Dear ACVIM Community,
The 2024 Leadership Convening and Volunteer Workshop took place during the ACVIM Forum in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This year’s workshop was designed to explore the changing environment for residency training and to elicit input into the current effort to revise and align program requirements where appropriate.
The need to revise and simplify residency training requirements was discussed and identified as a priority during the 2023 Volunteer Leadership Convening. The topic was revisited in this year’s convening, in which over 60 ACVIM volunteer leaders, residents, staff and other stakeholders focused on a framework for changing the current training model. As detailed in the white paper summary, participants drew on John Kotter’s 8-Step Process for Leading Change to ensure any changes implemented are thoughtful, intentional and sustainable.
Key Takeaways
Participants identified factors leading to wide variations and inequity in the residency training experience, including:
- Need for a clearer roadmap to guide residents
- Emergence of distributed learning models
- Ongoing shortage of specialists
- Complexity and differences in program requirements across the college
To address this, the ACVIM Training Optimization Task Force (TOTF) was assembled to lead a college-wide review of Residency Training Program (RTP) requirements, comprised of representatives from all ACVIM specialties:
- Cardiology: Neal Peckens, DVM, DACVIM (Cardiology)
- LAIM: Elsbeth O’Fallon, DVM, DACVIM (LAIM)
- Neurology: Monica Aleman, MVZ Cert., PhD, DACVIM (LAIM & Neurology)
- Nutrition: Daniel Chan, DVM, DECVECC, DACVIM (Nutrition)
- Oncology: Jenna Burton, DVM, MS, DACVIM (Oncology)
- SAIM: Anna Threlfall, BVSc, MVetMed, MRCVS, DACVIM (SAIM) DipECVIM-CA
- RTPOTF: Lynn Guptill, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (SAIM)
- RTPOTF: Adam Birkenheuer (Chair), DVM, PhD, DACVIM (SAIM)
- Staff Liaison: Nicole Finn, MS, ICE-CCP
The TOTF will guide, coordinate and communicate project progress and engage member input as they prepare their final recommendations for action by the Board of Regents.
Also discussed by participants during the convening were:
- Emerging issues in the RTP environment which will impact and guide the work to be done
- The degree to which alignment across the ACVIM’s training requirements is possible
- Potential barriers that the TOTF, Board of Regents and ACVIM staff should consider as we move forward with this change process.
These discussions and their conclusions will help develop a common foundation that supports growth, efficiency and consistency across the residency training experience.
We invite you to read through the white paper summary to gain a complete understanding of the discussion and to stimulate your own thoughts and input. Opportunities for ongoing discussion will be established and your input is always welcome and encouraged.
Please reach out to
Certification@ACVIM.org with any direct feedback or to express your interest in involvement in future discussions. Thank you for your continued time, work and dedication to our college!
Sincerely,
Sarah Gillings, DVM, MS, DACVIM (Oncology)
President, ACVIM Board of Regents