Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine Technical Standards

Origin: Office of the Associate Dean for Academic Success

FACULTY DOCUMENT: #2026-5

                FACULTY DECISION: APPROVED
                DATE OF DECISION:  04/28/2026
Supersedes FD #93-5(a) and 1st Revision

Philosophy and Purpose

The Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine (PVM) is committed to educating a diverse community of veterinarians who can provide safe, competent care to animal patients. These technical standards describe the essential functions necessary for successful completion of the DVM program and entry into veterinary practice.

PVM actively collaborates with students to develop innovative ways to ensure accessibility and creates a respectful, accountable culture through our specialized disability support. We are committed to excellence in accessibility and encourage students with disabilities to seek accommodations.

Shared Responsibility for Access: PVM recognizes that creating an accessible learning environment is a shared responsibility between the institution and students. We are committed to:

Working collaboratively with students who have disabilities
Exploring creative accommodations and assistive technologies
Continuously evaluating our practices to remove unnecessary barriers
Providing reasonable accommodations that do not fundamentally alter program requirements

Student Share Responsibility to:

Disclose disabilities and request accommodations in a timely manner
Participate actively in the interactive accommodation process
Use approved accommodations and assistive devices effectively
Communicate when accommodations need adjustment

These standards balance several critical factors: student rights, patient safety, educational integrity, and AVMA accreditation requirements. They represent functional abilities that are essential to veterinary practice and cannot be fundamentally altered without compromising program outcomes or patient safety.

Applicants and students who, after review of the technical standards, determine that they require reasonable accommodation to fully engage in the program should contact the Disability Resource Center to privately discuss their accommodation needs. 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 and encouraged.

Essential Functions

I. Observation

Function: Students should be able to directly obtain information from demonstrations and procedures in pre-clinical and clinical coursework. Students should be able to assess a patient and evaluate findings accurately, detect changes in patient behavior, physical and mental status to provide appropriate veterinary care. These skills require the use of vision, hearing, and touch or the functional equivalent.

Visual Observation

Detect gross and subtle changes in animal movement, posture, and behavior at distances ranging from close examination to across a pen or corral
Discriminate fine visual details including tissue texture variations, subtle color changes, and patterns on diagnostic images
Assess depth and spatial relationships for procedures requiring precision

Auditory Perception

Perceive and interpret sounds relevant to patient assessment and clinical communication
Identify the location and source of sounds in clinical environments

Clinical applications: Hearing heart and lung sounds through a stethoscope, monitoring patients in intensive care, communicating in surgical settings

Tactile and Proprioceptive Ability

Perceive and interpret sounds relevant to patient assessment and clinical communication
Identify the location and source of sounds in clinical environments

Clinical applications: Rectal palpation, abdominal palpation, lymph node assessment, surgical manipulation of internal tissues, endotracheal intubation, venipuncture

Accommodation Considerations:

PVM will work with individual students to identify appropriate assistive technologies, modified techniques, or alternative methods of achieving these observation skills. The accommodation process will consider amplification devices, specialized imaging equipment, and other tools that enable functional equivalence while maintaining diagnostic accuracy and patient safety.

II. Communication

Function: Students should be able to communicate with clients and all members of the health care team, to establish effective professional relationships in order to elicit and provide information. Students should be able to communicate effectively and sensitively, both in person and in writing, or through functional equivalent means.

Verbal Communication

Convey information accurately in English through spoken language or functional equivalent communication methods
Communicate effectively in environments where visual cues may be limited (e.g., surgical masks, telephone, emergency situations)

Written Communication

Document patient information accurately and legibly in medical records
Record information in real-time during clinical encounters

Interpersonal Communication

Establish rapport with clients during sensitive conversations
Collaborate effectively with healthcare teams
Respond appropriately to verbal and non-verbal cues

Clinical applications: Obtaining patient histories from clients, communicating during surgery, documenting medical records, delivering difficult news, managing emergency situations, consulting with colleagues

Accommodation Considerations:

PVM recognizes that effective communication can be achieved through various modalities. We will explore accommodations including communication devices, transcription services, modified documentation methods, and communication facilitators that maintain accuracy and efficiency of information exchange while meeting clinical timing requirements.

