Accreditations & Certifications
AAHA
- For over 25 years, Pleasant Valley Animal Hospital has had the distinction
of being accredited by the the American
Animal Hospital Association - one of only four such hospitals in Dutchess
County. Across North America only 18% of pet hospitals meet these rigorous
accreditation requirements. AAHA was founded in 1933 to improve the practice
of veterinary medicine by creating standards of excellence for veterinary
hospitals. AAHA standards are recognized internationally as the industry
benchmark for quality companion animal medical and surgical care. AAHA is
the only organization that accredits small animal hospitals throughout the
United States. To achieve and maintain accreditation, hospitals undergo
rigorous evaluations by AAHA practice consultants. These individuals inspect
all areas of the hospital to ensure compliance with the AAHA standards of
excellence, which cover the following areas:
Anesthesia
- Dentistry
- Diagnostic Services
- Emergency Services
- Examination Facilities
- Housekeeping and Maintenance
- Medical Library
- Nursing Care
- Patient Records
- Pharmacy
- Radiology
- Surgery
ABVP
- The American Board
of Veterinary Practitioners (ABVP) seeks to promote the highest of standards
in contemporary veterinary clinical practice. Diplomates of ABVP are veterinarians
who have demonstrated expertise in a broad range of subjects related to
clinical practice. The rigorous credentialing process, which can take three
years to complete, relies on high-quality, practice-related experience,
as Diplomates must have a minimum of six years of clinical practice before
application for certification can be made. Certification requires the submission
of two clinical case reports suitable for publication in referred journals,
letters of recommendation by veterinary specialists familiar with the quality
of the candidate's medical work, a three part examination spanning two full
days, and re-certification every ten years.
Dr.
Gearhart has been an ABVP Diplomate since 1985. One case report for certification
in 1985 was published in the Journal of the American Animal Hospital
Association and presented a dog with a fatal neurological condition
called Granulomatous Meningoencephalomyelitis. The other case report presented
a puppy with a congenital liver defect called an Hepatic Porto-systemic
Shunt.
She was re-certified in 1993 by again passing the examination, but chose to re-certify this next period by submitting two case reports in 2003 instead of sitting an exam. These reports present a cat with breast cancer who received chemotherapy, and a Great Dane in heart failure due to Dilative Cardiomyopathy who received a drug currently available only in Europe called pimobendan. The article on the Great Dane is likely to be considered for publication since pimobendan is being studied for approval in the United States. Her re-certification is pending as these articles are under review by ABVP.
IVAS
- The International
Veterinary Acupuncture Society (IVAS) is dedicated to promoting excellence
in the practice of veterinary acupuncture while integrating veterinary acupuncture
and the practice of western veterinary science. IVAS strives to establish
uniformly high standards of veterinary acupuncture through educational programs
and a rigorous accreditation program. Full certification by IVAS requires
attendance for all sessions of the 6 month core training course (240 hours
of educational credit), passing of a two day examination, a forty hour externship
in an IVAS-approved veterinary acupuncture clinic, acceptance of a clinical
case report suitable for publication in a referred journal, and 15 credit
hours of continuing education in acupuncture every year after certification
is granted.
