The University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine seeks to actively collaborate with students to develop innovative ways to ensure accessibility and create a respectful, accountable culture through our campus Disability Resources and Educational Services (DRES). We are committed to excellence in accessibility and encourage students to request accommodations, if needed.
Prospective students and students enrolled in the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program are required to achieve competency in skills related to observation, communication, motor, intellectual, behavioral/social, and ethics/professionalism to achieve their DVM degree, as specified below. The technical and professional competency standards delineated below must be met with or without reasonable accommodation. Accommodations are considered reasonable if they do not fundamentally alter the DVM program, do not pose a direct risk to any animal or person, and do not create an undue hardship on the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine.
This technical and professional competency standards document outlines the necessary minimum physical and mental abilities required in the DVM program and should not deter any candidate or DVM student where reasonable accommodation(s) will allow completion of the program. Educational competencies required to earn the DVM degree veterinarian are determined by the faculty and the national accreditation body (AVMA Council on Education).
Observation:
Students must be able to directly obtain information from demonstrations and procedures in pre-clinical and clinical coursework. Students should be able to assess a patient and evaluate findings accurately, detect changes in patient behavior, physical, and mental status to provide appropriate veterinary care. These skills require the use of vision, hearing, and touch, or the functional equivalent.
Communication:
Students must communicate competently with clients and interdisciplinary health care professionals, establishing collaborative relationships that support the elicitation and dissemination of critical information. Students should be able to communicate effectively and sensitively, both in person and in writing.
Motor:
Students will be required to perform physical tasks in the course of participation in their educational and clinical experience. After a reasonable period of training, students should be able to independently perform physical examinations as well as preventive, diagnostic, medical, surgical, and emergency procedures. Such actions require some coordination of both gross and fine muscular movement, balance, and equilibrium.
Intellectual, Conceptual, Integrative, and Quantitative:
Students must be able to comprehend, retain, and apply detailed and complex information and engage in problem-solving in both the pre-clinical and clinical coursework. Students are expected to accurately measure, calculate, reason, analyze, synthesize, and communicate information. In addition, after a reasonable amount of instruction, students should be able to comprehend spatial and three-dimensional relationships of structures, for example, the anatomical structure of an animal. Students should also be able to adapt to different learning environments and modalities.
Behavioral and Social Abilities:
Students must possess the emotional resilience necessary to fully apply their intellectual abilities, exercise sound judgment, promptly fulfill responsibilities related to patient diagnosis and care, and cultivate mature, empathetic, and effective relationships with clients, peers, faculty, staff, and the broader health care team. They should be able to fully attend the curriculum, which requires active engagement in educational and clinical activities. They should display flexibility and adaptability and function in a fast-paced changing environment with the uncertainties and stressors inherent in the clinical problems of many of their patients. Students must also be able to receive, comprehend, and act on informal and focal constructive feedback. Compassion, integrity, concern for others, interpersonal skills, professionalism, interest, motivation, punctuality, and consistent attendance are all personal qualities students are expected to demonstrate during the education process.
Ethics and Professionalism:
Students must maintain and display ethical and professional behaviors commensurate with the role of a veterinarian in all their interactions with clients, patients, faculty, staff, fellow students, the entire health care team, and the public. After a reasonable period of time, students should be able to demonstrate realistic self-assessment of knowledge and skills and engage in personal reflective practice to achieve the competencies of the program and the profession. The student is expected to understand the legal and ethical aspects of the practice of veterinary medicine and function within the law and ethical standards of the profession.
Additional Information about Accommodations:
Any prospective or current University of Illinois DVM student who determines that they require reasonable accommodation to fully engage in the program should contact DRES (https://dres.illinois.edu) to confidentially discuss their condition and accommodation needs. This could include permanent or temporary disabilities. Enrolled DVM students will be assigned an accommodation specialist through DRES. In addition, students can also directly contact the Associate Dean of Academic and Student Affairs to discuss specific needs, though this is not required. The student’s DRES accommodation specialist may work with the College of Veterinary Medicine Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs to share the student’s specific accommodation needs (not the diagnoses) to develop a plan for accommodation. Students are responsible for sending any letter(s) of accommodation to the Academic and Student Affairs office (by emailing a copy of the letter to studentaccess@vetmed.illinois.edu). Preclinical students are required to email a copy of their accommodation letter to the curriculum coordinator and instructors of elective courses. Students in clinical rotations must send a copy of their accommodation letter to the faculty clinician on service who will be evaluating their performance. The curricular coordinator (in preclinical curriculum) or faculty clinician (on clinical rotations) will share accommodation information to the teaching staff and faculty on a need-to-know basis related to the timely implementation of accommodation.
Additional information about DRES policies and procedures can be found on the DRES website (https://dres.illinois.edu/about/dres-policies-and-procedures/). The University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine Accommodations policy can be found on the ASA website (https://vetmed.illinois.edu/intranet-asa/accommodations-policy/).
Prior to starting in the DVM program, all DVM students are required to sign an agreement acknowledging that they have read and understand this policy.
I have read the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine Technical and Professional Competency Standards document and attest that I am able to meet these standards with or without reasonable accommodation.
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