Responsibilities of a Sponsor of a Candidate for the ACVP Examination

1. The sponsor's endorsement of a candidate's application certifies that the said candidate has had training "adequate to permit sitting for the examination". (See the Application.) Sponsorship of a candidate is not to be taken lightly because Council puts considerable trust in sponsors when it comes to accepting a candidate. A sponsor's endorsement clearly does not guarantee success for the candidate, but it should guarantee that the candidate fulfills requirements and has been thoroughly prepared. It is the sponsor's responsibility to verify the accuracy of the applicant's academic documents that show proof of graduation from an accredited college of veterinary medicine and to confirm that the submitted documents are those of the applicant. A candidate who has graduated from a college of veterinary medicine that is not accredited by the AVMA must possess a certificate issued by the Education Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates (ECFVG) or be legally qualified to practice veterinary medicine in some state, province, territory or possession of the United States, Canada or other country.
2. The sponsor who endorses the application should be the person most responsible for the candidate's training. Occasionally, circumstances dictate that a sponsor is not the principal mentor, in which case Council requires an explanation. The sponsor must have been a Diplomate for at least the period of time of claimed sponsorship (generally 3 years or more), and must be a Member in good standing.
3. If the sponsor is not a member of the ACVP, or the European College of Veterinary Pathologists who were elected to the ECVP by examination, the candidate must find an ACVP Diplomate or ECVP Diplomate, as noted above, who will co-sponsor the application.
4. As the principal mentor, the sponsor must be intimately involved with the training of the candidate. The sponsor, if not the main instructor, must know in some detail what is being done for and by the candidate, and should serve as a counselor who reviews all aspects of the candidate's training and progress on a regular basis. A sponsor must not have a conflict of interest with the candidate as viewed by an objective outside observer.
5. Study plans, required of those candidates who fail 3 or 4 parts of the Examination, must be approved by the sponsor. A study plan must specify in detail what the candidate intends to do as preparation for each section of the Examination. See the section entitled "Study Programs for Candidates Repeating All Parts of the Certifying Examination" for more details about the study plan.

Revised April 2011.