III. Motor Functions

Function: Students should, after a reasonable period of time, possess the capacity to directly perform physical examinations, and preventative, diagnostic, medical, surgical, and emergency procedures. Such actions require some coordination of both gross and fine muscular movements, balance, and equilibrium, or demonstration of functional equivalent abilities.

Fine Motor Skills

Perform precise movements required for medical and surgical procedures
Manipulate instruments, materials, and equipment with appropriate control
Execute procedures requiring hand-eye coordination

Clinical applications: Surgical incisions and suturing, catheter placement, intubation, bandaging, administering injections, specimen collection

Gross Motor Function and Mobility

Move safely and efficiently in clinical environments
Respond quickly to emergencies or potentially dangerous situations
Position oneself appropriately for patient examination and procedures

Clinical applications: Moving away from animals in confined spaces, repositioning during procedures, responding to emergency situations

Physical Stamina and Strength

Sustain physical activity throughout clinical rotations and procedures
Lift, carry, and position animals and equipment as required for patient care
Apply appropriate physical force for animal restraint and procedures

Clinical applications: Lifting animals onto examination tables, restraining animals during procedures, carrying medical equipment to farm calls, standing for extended surgical procedures

Accommodation Considerations:

PVM will evaluate the availability of assistive devices, mechanical aids, modified techniques, physical support personnel, and environmental modifications. Accommodations will be assessed based on whether they maintain patient safety, procedure effectiveness, and the ability to respond to time-sensitive situations while not requiring fundamental alteration of clinical procedures or imposing undue burden.

IV. Intelect, Conceptual, Integrative, and Quantitative Abilities

Function: Students should be able to comprehend, retain, and apply detailed and complex information and engage in problem-solving in both the pre-clinical and clinical coursework. Students are expected to possess the ability to accurately measure, calculate, reason, analyze, synthesize, and communicate information. In addition, after a reasonable amount of instruction, students should be able to comprehend spatial and three-dimensional relationships of structures, for example, the anatomical structure of an animal. Students should also be able to adapt to different learning environments and modalities.

Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving

Make reasoned clinical decisions, often under time pressure
Recognize and respond appropriately to emergencies
Prioritize multiple competing demands effectively
Integrate information from multiple sources

Quantitative and Spatial Reasoning

Accurately measure, calculate, and apply mathematical concepts to clinical situations
Understand three-dimensional anatomical relationships
Interpret diagnostic data and laboratory values

Learning Adaptability

Engage effectively with different teaching methods (lectures, small groups, hands-on, self-directed)
Adapt to various clinical learning environments
Transfer knowledge across contexts

Clinical applications: Calculating drug dosages, interpreting diagnostic test results, understanding surgical anatomy, managing emergency cases, formulating treatment plans

Accommodation Considerations:

PVM will consider accommodations that support diverse learning styles and cognitive processing, including extended time for complex tasks, use of computational aids where appropriate, alternative formats for presenting information, and varied assessment methods that do not fundamentally alter learning outcomes. We recognize that students may demonstrate competency through different pathways while achieving the same essential outcomes.

V. Behavioral and Social Attributes

Function: Function: Students should possess the emotional health required for full utilization of their intellectual abilities, the exercise of good judgment, the prompt completion of all responsibilities attendant to the diagnosis and care of patients, and the development of mature, sensitive, and effective relationships with clients, fellow students, faculty, staff, and the entire health care team. They should be able to fully attend the curriculum, which requires active engagement in educational and clinical activities. They should display flexibility and adaptability and function in a fast-paced, changing environment with the uncertainties and stressors inherent in the clinical problems of many of their patients. Students should 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.

