Veterinary Clinical Skills Assessment
There are two pathways by which you may complete the Step 4: Clinical Proficiency requirement for the PAVE Program.
Pathway 1: The Evaluated Clinical Experience (ECE)
This pathway is for currently enrolled students OR veterinary graduates from non-accredited veterinary schools uses the Evaluated Clinical Experience. The ECE may be completed pre- or post-graduation. For further information on the Evaluated Clinical Experience, please click here.
Pathway 2: The Veterinary Clinical Skills Assessment (VCSA)
This pathway is for graduates of non-accredited veterinary schools. PAVE candidates who do not pass the QE prior to their first clinical rotation would need to take the VCSA to meet the clinical proficiency requirement for the PAVE Program.
The Veterinary Clinical Skills Assessment (VCSA) examination was developed to evaluate entry level clinical skills for international veterinary graduates. It is one of the two pathways by which international veterinary graduates may achieve PAVE certification. The VCSA is administered at Cedar Valley College in Dallas, TX.
Eligibility Requirements
- Verification of Credentials
- Demonstration of English proficiency
- Successful completion of the Qualifying Examination
- Graduation from a non-accredited veterinary college outside of the United States.
Format
Two day examination in 4 sections:
- Clinical Skills and Physical Examination
- Laboratory, Radiology, and Necropsy
- Anesthesia and Surgery
- Clinical Encounters (small and large animal cases)
The 2011 VCSA application is now available. Please return the application by fax or mail no later than October 29, 2010. The examination fee must be paid in full at the time of application.
2011 VCSA Application (PDF)
About the VCSA
- Administered in January each year. An additional administration may be scheduled.
- Developed and administered by the National Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners
- Candidates must pass the examination in its entirety; retakers must repeat the entire examination.
- Cost of the examination is $5000
- Candidates who pass the VCSA will be eligible for PAVE Certification
The Clinical Encounter
The PAVE Program's VCSA examination is the first to include a component which evaluates a veterinarian's ability to communicate with their clients.
Communication is recognized by licensing boards as extremely important, and for that reason, the VCSA has been structured to include several clinical encounters based on both small animal and large animal cases.
In the encounters, candidates will interact with persons trained to portray clients, and their performance will be observed and evaluated by trained examiners.
The clinical encounters are based on similar assessments of communications skills now being used to evaluate licensure candidates in human medicine and other professions.