From 2008-2018 ACLAM saw a significant interest in Lab Animal Medicine from the professional community. The average number of candidates grew from the 50-60 range to the 90-100 range sitting for the annual certifying exam. Likewise, the 50 plus recognized training programs have seen a keen interest in open slots. Many now have more applications than open positions and a group called the Training Program Directors Group (TPDG) has been organized and has teleconferences, Webinars and meetings to discuss common interests and have developed a Veterinary Internship & Residency Matching Program, which appears to be working well. (virmp.org.). There is no longer a shortage of individuals interested in Laboratory Animal Medicine.
Number of Active Diplomates by year:
2008-686
2009-709
2010-744
2011-775
2012-823
2013-915
2014-929
2015- 951
2016- 975
2017-1009
2018-1023
ACLAM’s primary function as per the ABVS is to certify specialists in LAM. To this end form our strategic plan we state “ACLAM will ensure the stability of the Exam as a trusted measure of competence” As our by-laws state:
Article III - Purpose
Section 1 This organization shall encourage education, training, and research in laboratory animal medicine.
Section 2 It shall establish standards of training and experience for qualification of specialists in this field.
Section 3 It shall recognize qualified specialists by certification.
At the 2012 AALAS meeting, the ACLAM Board of Directors authorized the convening of a task force to review all aspects of the certification examination creation and review process. The task force was established from a select group of diplomates representing current and recent past chairs of the 3 committees most closely associated with the examination process; Examination Resource Committee (ER), Examination Committee (EC), and the Examination Review Committee (ERC). Their findings helped the College tighten up our exam process.
Over the decade time period of this report many substantive changes and improvements to the exam process have taken place. These include:
Using a professional exam consultant company on a contract basis. This was first started with Castle and for the past three years has been moved to SMT. (Schroder Measurement Technology).
Conducting two Role Delineation studies- RDD to define the primary emphasis of our collective professional responsibilities and structure the exam accordingly. These have resulted in the movement of animals from primary, secondary or tertiary species as needed. This is the template for exam questions.
Moved the exam database from a private server to Access 360 and it now resides with SMT.
Updated our exam security statement based on legal review.
The exam is assimilated by the Exam Committee at a winter meeting. We now have a representative from Exam Resources who provides new question material. The draft exam is reviewed at the Forum by the Exam Review Committee (who are past exam committee members) and some members of the Exam Committee to finalize the product.
The exam is now given at the hotel (Hyatt Bethesda) where out of town candidates stay. We eliminated the additional stress of being bused to a military site at USUHS for the actual exam.
In 2010 the written and practical sections were combined into one exam. Half given in the morning and half in the afternoon.
Two Standard Setting Studies were conducted using our exam consultant to establish the cut score. Equating is used to score the exam in years between SSS sessions.
All background information on the exam and the RDD are on our website for access by candidates.
All exam correspondence is done electronically now.
All applications are sent in electronically in a PDF format eliminated shipping the original plus six copies, as was done in the past.
We now have two application cycles per year. The original Dec 15 date and an early review with an application due date of Aug 15.
We developed a process to pre review manuscripts for acceptance by the Credentials Committee. Note: to date over 40 manuscripts have been submitted.
The BOD approved a process for administrative approval of reapplications for the exam using the same manuscript within a 10-year time frame.
An informal group called Lab Animal Boards Study Group (LABSG) was developed as an online method to help candidates prepare for the exam. Additionally, several regional sites hold mock ACLAM exams for candidate preparation.
Camp ACLAM is another opportunity for candidates to see a mock exam and listen to recent Diplomates who share their individual study techniques and thoughts. This has moved from the CRL Short course where is was held for almost 15 year to the national AALAS meeting.
From our most current Strategic plan: Ensure ACLAM has enough electronic resources to effectively manage and deploy its business and information to membership services.
We have a management contract with AALAS which assist us with:
Membership and demographic data entry and reporting
Ecommerce payment of dues and Forum registration through the website.
