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Equine Practice Study & Reading Guide

Congratulations on your decision to pursue certification by the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners in the Equine Practice category. In order to help you create an efficient and productive learning experience and prepare for the certification examinations, the following study guide has been prepared with information obtained through a survey of successful candidates. Although the "formula for success" varied somewhat according to individual experiences and resources, there were a number of factors that were common among those who passed the examination.

The average time of general preparation for the examinations was 1 year, with 200 to 300 hours devoted specifically to study time. Most of the successful candidates set aside time for study on a regular basis over an extended period (usually 1 to 3 hours per session, for a period of 1 year). Very few successful candidates studied in a concentrated period of time.

Reading time averaging 1 hour per day was felt to be the single-most important factor by those who achieved certification.

Study time should be allocated on the basis of the examination blueprint and a frank self-analysis of the candidate's strengths and weaknesses.

Also, be sure to review the general study recommendations for all ABVP Practice Categories.

Since most candidates are at least 6 years from graduation, there usually is a need to focus upon the pathophysiology of disease and therapy, or other areas in which the candidate may be least knowledgeable.When studying a particular disease, it is important to understand all aspects of that disease (ie. pathophysiology, clinical laboratory or other diagnostic findings, pharmacology and prognosis).

Study for the practical examination should emphasize disciplines where visual recognition of lesions or abnormalities is important (eg:endoscopy, radiography, lameness, dermatology). Since a large percentage of the questions relate to respiratory and gastro-intestinal systems, an appropriate amount of time should be devoted to these areas.

Since physiology, pharmacology and internal medicine are closely-related topics, you will find a number of questions addressing these areas. Many candidates found that networking with a colleague (other candidates, diplomates or College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) faculty was helpful for review sessions. Some felt that a visit to a CVM was useful to access the library and/or attend clinical rounds.

A reasonable study plan for the year preceding the examination should be created, using a calendar with 1 page for each month of the year. You should schedule study time during each month according to your own assessment of your strengths and weaknesses.

The first month, for example, could be used for self-assessment (practice questions), planning a study schedule, acquiring resource materials and finding a location to study with minimal distractions. The final month prior to the examination should be set aside for review and to reinforce areas in which you may be having some difficulty.

Texts:

Current Therapy in Equine Medicine, 3rd & 4th editions, Robinson

Large Animal Internal Medicine, 2nd edition, Smith

Equine Internal Medicine, 1st edition, Reed & Bayly

Current Practice of Equine Surgery, 1st edition, White & Moore

Adams Lameness in Horses, 4th edition, Stashak, 5th edition, Stashak

Manuel of Equine Reproduction, Varner

Diagnosis and Management of Lameness in the Horse, Ross and Dyson

Current Therapy in Equine Medicine, 4th and 5th editions, Robinson

Equine Internal Medicine, 2nd edition, Reed, Bayly and Sellon

Adams' Lameness in Horses, 5th edition, Stashak

Manuel of Equine Reproduction, 2nd edition, Terry Blanchard

Equine Medicine and Surgery, 5th edition, Colahan, Mayhew, Merritt and Moore

Current Therapy in Equine Reproduction, (July 2006) Sampler,Pycock and McKinnon

Other references that were found useful to support these primary references or to cover specific disciplines in which the candidate may feel deficient included:

• a physiology text (Guyton or Ganong)
• Clinical pathology (Coffman or Meyer & Coles)
• Neely's reproduction monograph
• a clinical pharmacology text (Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics by Booth and McDonald, Iowa State Univ. Press)
• an immunology text (Veterinary Immunology by Tizard, Saunders)
• Veterinary Clinics of North America Equine Practice

Miscellaneous:

A current literature review should include the Compendium on Continuing Education, Journal of the American Veterinary medical Association, Equine Veterinary Journal, and AAEP proceedings, in-depth seminars, in particular. The self-assessment questions in the Compendium can be useful to practice examination-taking skills, although it is likely that you will find the degree of difficulty of many of the ABVP examination questions to be significantly greater than that of the questions in this journal. Your knowledge of a subject needs to be extensive to correctly differentiate the distractors in the multiple choice questions. Self-Assessment Questions & Answers for Equine Practitioners, published by American Veterinary Publications is another good source for practice questions, although the same qualification regarding degree of difficulty applies in some cases.

The most useful continuing education opportunities were felt to be the AAEP annual convention and the ACVIM annual meeting. A few successful candidates also recommended the ACVS annual meeting.

Successful candidates felt that the most detrimental factors or pitfalls along the way were inconsistent or erratic study habits and a failure to keep up-to-date on current literature.

Remember to get plenty of rest prior to the examination day and realize that you have 3 chances to pass all 3 portions of the examination. I hope that you will find this information helpful as you prepare for the ABVP Equine Certification examination. We're pulling for you!

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