Get involved · Founding Board Member
Found the board that certifies India’s first specialists in your specialty.
At least three founding members in each specialty. You set the standard, and you assemble the teams that train and assess.
Board certification is only as credible as the people who stand behind it. Founding board members set the certification framework for their specialty, assemble the assessors and the training faculty as two separate teams, and put their names behind every certification awarded.
Role
Sets the certification standard for one specialty and assembles its assessors and training faculty
Specialties
Emergency and Critical Care · Surgery (soft tissue, including surgical oncology, and orthopaedics) · Anaesthesia and Analgesia · Diagnostic Imaging · Internal Medicine · Neurology · Cardiology · Dermatology · Dentistry and Oral Surgery · Pathology
Works with
The other founding members in your specialty (at least three), VHI’s founders, and the programme director for the specialty. Programme directors are not part of the board
Model
A small founding board per specialty, in the way boards such as the International Board of Veterinary Ophthalmology (IBVO) were set up by a small group of diplomates
The role
Where it makes a difference
On certification
You set the framework, the competency gates and the exit assessment, built on the standards of the American and European colleges.
On independence
The board assembles the assessors and the training faculty as separate teams, so the people who teach are not the people who certify.
On recognition
Recognition with the international colleges and the Veterinary Council of India is being actively pursued. Founding members shape that case.
On the specialty
The standard you set becomes the reference for the specialty in India, and the board you form carries it on.
The work
What you’ll do
01
Set the standard
The certification framework, competency gates and exam format for your specialty, matching or exceeding the training and certification standards of the American and European colleges. It certifies a full-time, in-person residency with supervised clinical training: not distance learning, an alternative route or CPD.
02
Assemble the teams
Assessors and training faculty, as two separate teams, with the programme director.
03
Assess
Calibrate the assessors, review progress every six months and decide certification.
04
Pursue recognition
Work with VHI towards recognition with the international colleges and the Veterinary Council of India.
Timeline
Your journey
Before launch
Founding board formed (at least three per specialty); framework drafted
Cohort start
Assessors and training faculty assembled as separate teams
Residency years
Competency reviews every six months; exit assessments
Then
First certifications at month 60; the board grows with the specialty
Where it takes you: your name on the board that certifies the first specialists of its kind in India, and a lasting say in how the specialty is judged.
Time
How you can work
Mostly remote, with one or two on-site visits a year for assessment.
Remote
Framework work, assessor calibration, reviews and decisions at times agreed with you.
On site
One or two visits a year, for assessment.
Flexible
Visit dates agreed with you around your own practice or post.
The terms
What comes with it
What you get
Standing. A named founding member of the board in your specialty.
Time. Commitment planned around your own work, with recognition for your contribution.
Support. Travel and accommodation for on-site visits, and a framework, records and teams ready to work with.
Fees. Set out in your offer.
Legacy. You help set the standard for specialists in India for the years ahead.
Who it’s for
A diplomate of an American or European college, or an academician or educator with standing in the specialty.
Someone who values independent assessment and is comfortable holding the line on standards.
Shares our values: they’re what the whole hospital runs on.
Questions
Common questions
Is it board certification?
Yes. Board certification is part of the framework VHI is building. It is awarded by an independent international board, to the standard of the American and European colleges. It is a separate board from those colleges, and recognition with the international colleges and the Veterinary Council of India is being actively pursued.
Who forms the board?
VHI, together with the founding board members in each specialty. Each specialty has at least three founding members, in the way boards such as the International Board of Veterinary Ophthalmology (IBVO) were set up by a small group of diplomates.
Are programme directors part of the board?
No. Programme directors run the service and its programme. Board members assemble the assessors and the training faculty as two separate teams, so the people who teach are not the people who certify.
Do faculty assess trainees?
Yes. Faculty take part in training assessments. The certification assessors are a separate team assembled by the founding board.
How much time does it take?
Founding board members work mostly remotely, with one or two on-site visits a year for assessment.
What are the terms?
Set out in your offer: fees, travel and accommodation where they apply, and professional indemnity.
Register your interest
Register your interest and say which role you’d like to discuss. Your specialty and credentials are all we ask for. A programme director will be in touch within two weeks.