AIMVT Application Process

 

Thank you for your interest in specialty credentialing in veterinary internal medicine.  A primary purpose of AIMVT is to provide the “opportunity for the veterinary technician to demonstrate superior knowledge in the care and management of cases within the selected discipline of the specialty of Internal Medicine when credentialed as a VTS (Internal Medicine)”. (AIMVT constitution, Article 2)

 

Eligibility requirements for examination are detailed in the AIMVT constitution and bylaws and although meticulous and comprehensive, they are intended to assure the public and the profession that technicians certified by AIMVT are truly qualified and deserving.

 

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

 

Read the AIMVT bylaws, which explain examination requirements, on pages 3 & 4.  These sections will clarify the required work experience, time periods, and letters of recommendation.  Applicable sections from the AIMVT bylaws are included in these instructions in italics.

 

Complete each step delineated on the AIMVT Checklist that correspond in numerical order with these instructions.  Your application packet must be assembled following the Checklist’s order.   Include all of the following items in your application packet:  

 
  1. Photocopy of your diploma or current certificate from your state’s credentialing agency.      (AIMVT Bylaws: Article 2, Section 3A)
 
  1. Sign the Waiver, Release and Indemnity Agreement Form.
 
  1. Complete the Professional History and Employment Form and include in your application packet.  Minimum work experience is at least 3 years and 6,000 hours in Internal Medicine.  This experience must be completed within five years prior to application. You must spend 75% (at least 4,500 hours) of your time in your area of specialization in Internal Medicine.  Use a separate sheet to continue with any additional qualifying employment data, using the same format. Further verification may be required in the form of pay stubs or a letter from your employer(s).                 (AIMVT Bylaws: Article 3, Section 1-2)
 
  1. Complete the Internal Medicine Continuing Education Form (this form must be used, no substitutions please). The content of qualifying Continuing Education must meet the definition of Internal Medicine and must be in the sub specialty of application.  Photocopies of attendance certificates must be included in your application packet.  CE attended before graduation from an AVMA accredited program or before credentialing by a state will not qualify.  All CE must be completed within the last five years immediately prior to the application submission deadline.  CE must meet RACE (Registry of Approved Continuing Education) certification requirements or its equivalent (as determined by the AIMVT Credentialing committee).  A minimum of 40 hours of CE is required. 
    4. (cont) Use additional sheets as necessary.  Further verification of CE attendance such as receipts or proceedings may be required.
(AIMVT Bylaws: Article 3, Section 1a, AIMVT Bylaws: Article 3, Section 3) 
  1. Complete the Advanced Veterinary Internal Medicine Technician Skills Form and Knowledge Form in your specialty.
 (AIMVT Bylaws: Article 3, Section 4A)6.      The requirements for Case Logs are that they include cases from October 1st preceding year through September 30th of the year of application. The AIMVT case log form format must be utilized.  The case logs should be typed for ease of reading.  Brevity is required.  Diagnosis is the working, tentative, or differential diagnosis of the patient, not a problem list.  A minimum of fifty cases must be recorded. Multiple visits by the same patient count as only 1 case unless presented for an entirely new problem.  They can be utilized to demonstrate advanced nursing skills but they will not count towards your total case count after the initial entry.  Case reports selected should reflect management of cases in the area of sub specialization of application. Case reports selected should demonstrate your mastery of the advanced nursing skills. Basic technician skills need not be listed.  Every effort to document your advanced nursing skills should be reflected in your case selection. Additional information on cardiology case logs is found on the prerequisite page of the website.  Include a photocopy in your application packet along with a copy on the CD Rom. Also include photocopies of three additional sets. Submit your Case Log in sequential pages, oldest to newest, numerated at the bottom of the page.  Cases may be rejected; therefore applicants are encouraged to submit more than 50 cases, with a maximum number of 75 cases.(AIMVT Bylaws: Article 3, Section  4C)7.      Select four Case Reports from your Case Log Form.  These cases should highlight your area of specialization and demonstrate your mastery of advanced nursing skills and understanding of diagnostics, therapies, and pathophysiology.  Case reports selected should reflect management of cases in the area of sub specialization of application. They should demonstrate an understanding of the case which includes detailed discussions of the disease process.  Including possible etiologies, diagnostics, procedures, treatments, goals of therapy, medications and the reason for their use, and alternative or suggested procedures or treatments.Case reports selected should demonstrate your mastery of the advanced nursing skills.  Every effort to document a wide variety of your advanced nursing skills should be reflected in your case selection.  Basic technician skills do not need to be listed.

A Case Report Outline has been posted on the AIMVT website. 

