Training and Preparation for the Certifying Examinations of the ACVP

Requirements of Board Examination
The following prerequisites must be met to the satisfaction of the Council before any candidate is eligible to sit any board examination in veterinary pathology. An eligible candidate must:

1. Have satisfactory standing in the profession.
2. Have graduated from a college or school of veterinary medicine accredited or approved by the AVMA, or possess a certificate issued by the Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates, or be legally qualified to practice veterinary medicine in some state, province, territory or possession of the United States, Canada, or other country.
3. Complete either the standard or alternate routes of training as described below.

Goal of Training
The goal of this training should be to acquire knowledge sufficient to assume responsibility for the broad spectrum of assessment and interpretation of specimens, problems and situations encountered by veterinary pathologists.

Responsibility of the Training Institution
The training should include daily participation in, and responsibility for, some portion(s) of pathology service, teaching, or research. The training should offer academic studies designed to provide adequate understanding of the basic principles of pathology and provide facilities and case materials for the trainee to gain practical experience in performing professional duties. These should include the application of all standard methods and procedures of pathology to any given case, to demonstrate the pathogenesis and cause of the existing disease process and make a diagnosis. For veterinary pathology, this usually relates to the performance and interpretation of gross, histopathologic, histochemical, immunohistochemical, molecular biological and ultrastructural examinations and correlating results with clinical findings and clinical laboratory data. For veterinary clinical pathology, this usually relates to the interpretation of cytologic, biochemical, immunological and molecular biological examinations of blood, urine, body fluids, and other specimens obtained from the animal, as well as histopathologic evaluation of surgical biopsy specimens. Interpretation includes correlating test results with clinical findings. While the pathologist need not be technically proficient in the performance of laboratory procedures, thorough familiarity with the methods, uses, limitations, and applications of such tests, and the ability to supervise the performance of these procedures, and interpret the results are required.

Training institutions should provide library resources that include current journals and reference texts commonly used by veterinary pathologists and access to computerized literature searches. In addition, archival case materials or organized study sets containing case materials should be available.

References: Elements of Good Training in Anatomic Pathology, Vet Pathol 2010 47: 995-1002; Guidelines for resident training in veterinary clinical pathology: I. Clinical chemistry. VetClin Pathol 32:202-208, 2003; Guidelines for resident training in veterinary clinical pathology. III: cytopathology and surgical pathology. Vet Clin Pathol 38:281-287, 2009; Guidelines for resident training in veterinary clinical pathology: II. Hematology. Vet ClinPathol35:382-387, 2006.

Responsibility of the Mentor (Supervisor)
In the standard route of training the mentor should be a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists, or a Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Pathologists who were elected to the ECVP by examination, with certification in the field in which the candidate wishes to train. The mentor or mentor's peer should be available to the trainee on a daily basis for consultation and advice. The mentor must take an active role in supervising the trainee's studies and providing specific guidance in preparation for the ACVP certifying examination. The mentor, in conjunction with the trainee, is encouraged to establish a plan of study at the beginning of the training period. This plan should clearly state when the trainee could be expected to be fully prepared to take the certifying examination of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists. This plan should be re-assessed yearly.

Responsibility of the Candidate
The level of responsibility on the trainees for their own education is high and demands extensive independent study of specimens for diagnosis and interpretation, texts, journals, and consultation with pathologists, clinicians and other specialists. Supplementary participation as a student in lectures or participation in seminars may be useful; however, this should not be the major emphasis of the training. The trainee's clinical experience, while not precisely specified, can be an important part in some aspects of the practice of veterinary pathology, veterinary clinical pathology and the ACVP certifying examination. The certifying examination is the culmination of years of intensive preparation involving a wide range of animal species. A final phase of concentrated study can generally be successful only if the preceding training has been suitable in breadth and depth.

Definition of the Standard Route of Training
For the standard route, supervised training acceptable to Council is directed by a Diplomate of the ACVP or the ECVP, as described above, and takes place in an institution that trains veterinary pathologists as one of its primary functions. The training should engage the trainees in the broad spectrum of the practice of veterinary pathology. The candidate must complete a minimum of 36 months of such training subsequent to graduation from veterinary school and all 36 months should be in the field in which certification is sought (Veterinary Pathology or Veterinary Clinical Pathology). It is the opinion of Council that a minimum of 36 months is required for the candidate to: assimilate and utilize the base of knowledge necessary for the practice of veterinary pathology or veterinary clinical pathology; acquire the skills to critically evaluate new data and current literature; and make informed conclusions on how this new information integrates into the practice of veterinary pathology or veterinary clinical pathology.

Definition of Alternate Route of Training
Supervised training acceptable to Council is considered an alternate route if any part of the training takes place under a mentor who is not a Diplomate of the ACVP or at an institution that does not train veterinary pathologists as one of its primary functions. Training by an alternate route requires a minimum of 48 months subsequent to graduation from veterinary school. Twelve of the 48 months must be spent in training under the supervision of a Diplomate of the ACVP or the ECVP, as described above. All 48 months must be in the field in which certification is sought (Veterinary Pathology or Veterinary Clinical Pathology).