Veterinary

Accreditation

In 1921, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

established the veterinary accreditation program so

private practitioners could assist Federal veterinarians in controlling animal diseases. Today, USDA’s

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS),

accredited veterinarians, and State animal health 

officials work cooperatively in the National Veterinary

Accreditation Program (NVAP). The goal of the

NVAP is to protect and improve the health, quality,

and marketability of U.S. animals by preventing, 

controlling, and eradicating livestock and poultry 

diseases that negatively affect producers and 

consumers in the United States.

On November 23, 1992, APHIS established

accreditation on a national rather than on a State-byState basis. Creating a national system helped

APHIS ensure that enough accredited veterinarians

are available across the country. The national system

also standardized accreditation procedures and

requirements, allowing for more uniform administration of the program. APHIS replaced the qualifying

exam with an orientation program that consists of a

core orientation and a supplemental orientation.

Accredited veterinarians are the backbone of U.S.

regulatory programs for livestock and poultry 

diseases. The United States depends extensively on

accredited veterinarians for official functions, such as

inspecting, testing, and certifying animals. More than

80 percent of all U.S. veterinarians are accredited.

Businesses that transport and export animals

also rely on the expertise of accredited veterinarians

to help ensure that exported animals will not 

introduce diseases into another State or country. The

accreditation program continues to be an integral part

of U.S. animal industries.

Working Together in Regulatory Medicine

The NVAP is based on the mutual respect and

the professional partnership between APHIS, accredited veterinarians, and State animal health officials.

With the trend toward a global economy, these partners work increasingly closer to support American

agriculture by:

• Understanding the responsibilities of the program, 

• Administering the program uniformly and 

consistently, and 

• Preserving the integrity of the program.

Benefits of Accreditation

By becoming accredited, you can offer more

services to your clients. For example, large-animal

practitioners can use their accreditation to help 

contain disease outbreaks and to assist producers

with selling, buying, and transporting healthy animals.

Accredited small-animal practitioners certify 

companion animals and birds for domestic and 

international movement.

Participating in NVAP 

Veterinary accreditation is a voluntary program; it

is not mandated by the Federal Government.

Accredited veterinarians participating in NVAP must

carry out their duties according to the Standards for

Accredited Veterinarian Duties in Title 9, Code of

Federal Regulations, Part 161.

Becoming Nationally Accredited

Before performing duties under this program, you

must become accredited through APHIS Veterinary

Services (VS). You must meet certain requirements

(see table) for national accreditation, and you must

be authorized to perform accredited work in other

States. National accreditation is the status you are

given after you have met the requirements and the

approval process is complete.

Completing Orientation–To become accredited, you

must complete the core orientation that covers:

• Federal animal health laws, regulations, and 

rules;

• Interstate movement requirements for animals;

• Import and export requirements for animals;

• USDA control and eradication programs for 

animal diseases;

• Laboratory support in confirming animal diseas

diagnoses;

• Ethical and professional responsibilities;

• Animal health information relating to the State

where you are seeking accreditation; and

• State initiatives, regulations, and programs.

VS provides the core orientation at veterinary 

colleges or VS Area Offices. To schedule a core 

orientation, contact the VS Area Office nearest 

you.

Before becoming accredited, you may be

required by the APHIS Area Veterinarian In Charge

(AVIC) of a State to attend a supplemental orientation. The supplemental orientation covers that State’s

specific animal disease issues.

Factsheet

Veterinary Services September 2004

APHIS
Applying for Accreditation–For national accreditation, you must apply using VS Form 1–36A,

Application for Veterinary Accreditation. Contact the

nearest Area Office for an application. When 

completing the application, you must certify that you

are able to:

• Physically examine individual animals and visually 

inspect herds or flocks;

• Recognize common breeds of livestock and 

poultry;

• Identify animals in interstate commerce by 

recognizing brucellosis tattoos, calfhood 

vaccination tags, and State- of-origin eartags;

• Estimate the age of livestock using a dental 

formula;

• Apply an eartag, tattoo, backtag, and legband;

• Certify the disease status of a flock of birds for 

shipment;

• Properly complete certificates for domestic and 

international movement of animals;

• Apply and remove official seals;

• Necropsy livestock;

• Recognize signs and lesions of exotic animal 

diseases;

• Plan a disease control strategy for a livestock unit;

• Vaccinate for brucellosis and fill out the 

vaccination certificate;

• Draw and ship blood for testing;

• Perform a caudal-fold test for bovine tuberculosis;

• Develop cleaning and disinfection plans to control 

the spread of communicable livestock diseases;

and

• Explain the basic principles used in APHIS or 

APHIS-State cooperative programs for control of 

diseases (such as brucellosis, pseudorabies, and 

tuberculosis).

After you complete the application, send it to the

AVIC of the State where you are applying.

Notification of National Accreditation–Before 

issuing national accreditation, VS will verify that all

requirements have been met and that your application

information is correct. If approved, the AVIC will send

you a letter of approval. You must receive that letter

before you can perform accredited work. You will

receive an official certificate of veterinary 

accreditation later under separate cover.

Performing Accredited Work in Other States–If you

are nationally accredited and want to perform accredited work in another State, you do not need to reapply.

However, you do need to notify the Area Office in that

State, and you may be required to attend a supplemental orientation covering specific animal health

issues for that State. Before you can begin accreditation work in that State, you must receive a letter of

authorization from the AVIC.

This table shows the basic requirements for

national accreditation and for authorization in other

States:

Requirements for Veterinary Accreditation 

Requirements For National For Authorization in 

Accreditation Other State

Complete a core orientation program Yes No

Complete a supplemental orientation A supplemental orientation A supplemental orientation may 

program may be required to address be required to address specific 

specific animal health issues animal health issues for a 

for a State. State.

Have a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Yes Yes

degree or an equivalent degree from an 

accredited school of veterinary medicine

Be licensed or legally able to practice Yes Yes

without supervision in the State

Submit a completed application, Yes No

VS Form 1-36A 

Notify the AVIC of each additional State NA Yes

where seeking to do accredited work
The NVAP is undergoing a comprehensive review.

If you have any questions or comments regarding the

program you can contact the Program Manager at the

address listed below.

Additional Information

To learn more about the NVAP, contact your local

VS Area Office or the NVAP coordinator:

Dr. Lawrence Miller

USDA, APHIS, OSS

4700 River Road, Unit 46

Riverdale, MD 20737–1231

Telephone: (301) 734–6188

Fax: (301) 734–3641

E-mail: Lawrence.E.Miller@ aphis.usda.gov

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination

in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national

origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to

all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative

means for communication of program information (Braille, large

print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at

(202) 720–2600 (voice and TDD).

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of

Civil Rights, Room 326–W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence

Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250–9410 or call (202) 720–5964

(voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and

employer.

United States Department of Agriculture • Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service • Safeguarding American Agriculture