Individual member CE/ recertification credits and reporting.
ACLAM Website hosting, maintenance, updates and backup.
Website content updates.
Annual balloting for Officers and BOD by electronic ballot.
BOD books are in electronic format.
The Newsletter is online.
The directory with photos is online and updated monthly. The printed version is avaible for a fee but used minimally.
All Committees have online guidelines.
Additional Electronic updates:
An Information Technology Management Task force was established and then made into an
ad hoc committee.
ACLAM has a Facebook account which has about 225 members or 25% of the College.
ACLAM has a LinkedIn Group with 453 members or about 44% of the College.
Administrative Updates
ACLAM as an organization turned 60 years old in 2017 having been founded in 1957.
ACLAM Continues to have strong financial security for both the College and the Foundation. Our endowments are professionally managed, and the fund manager meets periodically with the BOD. We have a detailed investment policy.
Dues were increased in 2010 to the current $300/year.
Our Awards process for both type of award and qualifications have been formalized.
We have a standard Action resolution form for action items submitted for BOD review.
We have a standard Committee Accomplishments form for their annual report.
We have an official Committee Guidelines form for Committee use.
We have a committee appointment guidelines policy that in general requires a three-year hiatus to be on another committee once you leave a committee. This has resulted in many new committee participants.
We were advised by ABVS that Honorary individuals voted into the College are Members not Diplomates. We cannot confer Diplomate status to individuals.
We have a duties and responsibilities form for all new BOD members and their roles as committee liaisons.
We invite the AVMA congressional fellows to our AVMA BOD meeting to give an update on their activities in congress.
ACLAM established a Disaster Relief Fund in 2013 which assisted some non-management employees working for Diplomates in the aftermath of hurricanes, fire and flooding. This was disbanded in 2017.
ACLAM was asked to fund a USDA accreditation module on lab animal medicine for $15K. Lot of discussion but this was not funded.
ACLAM approved this constitutional change in 2013 to standardize background qualifications for applicants for the College.
“ACLAM Membership in this organization will be open to all veterinarians who are graduates of a college or school of veterinary medicine accredited by the AVMA, or who possess an Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduate (ECFVG) certificate, or by the Program for the Assessment of Veterinary Education Equivalence (PAVE); have satisfactory moral character and impeccable professional behavior; and have been certified as Diplomates in accordance with Article II of the Bylaws.”
Committee Updates
Career Pathways which has a substantial budget has been renamed to Outreach Committee
New Diplomate Welcoming Committee was established in 2013
IACLAM Committee was established
Mentor Committee was established in 2013
Recruitment and Education Oversight Committee (REOC) formed to enhance communication among non- exam related committees. It was disbanded in 2014.
International Development Committee established in 2013. It was disbanded in 2016.
Professional Standards and Guidelines Committee established then name changed to Evidence based Performance Committee- EBPS. They did a couple of projects including one on cage sanitation. It was disbanded for lack of iniatives in 2016.
Information Management Task force became a Committee in 2011.
ACLAM Publications
The lab animal formulary originally published by Steve Leary and Terry Hawk was developed into an app compatible on IOS and android platforms and has been in the market.
Over this decade the following Blue books were published:
Richard E. Fish, Marilyn J. Brown, Peggy J. Danneman and Alicia Z. Karas, eds.
Anesthesia and Analgesia in Laboratory Animals, 2nd ed., 2008
Jack R. Hessler and Noel D.M. Lehner, eds.
Planning and Designing Animal Research Facilities, 2009
Mark A. Suckow, Karla A. Stevens, and Ronald P. Wilson, eds.
The Laboratory Rabbit, Guinea Pig, Hamster and other Rodents, 2011
J. Harkness, P Turner, S VandeWoude, C Wheler, eds.
Biology and Medicine of Rabbits and Rodents, 5th ed., 2012 (Wiley)
Christian R. Abee, Keith Mansfield, Suzette Tardif and Timothy Morris, eds.
