Accreditation Committee for Veterinary Nurse Education
ACOVENE is a voluntary organisation founded in 2007 to accredit veterinary nurse education programmes in Europe.
Veterinary nurses are increasingly significant members of the veterinary team in European countries.
Whilst every country has its established systems for their education and training, a more standardised approach assists registration bodies and veterinary employers to facilitate the movement of qualified veterinary nurses between European states.
download documents
ACOVENE accreditation is voluntary and provides accredited schools with a number of significant benefits.
The standards for delivery of education programmes can found here
The standards for curriculum content can be found here
Benefits
for veterinary nurses.
An ACOVENE-accredited programme ensures that graduating veterinary nurses attain a known minimum standard of knowledge and skills.
The Accreditation Committee for Veterinary Nurse Education (ACOVENE) Board subjects their programme to expert visitation and ongoing monitoring. This accreditation means these nurses have highly employable skills within European veterinary practice, which provides them opportunities to work in many member states. An increasing number of countries regulate the veterinary nursing profession. Most registration bodies recognise graduation from an ACOVENE-accredited programme, which speeds up the professional registration process where required.
Benefits
for schools of veterinary nursing.
Accreditation by ACOVENE provides an assurance of quality, international parity and recognition for a veterinary nursing programme.
Graduates value this status because veterinary employers both nationally and internationally recognise their knowledge and skills. The accreditation process supports educators and helps them improve programme organisation, delivery, and quality assurance from the outset. ACOVENE provides schools with guidance and the opportunity to network with other accredited programmes on an ongoing basis.
Please note that individual educational institutes may offer multiple veterinary nursing courses. Students are advised to confirm with their educational institute which of their veterinary nursing programmes hold ACOVENE accreditation.
Students should also be aware that recognition of their qualification in other countries may require additional assessment processes, or may not be recognised at all, regardless of the accreditation status of their educational institute.