Service at Auburn’s Bailey Small Animal Hospital earns top rating

The Emergency and Critical Care Service in the Wilford and Kate Bailey Small Animal Teaching Hospital at the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine has become the first service in Alabama to earn a Level I rating by the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society.

Level I is the highest rating awarded to a veterinary emergency and critical care facility by the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society, which promotes the advancement of knowledge and high standards of practice in veterinary emergency medicine and critical patient care. The certification is for two years.

"It's an honor to receive this certification, and to be acknowledged at this level of performance," said Dr. Lenore Bacek, an assistant clinical professor and head of the Emergency and Critical Care Service. "It also shows the level of hard work and dedication that our faculty, technicians and administrators give to make our service successful."

The Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society has three levels of certification based on factors including hours of operation, facilities and equipment available to treat patients, workflow, veterinarians available for treatment and consultations, and the level of education and training that veterinarians have.

The Emergency and Critical Care Service is one of 13 specialized services in the Bailey Small Animal Teaching Hospital, a referral and primary care veterinary facility. It has two board-certified Diplomates, Bacek and Dr. Kendon Kuo; four residents; six interns; 24 veterinary technicians, four of whom are board-certified in emergency critical care; and fourth-year veterinary students in a clinical rotation.

The award announcement will be placed in the Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care, and the Bailey Hospital will be added to the directory of the VECCS' website, which clients can search to find facilities that are certified and at what level.