Continuing the guest post theme, I have the honor of posting this letter on behalf of Dr. Robert Marshak.  He originally sent it to all the state veterinary medical associations and allied organizations, and had it edited for sharing on social media so his message could reach the broader professional community. I appreciate the opportunity to present his message here. -Eden 

An Open Letter to the Veterinary Profession from Dr. Robert Marshak

Dean Emeritus, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania

Dear colleagues,

The call will come soon from NACIQI for written comments on whether the AVMA Council on Education (COE) should receive continuing recognition as the agency for veterinary school accreditation.   

As a 70 year participant in and dare I say founder of our shared profession I would ask...

... that you make a final assessment of what’s at stake- for yourself, for your part of the profession, and for our profession as a whole.  

I ask you to inform NACIQI by written comment that you do not accept the COE’s present policies, procedures, and decisions in consideration of your own answers to the following questions:

• Are you prepared to accept a continuing loss of respect- from fellow health professionals, agriculture, industry, and the public- as our formerly science based profession sees continuing accreditation of schools that produce maximum numbers of minimally educated entry-level graduates?   

• Are you prepared to accept claims from COE and AAVMC that, in an age when biomedical knowledge is growing at a pace unprecedented in human history, veterinary schools that contribute so little to the creation of new knowledge, the discovery and cure of new diseases, the development of new procedures, the cultivation of critically thinking scientists so necessary to advance our profession- can possibly be in strategic alignment with our profession’s and society’s changing needs?

• Are you prepared to accept the claims from COE that it now has autonomy and independence, even though the COE still does not have its own independent budget, staff and secretarial support, office space, or legal counsel?

• Are you prepared to accept that the AVMA Executive Board’s unilateral decisions will continue to set policy for the COE, such as continuing accreditation of foreign veterinary schools?

• Are you prepared to accept the real and perceived conflicts of interest that pervade the relationship between the COE, AVMA and AAVMC?

• Are you prepared to accept the continuing devaluation of your veterinary medical degree… and the concomitant long term, profoundly negative effects on the economic status of the practitioner community?

Please see the discussions taking place in the Facebook group Under the Microscope: Professional Issues in Veterinary Medicine for many thoughtful and supportive statements from across the profession, and please email me at [email protected] so I can let you know when NACIQI calls for comments.

Sincerely,

Bob Marshak