 
All Case Reports must be:

Written in style of third person

Word-processed

Double-spaced

Written in Times New Roman: Font size 12

Formatted with 1.0” margins on 8 ½” x 11” paper

Case reports cannot exceed 15,000 characters (with spaces) for the text.

A minimum of 10,000 characters is recommended

Microsoft Word: use word count; or WordPerfect: properties can be utilized to determine the character count. This character count does not include appendices. 

 

In addition, submit with the printed case reports 1 (one) CD-R with all (4) complete case report files.  Electronic files must be submitted in .rtf format.  CD-R must be labeled with your name. Specific individual laboratory data appendices should be included in each word processing file.  Please do not place case reports in plastic sheet protectors.

 

Case Reports should be carefully considered.  Cases should demonstrate advanced nursing and technical skills, and represent differing clinical disease processes. Please be thorough and describe diagnostics, case management, therapies, and pathophysiology. Pharmaceuticals must use generic names and include frequency and dosage. 

 

All abnormal laboratory or ancillary tests should be discussed, including their involvement in the elimination of differential diagnoses. Appendices may include laboratory data, radiology reports, neurologic examination reports, ECGs, ultrasound reports, cytology reports, pathology reports, microbiology and serology reports and should be typed and dated (day 1, etc.). Sample laboratory report appendices are included in these instructions on page 7.

 

A thorough patient history is encouraged, including vaccination, travel history, housing, diet, and for neonates include gestational history, gestational age, parturient history, and health of the dam. Narrative should follow a problem oriented medical record. Spelling and grammar must be flawless.

 

Abbreviations must be expanded at first mention and shown in parentheses. 

 

A complete list of accepted abbreviations without expansion is available on the website.

 All Case Reports must be the original work of the applicant and become the property of AIMVT. Plagiarism will not be tolerated.  (AIMVT Bylaws: Article 3, 4D) 
  1. Write and submit three (3) Potential Examination Questions specific to your area of specialty or general internal medicine.  These questions will be reviewed and added to the AIMVT database for possible use on future examinations.  Each question must be:

¨      Advanced in nature

¨      Multiple Choice in format with 4 possible answers, correct answer listed first

¨      Referenced from one of the AIMVT Suggested Reading List texts (include page numbers)

 (AIMVT Bylaws: Article 3, 4E) 
  1. Two letters of recommendation from a VTS (Internal Medicine) or a Diplomate of ACVIM.  Until sufficient VTS (Internal Medicine) are established, recommendations will be accepted from individuals credentialed as VTS (Anesthesia), VTS (Emergency & Critical Care) and Diplomats in Anesthesia, Emergency & Critical Care, Practice, or Surgery.  Letters of recommendation are submitted directly by the letter writers and are due by September 1st of the application year.
(AIMVT Bylaws: Article 3, 4F) 
  1. One (1) complete application packet must be submitted and bound in a 1-inch, 3-ring binder.  Also submit three (3) photocopied additional sets of the case logs and case reports, and staple the three sets individually and one (1) CD Rom of the case reports and the case logs.  (You will submit one 3-ring binder with everything included, 1 CD Rom, and 3 stapled sets of case logs/case reports to be distributed to the reviewing organizing committee members.)  Please do not place in plastic sheet protectors or other binding methods.  The applicant is encouraged to retain an additional copy.  All applications become the property of AIMVT.
 
  1. Include the application fee of $50, by check or money order, payable to AIMVT and submitted to the address to be announced on the website prior to the deadline.
 
All applications must be received by AIMVT no later than October 1, 2008. Material arriving after this date will not be accepted.  You are encouraged to use delivery confirmation (i.e., guaranteed delivery with tracking number, overnight delivery with tracking number, etc).  Retain all receipts for guaranteed delivery in the event your package does not arrive as scheduled. AIMVT is not responsible for late, lost, misdirected or otherwise delayed delivery.  AIMVT will not accept any packages after the above deadline for any reason except where proof of package delivery can be provided.   Applicants that do not meet the basic requirements will be denied and their applications will not be fully reviewed.  Rejected applications are subject to appeal.  Appeals must be requested in writing to the AIMVT Appeal Committee before the date given in the notification letter.  The AIMVT Appeals Committee is required to review and rule on appeal status within 60 days.  Decisions of the Appeals Committee are final. For successful applications the examination fee ($150.00) is due to AIMVT no later than February 1, 2009.  Applicants may request an examination fee refund if written notification is received at the AIMVT office by March 1, 2009. It is the responsibility of the applicant to insure that his or her application is complete.  The AIMVT Credentialing Committee is not responsible for incomplete applications.  Questions should be addressed to the Credentialing Chair:   Tracey Elmes, LVT, VTS (SAIM); 170 Perry St.; Putnam, CT 06260.  Tracy.Elmes@Tufts.edu