Professional Judgment and Decision-Making

Make reasoned clinical decisions, often under time pressure
Recognize and respond appropriately to emergencies
Prioritize multiple competing demands effectively

Emotional Resilience

Function effectively under stressful conditions
Manage emotionally challenging situations (patient death, euthanasia, client distress)
Maintain professional composure and focus

Professional Behavior

Demonstrate empathy and respect for clients, colleagues, and animals
Accept and integrate constructive feedback
Recognize personal limitations and seek assistance appropriately

Clinical applications: Managing emergency cases, performing euthanasia, delivering bad news to clients, working long shifts during clinical rotations

Accommodation Considerations:

PVM will consider accommodations that support students' ability to develop these professional attributes, including counseling services, stress management resources, modified schedules when appropriate, and structured feedback systems.

VI. Ethics and Professionalism

Function: Students should 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. After a reasonable period of time, students 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. The student is 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.

Professional Conduct

Adhere to the professional and ethical principles and code of conduct of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)
Maintain appropriate professional boundaries with clients and colleagues
Demonstrate honesty and integrity in all professional interactions

Self-Awareness and Reflection

Engage in regular self-reflection and constructive self-assessment
Identify areas for improvement and develop action plans
Recognize the impact of one's own behavior on others

Legal and Ethical Understanding

Understand the legal and ethical aspects of veterinary practice
Function within both the law and the ethical standards of the profession
Navigate complex ethical situations with sound reasoning

Clinical applications: Maintaining client confidentiality, addressing ethical dilemmas in patient care, recognizing conflicts of interest, seeking guidance on complex cases

Accommodation Considerations:

PVM supports the development of professional identity through mentorship programs, ethics education, professional development opportunities, and reflective practice training. Accommodations in this domain focus on providing appropriate support while maintaining essential professional standards

VII. Environmental Tolerance

Function: Students should be able to tolerate exposure to various clinical environments and animal species without compromising their health, safety, or ability to function effectively in the program.

Animal Contact

Sustain regular, direct contact with multiple animal species
Work in environments where animals are housed and treated (barns, kennels, examination rooms, surgical suites)
Perform hands-on care and procedures on various species

Environmental Exposures

Function in environments with potential allergens, including animal dander, feed, and bedding
Work in settings with various odors, noises, temperatures, and physical conditions

Clinical applications: All clinical rotations and hands-on learning experiences throughout the curriculum

Accommodation Considerations:

PVM recognizes that some environmental sensitivities may be managed through accommodations such as protective equipment (high-efficiency masks, gloves, protective clothing), environmental controls (air filtration, designated low-allergen areas), prophylactic medications (when medically appropriate), or modified exposure schedules. However, the DVM curriculum requires substantial direct animal contact across multiple species throughout all four years. PVM and the DRC will work with students to identify feasible accommodations, but students should be aware that if, after exhaustive exploration of accommodation options, no solution can be identified that maintains both educational requirements and student health, this may represent a fundamental alteration of the program. We commit to this determination only after thorough individualized assessment.

The Accommodation Process

Initial Disclosure and Documentation

Students who may need accommodations should contact the Disability Resource Center (DRC) as early as possible. Documentation should describe:

The nature of the disability
How it impacts the specific technical standards
Suggested accommodations or modifications

Interactive Process

PVM commits to engaging in a good-faith, collaborative dialogue with each student to:

Understand the specific functional limitations
Identify essential functions that may be affected
Explore potential accommodations, including creative solutions and emerging technologies
Assess whether proposed accommodations maintain essential standards without fundamental alteration
Implement and evaluate accommodations, with ongoing adjustment as needed

Accommodation information, not diagnoses, is shared with appropriate administrative and teaching staff and faculty on a need-to-know basis related to the timely implementation of accommodation.

Determining Reasonable Accommodations

Accommodations will be considered reasonable if they:

Enable the student to meet the essential functions described in these standards
Do not fundamentally alter the nature of the program or competencies
Do not pose undue administrative or financial burden
Maintain patient safety and care quality
Meet accreditation requirements

When Accommodations May Not Be Feasible

If, after thorough exploration, no accommodation can be identified that meets the above criteria, PVM will:

Document the interactive process and rationale in detail
Provide clear explanation to the student
Explore alternative educational paths or programs if appropriate
Ensure the decision is made by qualified personnel with disability accommodation expertise

Planning Ahead for Accommodation Needs

Because the DVM program includes hands-on clinical work, rotating sites, safety-sensitive procedures, and technical standards that may require specialized solutions, accommodation planning often takes more time than in other academic settings. Students are encouraged to reach out early, even if they are still gathering documentation or uncertain about their exact needs.

