"The Environmental Health and Toxicology Section includes nine topic areas, with an equal number of questions from each topic area in the multiple choice section of the exam. Applied knowledge of toxicology is incorporated into many of the topic areas. The Toxicology section is more specific to the principles of toxicology and toxic substances in general. Each topic area and suggested reference materials for each are listed [within]."
The Environmental Health and Toxicology section includes nine subcategories:
Emergency Preparedness and Response
An equal number of questions will be drawn from each subcategory in the multiple choice section of the exam.The Toxicology subcategory draws upon the principles of toxicology and toxic substances in general. Applied knowledge of toxicology is incorporated into many of the subcategories areas.
The Epidemiology and Biostatistics section of the multiple choice exam includes questions that are drawn from 10 subcategories:
Epidemiology is the basic science with tools to support decision making processes in veterinary public health and preventive medicine. It deals with the investigation of diseases, production losses, and health issues in animal and human populations. Essential activities within epidemiology encompass the broad areas of study design, data collection, analysis, and interpretation. Biostatistical methods and techniques are relied upon to objectively determine which factors are associated with specific outcomes.
Preventive medicine professionals and other practitioners dealing with this topic must be able to integrate and synthesize information obtained from epidemiological findings with their knowledge from other basic and clinical sciences to design effective disease control and health maintenance programs. This includes the ability to plan surveillance or research activities and to evaluate the results.
General Epidemiology study objectives include:
Biostatistics -- The ACVPM General Exam will require biostatistical knowledge that is essential for a diplomate to operate within the preventive veterinary medicine fields. Basic biostatistics and the statistics used in epidemiologic studies and investigations will be the foci.
General biostatistics books will provide the underlying knowledge required but should be supplemented with an analytic epidemiology text. General Biostatistical study objectives include:
Food science in the ‘Farm to Fork” spectrum is essential for a diplomate to operate within the preventive veterinary medicine fields. The Food Safety section includes nine subcategories:
-Review food science basics in a food science text and current focus areas and hot topics in journals such as the Journal of Food Protection and above cited references. No specific text is required.
-Review basics on foodborne outbreak investigations and calculations in an appropriate food science or epidemiology textbook. No specific text is required.
The Infectious Diseases section includes eight subcategories:
The Public Health Administration and Education section includes nine subcategories: Risk Assessment; Communications (including Risk Communication); Governmental Function; Governmental Organization; Laws, Policies and Plans; Leadership; Prevention; Surveillance/Monitoring; and Evaluation.
General Public Health Administration and Education study objectives include:
This guide contains the list of books and journals recommended as study materials for the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine (ACVPM) examination.
Residents are responsible for ensuring they are using the correct edition of a book for their exam.
Please ask your librarian, mentor, or specialty board examination committee if questions arise.
"[This] list of study references is NOT a definitive, exhaustive list for preparing for the ACVPM examinations. A listed reference may be applicable to more than one category. Use this list as a guide, in as much as it represents a compromise between brevity and completeness. You are encouraged to read as much additional material as possible. Reading the current scientific and professional literature (e.g. JAVMA, MMWR, Lancet, NEJM, Science, Journal of Food Protection, etc.) is also necessary to properly prepare for the examinations."
This resource updated: 1/05/2018
Source reading list reviewed: 1/05/2018
Source reading list updated by specialty board: 8/2017