VTH Standards Impress AAHA
NC State University’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital at the College of Veterinary Medicine has a four-year accreditation by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) following an extensive on-site evaluation of hospital programs and practices.
The 2008 evaluation involved a detailed examination of 19 areas—diagnostic imaging, anesthesia, emergency and critical care, surgery, patient care, dentistry, pain management, contagious disease, examination facilities, pharmacy, laboratory, referral standards, continuing education, housekeeping and maintenance, medical records, client service, safety, human resources, and leadership.
AAHA gave the Veterinary Teaching Hospital (VTH) high marks in all areas with perfect scores for emergency and critical care, examination facilities, and leadership. One survey team member said, “The visit to NC State is the highlight of my year” and noted that several VTH procedures will become benchmarks for other veterinary hospitals.
The following is from the report’s cover letter to Dean Warwick Arden:
Congratulations on such a successful AAHA evaluation and thank you for your commitment to continuous improvement not only for your practice but for the entire veterinary community. You can be very proud of your practice and the excellent care you provide to your clients and their pets. AAHA accreditation demonstrates that you’re willing to take that extra step toward hospital excellence. You are to be applauded for your success.
The following were noted as outstanding components of your evaluation:
- You have well-written standard operating protocols.
- The staff exhibited admirable teamwork.
- The practice exemplifies good implementation of AAHA standards of excellence.
- The hospital is sparkling clean and fresh smelling, an important criterion to new and existing clients.
The AAHA was founded in 1933 to promote high-quality standards for small animal private practice. Today, the AAHA serves more than 40,000 veterinary care providers in the U.S. and overseas and is dedicated to professional development and education programs as well as its national hospital accreditation standards.
Established in 1983, the NC State VTH is one of the highest rated academic veterinary medical centers in the country, serving communities throughout North Carolina as well as other states. The VTH mission is three-fold:
- Compassionate, state of the art specialty health care.
- Expert clinical instruction for 4th year veterinary students from the CVM.
- Ongoing investigation of innovative techniques and procedures to further advance veterinary medicine.
Each year, veterinarians refer more than 22,000 patients to be diagnosed and treated in the VTH.
Updated Dec. 10, 2009
