BY: SAMANTHA BARTLETT, DVM
The American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education (AVMA COE) has issued a letter of reasonable assurance to the Ana G. Mendez University-Gurabo School of Veterinary Medicine after a site visit in August 2023. The letter indicates that the school may become accredited in the future if they complete all of the plans sent to the AVMA COE.
The new School of Veterinary Medicine will contain a veterinary degree program and the existing associate and bachelor degree programs in veterinary technology. Planned facilities include teaching hospitals for both small and large animals and specialized laboratories for anatomy, pathology, diagnostic imaging and surgery and anesthesia. Existing facilities and libraries will also be used by the new program.
The university’s veterinary program will be a four-year curriculum with the fourth year focused on clinical studies. Although the teaching hospitals will be the main resource for clinical rotations, the school has entered into agreements with outside teaching hospitals at Kansas State University, Michigan State University, Oregon State University, Purdue University, the University of Florida, and the University of Missouri to host fourth-year students in their clinical rotations.
The university is currently accepting applications directly through its website for the first class to start this fall. Next year’s class will be able to apply through the Veterinary Medical College Application Service (VMCAS). Tuition and fees for first year students will be $75,350.
The Ana G. Mendez University – Gurabo is a private university located about 25 miles south of San Juan. The university’s veterinary technology program received accreditation from the AVMA Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities in 2018. It is the first program in Puerto Rico to receive accreditation for both associate and bachelor degrees in veterinary technology. The university plans to hire 11 faculty members for the initial veterinary class. As the program develops, more faculty members will be added. Veterinary students will also have opportunities to pursue further degrees such as a master’s in environmental science or public health.
