AmericanCollege of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care
CREDENTIALS APPLICATION PACKET
(FORM AND INSTRUCTIONS)
2010
For Residents, Fellows, and Candidates
that began training
prior to 2008
Credentials Deadline: January 15, 2010
Credentials Fee: $300
Table of Contents
Overview-The Credentials Process ……………………………………………………………………….3
Credentials Application Checklist…………………………………………………………………………..4
Procedural Information………………………………………………………………………………………5
Rejections and Reapplications………..…………………..………………………………………………..5
Recredentialing……………………………………………………………………………………………….6
Credentials Evaluation Procedure………………………………………………………………………….7
Letters of Recommendation………………...... 6
Instructions for Publications…………………………………………………………………………….…...8
Instructions for Multiple Choice Questions…………………………………………………………….…..10
Credentials Application Form …………………………………………………………………...... 12
Mentor Statement…………………………………………………………………………………..15
Waiver and Release Form………………………………………………………………………...16
Standard Referral Letter Form for Recommendations...... 17
APPLICATION PROCEDURE FOR ADMISSION TO EXAMINATION FOR
DIPLOMATE STATUS
(The Credentials Process)
All Residents and Fellows must apply to the Credentials Committee for acceptance of final credentials and approval to take the Certifying Examination.
1.Application for examination (Credentials Applications) must be made to the Credentials Committee via the Office of the Executive Secretary on a form provided by the College (see attachedCredentials Application form). The application is submitted along with the prescribed application fee and required documentation (see Credential Application Checklist) by January 15th of the year of intended examination. Late, incomplete, or incorrectly formatted credentials applications will not be reviewed, and the Resident or Fellow will have to reapply the following year. Application fees will not be refunded if the resident or fellow is determined not eligible to take the examination.
2.All residents and fellows must provide the Credentials Committee (via the Office of the Executive Secretary) with certification that they have completed all of their training and credentialing requirements by July14th of the year in which they plan to take the examination, if this certification has not been completed and included with the credentials application. This certification must be submitted tothe Credentials Committee via the Office of the Executive Secretary by July 15th, and includes:
a.A copy of their residency certificate,
b.A final progress report documenting completion of all training and credentialing requirements (see Resident/Fellow Progress Report Packets), and
c.Proof of final acceptance of their first-authored manuscriptby June 30 of the year of credentials application, if it was not accepted or in print by the time of credentials submission.
3. Residents and fellows should refer to the Credentials Application checklist (page 4) and subsequent pages for detailed instructions. Any questions or clarifications should be directed to the current Chair of the Credentials Committee.
4.Eligibility rulings are made by the Council of Regents on recommendation by the Credentials Committee, and residents and fellows will be notified whether they are eligible or provisionally eligible for examination by April 1st of the year of intended examination.
ACVECC CREDENTIALS APPLICATION CHECKLIST
You must submit one (1) hard copy along with a CD containing an identical electronic version of the completed credentials packet to the Credentials Committee through the office of the Executive Secretary.
All documentation in hard copy form must be indexed and bound in non-bulky binders or the equivalent.
The following must be included:
1.The completed application form (attached).
2.Acopy of your residency certificate. Individuals completing residency programs may omit the residency certificate at the time of credentials submission, but must forward the certificate to the office of the Executive Secretary by July 15, 2010.
3.The signed Program Mentor Statement of Certification (part of the Credentials Application Form) that you have successfully completed or are expected to successfully complete your training program. This must be signed by your mentoror the application will not be reviewed.
4.A copy of the progress report letter from the Credentials Committee (or the Residency Training Committee) approving submission of credentials.Fellows planning to submit Credentials that have not yet submitted an annual progress report must contact the current Chair of the Credentials Committee for instructions.
5.A copy of your preferred first authored publication. If the article is in review or in press, then the applicant must also document its submission (by November 1st of the year prior to Credentials Application) or acceptance with a letter from the editor at the time of the application. If a copy of the letter from the editor is not included, the manuscript will not be reviewed.A copy of the manuscript under consideration must also be submitted. Manuscripts under review only at the time of credentials submission must have final acceptance (in press) documented by June 30th of the year of intended examination in order for a candidate to successfully fulfill credentialing requirements.
6.Three (3) letters of recommendation, one of which must come from your training program mentor. Letters should come from individuals able to attest to the resident's or fellow’s clinical skills/ abilities/experience/involvement in the emergency and critical care arena. The standard ACVECC Recommendation form (attached with the Application Formand available separately on the ACVECC website) must be used.
7.Five (5) multiple choice questions for consideration for use in subsequent examinations. Multiple choice questions must be submitted online and with the Credentials Application. Detailed instructions can be found on page 10 of this document and at
8.The signed waiver, release, and indemnity agreement (part of the Application Form).
9.All applicants and re-applicants that completed their residency or fellowship training programs 3 or more years previously must include proof of 50 hours of Continuing Education in emergency/critical care over the 3 years immediately preceding and including the year of Credentials submission(documentation must include date, meeting, subject/title, speaker, and hours attended; the form used for reporting Continuing Education requirements for resident progress reports may be used).