Nonhuman Primates in Biomedical Research, 2nd ed., Volume I: Biology and Management, 2012; Volume II: Diseases, 2012
Kathryn Bayne and Patricia V. Turner, eds.
Laboratory Animal Welfare, 2013
James G. Fox and Robert P. Marini eds.
Biology and Diseases of the Ferret, 3rd ed., 2014 (Wiley)
James Fox, Lynn Anderson, Glen Otto, Kathleen Pritchett-Corning, Mark Whary eds.
Laboratory Animal Medicine, 3rd ed., 2015 (Elsevier)
M. Michael Swindle, ed.
Swine in the Laboratory: Surgery, Anesthesia, Imaging and Experimental Techniques, 3rd ed., 2015 (Taylor & Francis)
Trenton Schoeb and Kathryn Eaton, eds.
Gnotobiotics, 1st ed., 2017 (Elsevier)
David M. Kurtz and Gregory S. Travlos, eds.
The Clinical Chemistry of Laboratory Animals, 3rd ed., 2017 (CRC Press)
Robert P. Marini, Lynn M. Wachtman, Suzette D. Tardif, Keith Mansfield and James G. Fox, eds.
The Common Marmoset in Captivity and Biomedical Research, 1st ed., 2018 (Elsevier).
All the texts are available is digital format in addition to hard copy.
Editors of blue books receive both an honorarium of $1,000 and a recognition plaque for their work.
ACLAM Blue book tests have been translated into several languages.
ACLAM Publications has an Editor in Chief and assistant editor in chief plus a Committee Chair.
Multiple position statements have been sunsetted and new ones added or updated.
ACLAM Foundation -2008-18
During this time, the ACLAM Foundation grants were led and managed by Dr. Greg Boivin, followed by Dr. Jennifer Pullium in 2017. The Foundation funded 65 grants over this period for a total of $1, 443,643.
Development Officers during this decade were Jack Kinkler, Shannon Stutler and Chris Boehm.
The total number of donors was 709.
The total number of monetary gifts to the Foundation were 3798.
The total amount raised was $2,130,384.
Three to four Foundation Grantees present their data at the annual Forum each year
The positions of Scientific Director and Development Officer receive stipends
Government and Regulatory Affairs Committee- GRAC
The GRAC has become one of our most active committees. This committee monitors government and NIH activities that may have an impact on the field of Laboratory Animal Medicine. They attend appropriate meetings, develop position papers and keep the leadership of the College apprised of the potential impact of new regulations and guidelines.
ACLAM Forum
2008 Myrtle Beach, SC Embracing Change-Future preparation
2009 Tucson, AZ LAM- Preview and Prophecy
2010 Newport, RI LAM- Can we Talk?
2011 San Antonio, TX Biosecurity and Animal Welfare
2012 St. Pete Beach, FL of Mice and Management
2013 Williamsburg, VA Influencing Policy
2014 Coeur D’Alene ID Dip So HIP
2015 New Orleans, LA Management, Occ. Health & Science
2016 St. Pete Beach FL One fish, two fish, pain, drugs, regs, etc.
2017 Tucson, AZ Blending of Science and Camaraderie
2018 Lake Tahoe Blending of Science and Camaraderie II
The annual Forum continues to be a unique meeting in a relaxed setting that is well received for its informality, networking, location, science and camaraderie.
The Forum for Life has served the College well but as demographics change the attendance has diminished over time.
Miscellaneous Items of This decade
As in Veterinary medicine the gender of our profession is changing. We now have an almost equal distribution of female and male Diplomates.
ACLAM Was asked and agreed to support both verbally and with a one-time financial contribution of the Society of Lab Animal Vet Technicians.
Two ACLAM/ASLAP salary surveys were conducted during this time both showing our specialty is one of the best compensated and growth continues.
A joint ACLAM/ AVMA workforce survey was conducted and published. It shows that there is virtually no unemployment in our specialty and minimal underemployment.