Frequently Asked Questions.

How will a visitation be organised?

School visitations will involve a team of three visitors who will spend two days at the applicant school. The visitation team will include two ACOVENE visitors, one of whom will be a member of the ACOVENE Accreditation Board, and a veterinary surgeon or veterinary nurse from the country of the applicant school.

Further details about the application and visitation processes can be downloaded here

What are the advantages of ACOVENE accreditation?

ACOVENE ensures that all accredited schools meet minimum standards of quality in terms of their resources and facilities. Accredited courses must also address an agreed Dossier of Competencies, thus ensuring that veterinary nurses graduating from an accredited school possess a known standards of knowledge and skill. This means that potential employers can be assured of veterinary nurses who are educated to a known standard. This, in turn, should facilitate greater ease of employment across national boundaries within the EU.

How long will ACOVENE accredit a school for?

ACOVENE accreditation will normally be for a period of five years. During this time, an accredited school will be expected to submit an annual self-assessment report to ACOVENE. The Accreditation Board also reserves the right to make periodic audit visits to accredited schools.

How can my school apply for accreditation?

If you are interested in applying for accreditation, or would like further information, please contact ACOVENE to let us know that you intend to apply. Acovene will set a time frame for your application and the planned visitation.

Please note that your application includes a self evaluation report and you will need time to make this report. The report must be submitted 8 weeks before the planned visitation date. The whole accreditation process from the time that you make your declaration of intent until the accreditation decision will take a minimum of 6 months.

You can download the application form and guidance from this website.
Please see also under “applying for accreditation”.

How much will accredtiation cost?

The accreditation fees as from June 2007 are:
Initial application and accreditation € 4,500
Annual fee € 800

You should note that these are approximate fees;
the substantive fees will be set by ACOVENE at the conclusion of the pilot phase.
ACOVENE will also consider the affiliation of national systems of accreditation for veterinary nursing schools, providing that such schemes address the standards for resources, facilities and curriculum set by the Accreditation Board.

ACOVENE will also consider the affiliation of national systems of accreditation for veterinary nursing schools, providing that such schemes address the standards for resources, facilities and curriculum set by the Accreditation Board.