Ten years of experience with a veterinary credential responder course

Training of veterinary students to improve their ability to respond to disaster events that affect livestock and companion animals is an important facet of veterinary education. Just over 10 years ago, the North Carolina (NC) State University College of Veterinary Medicine worked collaboratively with the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Service's Emergency Management Program and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health, to develop a competency-based Veterinary Credential Responder (VCR) course. This special report reflects on this experience and provides a detailed description of the current VCR course. The 2-week VCR course combines lecture, online, experiential, and group exercises to meet entry-level federal credentialing requirements. Students gain a working knowledge of emergency management, emergency operation plans, and emergency support functions. Over 1000 veterinary students have received the VCR credential making them eligible to participate as deployable members of NC Veterinary Response Corps.