Veterinary college’s diagnostic laboratory receives full accreditation

12 Mar 2018

ViTALS laboratory accreditation — Laboratory technician Amanda Carbonello performs steps used in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing. PCR is a molecular diagnostic test that helps identify the presence of pathogen DNA or RNA in laboratory samples for pathogens such as salmonella, canine distemper virus, feline coronavirus, feline leukemia virus, and bovine diarrhea virus.

Virginia Tech Animal Laboratory Services (ViTALS), a full-service veterinary diagnostic laboratory at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, has become the first diagnostic laboratory in Virginia to receive full accreditation from the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD), an internationally recognized accrediting body.

Accreditation serves as a reflection of the laboratory’s endeavor for quality assurance and Tanya LeRoith, clinical associate professor of anatomic pathology in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology and director of ViTALS, credits those who helped the lab successfully reach this goal.

“I am incredibly proud of the work that the lab staff has done to get us to this point, and I really appreciate all of the support that hospital and college leadership have given us,” LeRoith said.

Following AAVLD quality standards, the laboratory implemented changes to its existing policies and procedures and applied for accreditation in 2015. After an audit in May 2016, provisional accreditation was granted. After implementing additional changes in response to AAVLD’s follow-up inspection this past fall, the laboratory was granted full accreditation for five years, the maximum time period allowed.

"We value the trust and confidence of our clients,” said Jennifer Rudd, quality manager for ViTALS. “It is important for them to know that the lab results they receive from ViTALS are of the highest quality.”

ViTALS offers a wide range of laboratory testing for veterinarians at the college’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital, other animal clinics throughout the country, and researchers. It also aides in preparing veterinarians for careers in either veterinary clinical pathology or anatomic pathology through a residency program. ViTALS staff seek to provide exemplary veterinary diagnostic services, which are integral to the college’s mission to protect and enhance animal, human, and environmental health and welfare.

Written by Leslie Jernegan, a master’s degree student in the Department of English in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences