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ABVP Handbook

Study Guide & Reading

Examination Blueprint

Mentors-Beef Cattle

 

Beef Cattle Practice Study & Reading Guide

The following study guide has been prepared from information obtained from surveys of successful candidates in other ABVP practice categories.

Although the formula for success varied somewhat according to individual experience and resources, there seems to be a number of factors common to those who have become certified in the various practice categories. Hopefully, this information will be of some help to you.

1. Start preparing early. One year seems to be a recommended minimum.
2. Study frequently. Set aside time daily to study. Most successful candidates reported spending one to three hours a day in preparation.
3. Get organized. Assess yourself and focus on your weaknesses when planning your study strategy. Use the exam blueprint to assist your planning.
4. Try to use your daily caseload to focus your study habits. It is easier to relate test questions to actual casework.
5. Self-assessment questions in the Compendium and in Pratt's Q & A for Food Animal Practitioners may be helpful. However, questions on the ABVP exams may be more difficult than these self-assessment questions.
6. You can't possibly read all the texts and publications listed as references. Concentrate on a few primary references and use others as needed to fill in deficiencies. The list is not exclusive.
7. Consider the various aspects of the process, the credentialing and testing, to be challenges instead of stumbling blocks.
8. Remember, it is easy to be overwhelmed by the massive amounts of material to cover. Set a broad and careful plan, and stick to it.
9. Follow the credentialing guidelines to the letter.
10. On test day, get a good night's sleep and come to the test relaxed, and stay calm. Realize that you have 3 chances to pass all 3 parts of the exam.

Be sure to review the general study recommendations for all ABVP Practice Categories.

Books (latest editions):

R - Recommended, SR - Strongly Recommended, O - Optional

Veterinary Medicine - Radostits, Blood, Gay - SR

Herd Health: Food Animal Production Medicine - Radostits, Leslie, Fetrow - SR

Large Animal Internal Medicine - Smith (1996 edition) - SR

Current Veterinary Therapy: Food Animal Practice - Howard - SR

Current Therapy in Theriogenology - Morrow - SR

Veterinary Obstetrics and Genital Diseases - Roberts - R

Abnormal Morphology of Bovine Spermatozoa - Barth and Oko - O

Principles of Epidemiology - Seedle or other basic epidemiology text - SR

Veterinary Immunology - Tizard - SR

Animal Feeding and Nutrition - Jurgens - R

Nitrogen and Energy Nutrition of Ruminants - Shirley - O

Principals of Accounting - Strawser or other basic accounting text - SR

Hagan/Bruner's Microbiology and Infectious Diseases - R

Handbook of Clinical Veterinary Pharmacology - Upson or other basic pharmacology text - R

Textbook of Large Animal Surgery - Williams & Wilkins - R

Bovine and Equine Urogenital Surgery - Walker and Vaughn - R

Basic Physiology and Anatomy texts - O

Beef Production Medicine - Bechtol and Kidenour - R

Farm Management - Boehlje - R

Financial Management: Theory and Practice - Bringham and Gapenski - O

Food Safety and Quality Assurance: Foods of Animal Origin - Hubert and Hagstad - R

Merck Veterinary Manual - R

Self-Assessment Questions and Answers for Food Animal Practitioners - Pratt - R

Food Animal Surgery - Noordsy - O

Publications and Journals:

R - Recommended, SR - Strongly Recommended, O - Optional

NRC, Beef Cattle - National Academy of Sciences - SR

Veterinary Accreditation: A Reference Guide for Practitioners - R

Report: National Beef Quality Audit - 1994 - R

Veterinary Clinics of North America - Food Animal Practice - SR

Compendium on Continuing Education - SR

Compendium's Food Animal Medicine & Management - SR

Large Animal Practice - R

JAVMA - Food Animal Features - R

Journal of Animal Science - O

AABP Proceedings of Annual Meetings - SR

Bovine Practitioner - SR

Society for Theriogenology Proceedings of Annual Meetings - R

Questions on the examination may be taken from sources other than this list.