If you have a question that is not answered below, contact the ACVS office (sdonnelly@acvs.org).
Choose a general topic from the list below:
Application Submission
Accessing the Application
Personnel Requirements
Equipment Requirements
Application Submission
Q: How does my hospital/institution become a registered program?
A: Prospective training programs must submit a registration application to ACVS for review. Separate applications are required for small animal programs and large animal programs. Completed applications are generally due the third week of August for the following residency year beginning July 1. ACVS will announce the exact application deadline one year in advance on the ACVS website. Program directors will be notified of the outcome of their application by December 1.
Q: Is an application fee required to submit a program registration application?
A: No application fee required to submit a program registration application.
Q: If my new program registration application is accepted, how soon may we start training a resident?
A: New residents may only start training within the dates of the published residency requirements for the corresponding registration period. Example: program registration applications submitted in August 2022 correspond to the July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024 residency year. If the program is accepted for registration, new residents may start training on or after July 1, 2023.
Q: Do registered programs have to renew their registration with ACVS?
A: Yes. Registration must be renewed annually with ACVS as long as residents are actively training at the program. Renewal applications are accepted each August (generally in the third week) for the following residency year. The exact submission date is posted on the ACVS website one year in advance.
Q: Will I need to fill out the entire application each year in order to renew our program registration?
A: For future renewals specific sections (not all) of the application will pre-populate with the information submitted the previous year. Program Directors will be able to verify pre-populated information, make needed changes, and move through the application very efficiently. Sections not pre-populated must be completed each year as part of the registration renewal process.
Q: All required signatures have been recorded but the Submit Application button is still grey and won’t allow me to submit the application. What should I do?
A: Make sure the Program Information section of the application says “Completed.” If it does not, your work in this section may not have been added to the application record. Click on “Program Information” to reopen this section. Then, click the BLUE Submit button to add the information in this section to the application record. If you still have difficulty submitting the application contact the Sarah Donnelly, programs manager, at sdonnelly@acvs.org for further assistance.
Accessing the Application
Q: I’m the program director for a new program. How do I gain access to the online Program Registration Application?
A: All new program directors must contact Sarah Donnelly, programs manager at sdonnelly@acvs.org, to obtain appropriate access to submit a new application.
Q: I’ve taken over as the program director at our institution/practice. Will I need to take special steps in order to access our program’s registration application?
A: You will need to contact Sarah Donnelly, programs manager, at sdonnelly@acvs.org to configure your access to the program’s renewal application.
Personnel Requirements
Q: My registered program has two full-time ACVS Diplomates and we currently have two residents in their second year of training. May we take on a new resident in the upcoming residency year?
A: ACVS Residency Training Standards & Requirements state two full-time ACVS Diplomates may train up to three residents. One additional core ACVS Diplomate is required for each additional resident beyond three. Programs that do not meet this requirement will not be registered by ACVS. Programs that drop below the required number of core ACVS Diplomates for the number of residents actively training will be placed on probation and will have two months to hire a new surgeon.
Q: My practice/institution only has one ACVS Diplomate. Can I submit a collaborative application with another practice/institution to satisfy the requirement for a minimum of two ACVS Diplomates?
A: No. ACVS Residency Training Standards require, at a minimum two full-time ACVS Diplomates working in the same practice/institution as the resident to establish a residency training program. In a collaborative program, each participating practice/institution must have, at a minimum, two full-time ACVS Diplomates onsite.
Q: My practice/institution does not have an ACVIM Diplomate onsite. Can I submit a collaborative application with another practice/institution in order to satisfy the requirement for one ACVIM?
A: No. ACVS Residency Training Standards require at a minimum one ACVIM (Internal Medicine) Diplomate working at the same practice/institution as the resident to establish a residency training program. The emphasis is that the ACVIM (Internal Medicine) Diplomate is onsite and actively involved in resident training through direct, personal, one-on-one instruction throughout the residency. Programs that do not meet this requirement will not be registered by ACVS. In a collaborative program, each participating practice/institution must have, at a minimum, one ACVIM (Internal Medicine) Diplomate onsite.
Q: My practice/institution has an ACVIM Diplomate who visits us one or two days a month but is available for consults at any time. Is this enough time to satisfy the requirement for one ACVIM Diplomate?
A: No. Interactions of only 1 or 2 days a month during residency training are not likely to meet the required 900 hours/year onsite and are not considered a sufficient amount of time to meet the spirit and intent of the requirement to guide the resident through direct, personal, one-on-one instruction throughout the residency.
Q: My practice/institution employs an ACVR Diplomate who consults on all of our diagnostic imaging but works remotely (i.e., is not onsite). Can this ACVR Diplomate be counted towards satisfying the requirement for allied specialists on our program registration application?
A: No. The emphasis of the requirement is that the allied specialists are onsite and actively involved in resident training through direct, personal, one-on-one instruction throughout the residency. Consulting done solely via telemedicine communications (phone/email/skype, etc.) is not sufficient to meet the spirit and intent of the ACVS Residency Training Standards requirement.
Q: My practice/institution works with an ACVR Diplomate who visits one or two times a month but is available for consults at any time. Can this ACVR Diplomate be counted toward satisfying the requirement for allied specialists on our program registration application?
A: No. Interactions of only one or two days a month during residency training are not considered a sufficient amount of time to meet the spirit and intent of the allied specialist requirement to guide the resident through direct, personal, one-on-one instruction throughout the residency.
Q: My small animal practice has an ACVIM Diplomate and one other allied specialist onsite. Can I submit a collaborative application with a specialist at a nearby practice/institution to satisfy the requirement for two allied specialists for small animal residencies?
A: No. ACVS Residency Training Standards require small animal residency training programs to have, at a minimum, two allied specialists Diplomates working at the same practice/institution as the resident to establish a residency training program. The emphasis is that these allied specialist Diplomates are onsite and actively involved in resident training through direct, personal, one-on-one instruction throughout the residency. In a collaborative program, each participating practice/institution is required to have, at a minimum, two allied specialist Diplomates onsite. The Residency Program Compliance Committee may consider collaborative applications where a secondary site does not have two allied specialists if the time spent by the resident at the secondary site does not exceed twelve weeks and the benefit of the resident spending time at the secondary site outweighs the deficiencies of the site.
Equipment Requirements
Q: My practice/institution does not have onsite advanced imaging equipment (MRI/CT or Nuclear medicine capability). We refer to a nearby imaging facility for our patients. Can I submit a collaborative application with the imaging facility to fulfill this equipment requirement?
A: No. Equipment designated as Required Equipment by the ACVS Residency Training Standards must be present at the practice/institution where the resident is training in order to establish a residency training program. The Residency Program Compliance Committee may consider collaborative applications where a secondary site does not have all required equipment if the time spent by the resident at the secondary site does not exceed twelve weeks and the benefit of the resident spending time at the secondary site outweighs the deficiencies of the site.
