Essential Functions and Technical Standards

Purpose

The Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine (ISU CVM) and University of Nebraska Lincoln Professional Program in Veterinary Medicine (UNL PPVM) recognize the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree as a broad degree requiring that the holder has acquired general knowledge and skills and shows an ability to apply both in a reasonably independent and autonomous manner in all fields of veterinary medicine. To earn a DVM, a student must complete the clinical component which involves direct care of actual patients and communication with clients, colleagues, and veterinary medical professionals. New graduates must have the basic scientific knowledge, skills, and values to provide entry-level health care, independently, at the time of graduation.

ISU CVM and UNL PPVM have established these minimal essential functions and technical standards to provide a framework to balance several coexisting interests: (1) the privileges extended to candidates (term used to identify applicants and/or currently enrolled students); (2) the safety of candidates, their colleagues, and veterinary patients; (3) the significant clinical training component of the DVM curriculum; (4) the requirements for accreditation by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Council on Education (COE); and (5) the conditions for licensure of veterinary graduates. These coexisting interests and the nature of veterinary educational activities may prevent some candidates from qualifying for enrollment or continued enrollment and may limit access to the academic programs of ISU CVM and UNL PPVM.

Technical Standards

Essential eligibility requirements for participation by candidates in the ISU CVM or UNL PPVM program minimally include the following:

I. Observation

Candidates must be able to directly obtain information from demonstrations and procedures in pre-clinical and clinical coursework. This includes but is not limited to physiology and pharmacology demonstrations and examining microbiologic cultures, gross and microscopic anatomy, and pathology specimens. In the clinical environment, candidates must be able to assess individual animals and populations of animals and evaluate findings accurately, as well as monitor and detect changes in patient physical status or behavior. These skills require the use of vision, hearing, and touch or the functional equivalent. Performing a skill within a set amount of time may also be an essential element.

II. Communication

Candidates must be able to communicate understandably and professionally with clients, colleagues, and veterinary professionals in academic and clinical settings. This includes the ability to obtain and disseminate information from and to clients, colleagues and veterinary medical professionals, including in clinical contexts with members of the public. Candidates must be able to communicate effectively, efficiently and sensitively utilizing verbal, non-verbal and written communication.

III. Motor

Candidates must possess fine motor skills needed to perform daily veterinarian functions which include, but are not limited to patient restraint, palpation, auscultation, emergency and surgical procedures, and basic laboratory procedures such as urinalysis and necropsy. In addition, candidates must be able to demonstrate large/gross motor skills needed to perform various daily functions which include but are not limited to movement from danger when handling a patient in a confined area. Candidates must be able to touch, handle, and otherwise physically interact with animals from a variety of species including companion animals, domestic livestock, and wildlife. Candidates must possess adequate body strength for routine procedures such as animal restraint, lifting patients with or without help, and carrying equipment and supplies in the field. Guidelines for such activities include routinely lifting objects and/or animals weighing up to 10 kg, occasionally lifting objects and/or animals weighing up to 20 kg to a height of one meter, and carrying the object or animal for a distance of at least two meters.

IV. Intellectual-Conceptual, Integrative and Quantitative

Candidates must be able to comprehend, retain, and apply detailed and complex information and engage in problem solving in both pre-clinical and clinical coursework. Candidates are expected to possess the ability to accurately measure, calculate, reason, analyze, synthesize, and communicate information. Candidates should be able to comprehend spatial and three-dimensional relationships of structures, for example, the anatomical structure of an animal. Candidates must be able to adapt to different learning environments and modalities. Demonstrating such intellectual, conceptual, integrative, and quantitative abilities within a set amount of time may also be an essential element.

V. Interpersonal and Self-Regulation Skills

Candidates must demonstrate the interpersonal and self-regulation skills necessary to communicate effectively, manage stress, exercise sound judgment, and meet academic and clinical responsibilities. This includes sustaining attention and organization to fully engage their intellectual abilities; completing assignments and clinical duties in a timely manner; and developing respectful, effective relationships with clients, peers, faculty, staff, and members of the health care team. They must be able to fully attend the curriculum, which requires active engagement in educational and clinical activities. They must display flexibility and adaptability and function in a fast-paced, changing environment with the uncertainties and stressors inherent in the clinical problems of their patients. Candidates must be able to tolerate strenuous workloads under stressful conditions, including situations involving high caseloads requiring multitasking and emergency situations requiring immediate decisions. Candidates must also be able to receive, comprehend, and act on informal and formal constructive feedback. Compassion, integrity, concern for others, interpersonal skills, professionalism, interest, motivation, punctuality, and consistent attendance are all personal qualities expected during the education process.

