The examination will be given only to those who have satisfied all the requirements of the Prerequisites for Examination.
A comprehensive examination will be administered in an effort to assure that those who successfully pass it will be a credit to the profession and fully capable of functioning as toxicologists in any area with dignity, respect, and wisdom.
The qualifying examation consists of 4 sections, each section has 100 multiple chioce questions. The exam is given annually at the AVMA convention. The exam begins at 8:00 am and ends at 6:00 pm of the same day. To successfully pass the examination, the candidate must correctly answer 75% of the questions in all 4 sections. If 3 of the 4 sections are passed, the candidate may take the one section not passed the following year. If the candidate fails more than 1 of the sections then the entire examination must be retaken. The candidate has three (3) years of eligibility to successfully complete the examination.
Candidates will be examined for knowledge within the broad discipline of veterinary toxicology including but not necessarily limited to the following:
a) the concept of toxicology, its usefulness, definitions, and philosophies;
b) dosage-response relationships;
c) metabolism and detoxication;
d) toxicology of inorganic compounds;
e) toxicology of synthetic organic compounds;
f) toxicology of plant poisons and biotoxins;
g) toxicology of radiation and radiomimetic compounds;
h) residues and residual effects of chemicals and radiation in foods;
i) testing for safety, including experimental design and interpretation;
j) antidotal procedures and;
k) environmental toxicology - industrial, water, and air contamination.
The examinaton is arranged into the following categories in four (4) test section:
Section I.
Section II.
- Toxic Plants
- Biotoxins
- Drugs and Feed Additive
Section III.
- Concepts
- Definitions
- Dose Response
- Metabolism
- Safety Testing
Section IV.
- Inorganic Compounds
- Organic Compunds
- Radiation
- Environmental Residues
- Clinical and Diagnostic Toxicology
- Antidotal Procedures