Volunteers needed for test development workshop

Are you looking for an opportunity to help support and shape the veterinary profession? The AVMA Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates® (ECFVG) is seeking volunteers to participate in an upcoming test development workshop at AVMA headquarters in Schaumburg, Illinois.

The workshop will take place October 25-27, 2019, and will cover the Basic and Clinical Sciences Exam (BCSE), a rigorous examination that is part of the certification program for foreign veterinary graduates seeking to become licensed in the United States. The workshop will be led by consultants from Prometric, the test vendor for the ECFVG program.

The ECFVG is an AVMA commission charged with assessing the professional competence of foreign veterinary graduates who wish to be licensed as veterinarians in the United States. Candidates who earn the ECFVG certificate by demonstrating an education equivalent to that of veterinarians who graduate from AVMA Council on Education-accredited veterinary colleges are eligible to take the national veterinary licensing exam.

The BCSE is a computer-based exam modeled on veterinary educational standards in the U.S. and Canada. The test consists of a mixture of basic science questions and clinical questions related to all animal species, and is the third step in the four-step ECFVG certification program.

BCSE test development volunteers must:

• Hold a DVM/VMD or equivalent degree
• Be currently working or recently retired (within five years) from the veterinary profession (e.g., private clinical practice, corporate practice, academia, public practice, government)
• Have interacted with recent graduates (within two years) from AVMA Council on Education-accredited veterinary colleges during their veterinary employment

The agenda for the October workshop will include reviewing, validating, and writing test questions. Travel expenses for participants will be reimbursed by the AVMA.

If you’re interested in participating in the workshop, please email rcookavma [dot] org (subject: ECFVG%20test%20development%20workshop) (Robert Cook) by July 23, 2019, with the following information:

• Full name
• Email and phone number
• 25-word (or fewer) description of your background experience or expertise, including current position; species and/or discipline of interest; and college/year of graduation

Additional workshops will be scheduled in 2020. We’ll announce them when the dates are set.