Below is a recommended guideline for how early students should contact the DRC, based on the complexity of the accommodation. These timelines support thorough planning and help ensure that modifications do not interrupt clinical experiences, animal care, or course progression.

Planning Timelines for Accommodation Requests

Because many accommodations in veterinary medicine require coordination across clinical sites, equipment testing, and safety reviews, students are encouraged to contact the Disability Resource Center as early as possible. While requests can be made at any time, certain types of accommodations require more advance planning than others.

Students are encouraged to reach out as early as possible, since the time needed to plan an accommodation varies depending on its complexity.

Common accommodations — things like testing supports, note-taking tools, or assistive technology already available at Purdue — can usually be reviewed and set up within one to two weeks.
Accommodations that require equipment, environmental adjustments, or coordination within clinical courses often need six to eight weeks. This may involve ordering or testing new devices, preparing faculty or supervisors, or coordinating across several courses.
Accommodations tied directly to the technical standards — such as alternative approaches to observation skills, modified animal-handling techniques, mobility or stamina-related supports, or communication strategies in fast-paced clinical settings — typically need ten to twelve weeks or more. These requests often require safety review, feasibility assessment, and careful planning within clinical rotations.
Requests that could substantially change clinical workflow or may require evaluation for potential fundamental alteration generally need twelve to sixteen weeks or more for a complete review.
Early communication is essential. These planning windows help ensure that accommodations are ready when students need them, particularly in clinical and hands-on environments where retroactive adjustments are not possible.

Early communication helps ensure accommodations are ready before coursework or rotations begin. Accommodations cannot be applied retroactively, so reaching out early protects continuity of training and patient care.

Important Notes

Requests can still be made at any time, and PVM and the DRC will make every reasonable effort to support a student even when fewer than the recommended weeks remain.
These are not deadlines but best-practice planning windows to ensure timely, equitable access.
Accommodations cannot be retroactive, so early communication protects continuity of the student’s learning experience.

Commitment to Continuous Improvement

PVM acknowledges that:

Assistive technologies and accommodation strategies continue to evolve
These standards will be reviewed regularly to ensure they reflect only truly essential functions
Feedback from students with disabilities helps identify unnecessary barriers
Best practices in veterinary education accessibility continue to develop

We encourage students, faculty, and staff to identify opportunities to make veterinary education more accessible while maintaining the integrity and safety essential to the profession.

Attestation and Ongoing Commitment

Annual Attestation

The technical standards delineated above must be met with or without reasonable accommodation. Students are required to complete an annual attestation affirming their ability to meet these standards with or without reasonable accommodation.

I have read the technical standards for Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine and attest that I am able to meet these with or without reasonable accommodation.

Student Name: _________________________

Signature: _________________________

Date: _________________________

If you are unable to determine whether or not you are able to meet the technical standards with or without reasonable accommodations, or if you require additional information before signing this form, please contact the PVM Student Success Center at 765-494-7893.

Ongoing Responsibilities

If at any point during veterinary training, a student becomes unable to meet the technical standards with or without reasonable accommodations, the student must notify the PVM Student Success Center and the Disability Resource Center immediately to initiate a review of accommodation needs.

Questions and Accommodations

Disability Resource Center Purdue University Phone: 765-494-1247 Email: drc@purdue.edu Web: www.purdue.edu/drc

PVM Student Success Center Phone: 765-494-7893 Email: pvmstudentsuccess@purdue.edu

Notice of Non-Discrimination

Purdue University is committed to maintaining a community that recognizes and values the inherent worth and dignity of every person. In accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, Purdue University does not discriminate on the basis of disability in admission to, access to, or operation of its programs, services, or activities.

References

This document incorporates guidance from:
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.

Questions?

Phone: 765-494-7893
Email: pvmstudentsuccess@purdue.edu

Address:

Purdue Veterinary Medicine
Student Success Center
625 Harrison Street
West Lafayette, IN 47907