Guidelines for Mentees

• ​Mentees (aka applicants or candidates) must be in their application year, or accepted to sit for the AIMVT certifying exam, to be paired with a mentor.
• Applicants are encouraged to surround themselves with a support team to help them along their VTS journey. Application Teams may include:
  • AIMVT VTS mentor to provide guidance on the application process
    
  • Diplomate/DVM mentor to offer expertise in medical knowledge and information.
    
  • Other VTS mentor to assist with guidance with skills in your specialty
    
  • People to proofread submissions (i.e., essential skills, Case Reports)
    
  • People with professional writing experience to provide guidance as you write Reports
    
  • Supportive colleagues or peers to offer moral support and additional feedback throughout the application journey
  • Any other supportive individuals, including members of management at your practice
    
• ​Applicants are financially responsible for any travel, lodging, or per diem necessary to meet with a mentor in person.
• Applicants are paired with a mentor in their specialty unless no mentors are available, in which case a mentor from another specialty may fill that role.
• Mentees cannot use mentor time to complete the skills list or other requirements of application.​
• Having an AIMVT mentor does NOT guarantee an application will pass the review process, or that a candidate will pass the certifying exam.

Guidelines for Mentors

• Mentors shall be members of AIMVT in good standing and hold a VTS. (charter members cannot be mentors except in special circumstances)
• The main responsibility of the AIMVT mentor is to act as a resource for the application process (not the application itself).
  
• Mentors cannot receive financial compensation for their time.
• Information mentors may share is limited to:
  • Review essential skills submissions and Case Reports to provide general information as to the completeness and thoroughness of the document. General information such as “don’t forget to only use generic names of medications” or “why was this intervention chosen?” is acceptable feedback.  It is acceptable for the mentor to indicate if the mentee is “on the right track or not” without giving specific details.
  • Provide guidance as to what types of cases are acceptable for the case census and help maintain compliance with the application instructions and any Academy consensus statements.
  • Guidance as to what types of cases are suitable for Case Reports. Case Reports need not be unusual cases but may include commonly seen disease problems that require advanced skills and nursing.
  • Demonstration or instruction in diagnostic or therapeutic techniques
  • Suggested reading material (may include books, book chapters, or peer reviewed journal articles)
  • The types of information that may appear on the examination (no indication of specific questions may be given to candidates)​
• Mentors may suggest upcoming CE opportunities to the mentee to aid the mentee in meeting the CE requirement.
• Mentors may provide opportunities for the candidate to travel to their facilities to learn advanced skills or have skills verified. As stated above, costs associated with travel are at the expense of the mentee.
• Mentors may help guide study time with the candidate:
  • Mentors may share with a candidate general test-taking techniques, calming techniques, and strategies for reducing test anxiety. 
  • Mentors may quiz mentees on the types of information that may appear on the examination.
  • Mentors may answer specific questions posed by the applicant about the types of information that may appear on the examination.
    • For example, a mentor can have a discussion about the pathophysiology of heart failure without indicating what specific information will be asked on the examination.