10.Your application fee. The ACVECC Fee Submission Form (available at should be used for all fee submissions.
Do NOT include a copy of your check or any credit card information on the electronic copy.
Procedural Information:
The Application Packet must not be sent to the office of the Executive Secretary unless it is complete.
One (1) hard copy ofthe completed application and all pertinent materials along with a CD containing an electronic version of the completed credentials packet, including signatures, must be submitted (we recommend scanning the completed document to a single Word or .pdf file) to the office of the Executive Secretary of the ACVECC at the address listed below. The deadline is January 15, 2010.
Office of the ACVECC Executive Secretary
c/o Dr. Armelle de Laforcadeor Ms. Kathleen Liard
Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine
200 Westboro Road
North Grafton, MA01536
Unless otherwise indicated, all deadlined submissions must be postmarked by the deadline date. All submissions should be sent by an express carrier with verification of receipt (eg, guaranteed delivery with tracking number, overnight service with tracking number, etc.).
The College requires that the resident/fellow/candidate obtain and keep with their records written proof of postmark from the postal carrier or express courier service that is delivering their submission for use in case any questions arise regarding submission date. The College also suggests that the resident/fellow/candidate obtain signature confirmation of delivery of their documents to provide verification by an outside agency of delivery to the College.
The above "From:" address may be forged.
Individuals submitting first-time applications or reapplications should contact the Executive Secretary or Credentials Chair and request updated Credentials Application Packets (also available on the ACVECC website; as specific application requirements are subject to change, and all applicants must adhere to stipulations for the year of application or re-application.
All questions should be directed to the current Chair of the Credentials Committee.
REJECTIONS AND REAPPLICATIONS:
If the Credentials Application is rejected, a complete new application (fee included) must be submitted the next time that individual submits Credentials.Previous letters from the Credentials Committee pertaining to Credentialing and the final progress report must be included with all submissions.
- If all other Credentials items (including the final progress report in July) have been accepted and ONLY acceptance of the manuscript for publication is lacking (not accepted for publication by June 30th of that year), these individuals will be given one (1) additional year to have their manuscript accepted.
- In this instance the resident/fellow/candidate only needs to submit an updated application form the following January (with current mentor signature and waiver), along with a copy of the manuscript and documentation from the Journal editor (and all pertinent prior correspondence).
- If the manuscript has not been accepted for publication by June 30th of the following year, that individual’s credentials will no longer be considered accepted and a complete new application must be submitted, along with the Credentials Application fee.
- Regardless of whether the manuscript is accepted by the deadline, if other significant items are lacking from the Credentials application or the final progress report by July 15th of the year of application, that individual’s Credentials become rejected and a complete new application (including the Credentials Application fee) must be submitted the next time that individual submits Credentials.
RECREDENTIALING:
Recredentialing is required for all individuals that had their Credentials accepted 3 or more years previously (January 2007 or earlier) but have not taken and/or passed the Certification Examination.
Requirements for Recredentialing include:
1.The completed Application form (attached), but NOT including a signed mentor statement.
2.The signed waiver, release, and indemnity agreement (part of the Application Form).
3.A copy of their first-authored publication, if a publication was not included as part of the original Credentials Packet (all instructions for publications [page8] must be followed).
4.Five (5) multiple choice questions for consideration for use in subsequent examinations. Multiple choice questions must be submitted online and with the Credentials Application. Detailed instructions can be found on page 10 of this document and at
5.A copy of the prior letter from the Credentials Committee approving their credentials submission, and any related correspondence.
6.Two (2)current letters of reference, at least one of which must be from an ACVECC Diplomate. The standard ACVECC Recommendation form (attached with the Application Form) must be used.
7.Proof of50 hours of Continuing Education in Emergency/Critical Careoverthe 3 years immediately preceding and including the year of re-credentialing(documentation must include date, meeting, subject/title, speaker, and hours attended; the form used for reporting Continuing Education requirements for resident progress reports may be used).
8.The Credentials Application fee.The ACVECC Fee Submission Form (available at should be used for all fee submissions.
CREDENTIALS APPLICATION EVALUATION PROCEDURE
1.Both the basic credentials and the publication must be accepted. Strict attention to detail is critical for applications to be accepted. Omission of any item on the checklist may cause the application to be rejected.
2.The basic credentials will be evaluated as "acceptable" or "unacceptable." The reviewer will record his/her evaluation on a standard form that will be retained by the College.
3.Subsequent to review of the basic credentials, the publication will be evaluated by the Credentials Committee. Once the publication is graded acceptable it will remain accepted.
4.The Committee will seek to notify the resident or fellow of the acceptance or rejection of his/her credentials by April 1st of the year of intended examination. It is the responsibility of the resident/fellow/candidate to notify the Office of the Executive Secretary in writing of any address or email change, and to ensure that their contact information on the ACVECC website is updated. Failure to notify the above of a current address may cause misdirected mail and a significant delay in communicating results.
