2017. In November 2018 the ACVS Board of Regents approved the creation of a new category to track the existing three joint replacement requirement for small animal residents. The 2018 Residency Training Standards and Requirements have been amended to reflect this change.
Previously amended version published in May 2018 to add policies regarding supervision by ECVS Diplomates.
Summary of changes
- No application fee is required to submit a registration application.
- Requirement for flexible endoscope has been redefined for large animal programs.
- Recommended additional imaging equipment for large animal programs now includes fluoroscopy.
- Impact of program probation and suspension on all residents in training has been clarified.
- Requirement that residents track location on activity weeks has been highlighted.
- Policies regarding Mass removal and wound repair have been updated.
- ACVP Diplomate Supervision for required pathology cases has been highlighted.
- Semi-Annual Review requirements for Phase I examination eligibility have been clarified.
- ECVS Diplomate supervision of surgery weeks defined and allowed limit established.
- Limitation on direct supervision of cases by ECVS Diplomates defined.
