Connecticut vet board weighs Latinx association's call for audit of licensing exam, defers to AVMA

Mary Anne O'Neil, chair of the Connecticut Board of Veterinary Medicine, presented a letter from the Latinx Veterinary Medical Association asking the board to support an audit of the national veterinary licensing exam and to issue a public statement endorsing that review.

Kevin Hanstead advised the board that it lacked statutory authority to issue a public statement directly and that "the commissioner may issue such a statement" if the board requested it. "If the board wants to request that the commissioner do so, it certainly can do that, but it can't issue the statement on its own," Hanstead said.

Chris Andresen, representing department staff, told the board he was familiar with periodic psychometric reviews of licensing exams but said he had not seen prior complaints about the veterinary exam and that conducting a review can be "a big undertaking". He said the letter initially went to the Department of Agriculture and was then forwarded to the department.

Board members questioned whether the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) had already issued a response or guidance and whether schools that train veterinarians might be more directly relevant to concerns about pass rates. Several members urged the board to lean on the AVMA's legal team and education leaders for more context.

The board agreed to take no action on the request until it hears back from the AVMA. Tim Plunkett volunteered to contact the AVMA and to circulate any findings to board members before the next meeting.