EVALUATION OF THE LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
Three (3) letters of recommendation must be in the office of the Executive Secretary of the College by the application deadline date. The form letter for Credentials Letters of Recommendation is attached to the Credentials Application form(page 17). One letter must be from the program mentor. If for any reason three (3) letters are not present at the time of credentials submission, the credentials will be rejected.
1.Each letter of recommendation will be evaluated on the following criteria:
a.Source of recommendation (Evaluator). Letters will only be accepted from those individuals directly familiar with the applicant's scientific and clinical skills.
b.Content of recommendation. An unsatisfactory recommendation is one wherein the letter fails to support the candidate's application.
2.If two (2) of the three (3) letters of recommendation are deemed unsatisfactory by two (2) members of the Credentials Committee, the application will be rejected.
If one (1) of the three (3) letters of recommendation is unsatisfactory, the Credentials Committee will review and discuss all the letters of recommendation. At least one (1) of the two (2) acceptable letters written for the candidate must be from an ACVECC diplomate. Personal contact with the individual who wrote the unsatisfactory letter of recommendation may be deemed necessary prior to accepting the application.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PUBLICATIONS
One hard copy and one electronic copy of the publication must be submitted. The publication must be in print (but cannot be > 5 years since publication) or accepted for publication or under review following submission. Manuscripts that are submitted (under review), but not accepted by the Credentials deadline must be accompanied by a letter from the journal editor verifying submission by November 1st of the year preceding Credentials applications. These publications pending acceptance must have final acceptance by the Editor by June 30th of the calendar year for which examination is applied to/planned. If the manuscript has been submitted or accepted but not yet published, one hard copy and one electronic copy of the letter of submission or acceptance must be included with the manuscript or the publication will not be evaluated. If you are unsure whether a response from a journal is considered "acceptance," you should petition the Chair of the Credentials Committee in writing, for clarification prior to the credential application or publication acceptance deadline. A minimum of 6 weeks time may be needed for the Credentials Committee to respond to the request for clarification on this issue.
Residents and Fellows are encouraged to submit their manuscripts well before the November 1st deadline, to help ensure enough time for editorial review and revisions. In past years otherwise strong applicants have not been able to sit for the examination because of failure to achieve final acceptance of their manuscript by the deadline.
The manuscript must be published in a refereed, scientific, medical or veterinary publication. If the resident/fellow has two (2) or more publications, he/she should be careful to select the one that meets the stated criteria. Only one manuscript may be submitted. The topics of these publications should be relevant to the discipline of emergency and critical care. Original research, retrospective studies, prospective studies, review articles, and case reports are examples of potentially acceptable publications. Book chapters do not qualify as refereed publications. A refereed journal is one that is governed by policies and procedures established and maintained by a standing editorial board that requires critical review of all papers and approval of at least one recognized authority on the subject. Mainstream journals of major disciplines are acceptable providing the journals adhere to the principles of peer review, and the subject of the paper is relevant to CC/EM. It is the candidate's responsibility to include a letter from the editor of that journal that outlines the editorial process in detail, should potential question exist with respect to rigor of peer review process (e.g., unfamiliar journal). If the letter does not adequately document to the Credentials Committee that the journal is acceptable, the publication will be rejected without further review. Any questions concerning the acceptability of a publication or journal should be directed to the Chair of the Credentials Committee in writing, at least 12 weeks prior to the credentials deadline to allow for committee action on your request. In past years, otherwise strong applicants have had difficulty determining whether a specific article is satisfactory. Program mentors and residents/fellows are counseled to consult the Chair of the Credentials Committee with any questions.
ACCEPTABLE JOURNALS
Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
American Journal of Veterinary Research
Journal of Small Animal Practice
Journal of the AmericanAnimalHospital Association
Equine Veterinary Journal
Compendium of Continuing Education
Veterinary Record
Research in Veterinary Science
Veterinary Science Research Communications
Canadian Veterinary Journal
Canadian Journal of Veterinary Research
Journal of the AmericanCollege of Veterinary Internal Medicine
Veterinary Radiology
Veterinary Surgery
Veterinary Anesthesia
Journal of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics
British Veterinary Journal
NOTE:This list is not exhaustive and many other journals may be acceptable. Candidates are reminded that the topics of acceptable publications must be relevant to the discipline of emergency/critical care medicine.
If you are uncertain of the suitability of a journal, you should petition the Chair of the Credentials Committee for clarification, in writing, well in advance of the application deadline as noted above.
THE FOLLOWING ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE PUBLICATIONS
Proceedings of . . . (various meetings, specialties)
Short communications
Serial articles (e.g., ECG of the month, Topics in drug therapy, What's your diagnosis?)
Letters to the Editor
Lay Publications (e.g., Equus, Cat Fancy)
Book chapters
Standards of Care
Instructions for Multiple Choice Questions
1.All individuals submitting a Credentials Application must submit five (5) multiple choice questions. All questions must be submitted online at. Your login for the exam question submission template is the same as you use to login on the ACVECC website and update your contact information.