VI. Ethics and Professionalism

Candidates must maintain and display ethical and professional behaviors commensurate with the role of a veterinarian in all their interactions with clients, patients, faculty, staff, fellow students, the entire health care team, and the public. Candidates should also be able to demonstrate realistic self-assessment of knowledge and skills and engage in personal reflective practice to achieve the competencies of the program and of the profession. Candidates are expected to understand the legal and ethical aspects of the practice of veterinary medicine and function within the law and ethical standards of the profession.

Accessibility and Accommodations

Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of disability and will make reasonable academic accommodations to facilitate enrollment and participation of qualified individuals with disabilities so long as those accommodations do not fundamentally alter the educational program, pose an unreasonable threat to the student, patients or others, or otherwise create an undue hardship on the College. All candidates will be considered without regard to their disability status. We are committed to excellence in accessibility and encourage candidates with disabilities to seek accommodations.

The academic and technical standards established by the faculty require that all candidates accepted by the ISU CVM or UNL PPVM possess the physical, cognitive, and behavioral abilities that ensure that they will be able to complete all required aspects of the curriculum. All candidates are held to the same academic and technical standards for admissions and training, with reasonable accommodations as needed for candidates with documented disabilities.

The technical standards delineated above must be met with or without reasonable accommodation. Candidates who, after review of the technical standards, believe that they may require reasonable accommodation to fully engage in the program should contact ISU Student Accessibility Services (SAS; https://sas.dso.iastate.edu/) or UNL Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) to privately discuss the reasonable accommodation process. After a candidate has established eligibility for accommodations through SAS or SSD, SAS or SSD will determine what accommodations are reasonable and will engage in the interactive process with both the candidate and the ISU CVM or UNL PPVM to support implementation planning as needed. The ISU CVM or UNL PPVM will work in partnership with SAS or SSD and the candidate to implement approved accommodations that allow the candidate to complete all required aspects of the curriculum without fundamentally altering the nature of the course or program, constituting an unreasonable threat to self, others, or patients, or otherwise creating an undue hardship. Given the clinical nature of our programs, time may be needed to create and implement the accommodation(s). Accommodation(s) are never retroactive; therefore, timely requests are essential.

Application of Standards

Responsibility for notification and implementation of the Essential Functions and Technical Standards policy rests with Associate Dean of Academic and Student Success or Assistant Dean of Veterinary Student Success. Any questions regarding the policy or its implementation should be directed to Associate Dean or Assistant Dean of Veterinary Student Success at ISU CVM.

The Admissions Committees and the individual faculty of ISU CVM and UNL PPVM are responsible for applying these standards with respect to applicants and students enrolled in the professional curriculum.

Dissemination

The CVM Office of Academic and Student Affairs will maintain this policy, which is available online to all candidates on the ISU CVM Admissions web site. All candidates receiving a letter of acceptance to the CVM will receive a link to the policy. Candidates will be asked to sign and return an Acceptance and Notification of Essential Functions and Technical Standards Policy Form, acknowledging its receipt and attesting to their understanding of the policy. This form must be returned to the ISU CVM or UNL PPVM with the Acceptance of Admissions form and deposit. Admission is contingent upon the student signing and returning this form.

Students enrolled in the DVM professional curriculum must review and re-attest to this policy on an annual basis, prior to enrolling in courses for each academic year.

Candidate Attestation Statement

By signing below, I acknowledge that I have read the Essential Functions and Technical Standards Policy of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State University. I have reviewed and understand the policy, what may be expected of me as a student in the professional veterinary medical program of study, and certify that I am able to meet these standards with or without reasonable accommodation.

Reference

Sprunger, L., Meeks L., Arnold, L., Benson, E. Casimir, El-Khoury, C., Salisbury, K., Clifford, G., Mashima, T., Greenhill, L. (2023, November 1). Exemplar Technical Standards for Veterinary Medical Education. Washington; American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges.

Revised and Approved by ISU CVM faculty: December 2025