"This guide will help you prepare for the ABVP Swine Health Management (SHM) Recognized Veterinary Specialty (RVS) examinations. The SHM has a two examinations; an Entry examination to evaluate general knowledge required to enter the program, and a Certification or Diplomate examination scheduled at the end of the program. The AVMA best practices is that the examination items align with a Job Task Analysis (JTA) of current RVS Diplomates. The 2018 JTA identified tasks, diseases, etc. that Diplomates either saw frequently or expected a Specialist to have immediate knowledge of subject. Additionally, it has been decided that some exam items can come from current journals and a small percentage can be at your Exam Committee’s discretion. Please note that exam questions drawn from current journals (with a 5 year look back period) are 1) from a journal on the RVS reading list, 2) the question is developed from an open access journal article OR if the article is not open access, the question is drawn from the abstract only and 3) for any non-open access journal article, the abstract must be inexpensively obtained. The exception to this is Veterinary Clinics of North America (if applicable), where the exam taker is responsible for the whole article"
"The most important aspect of preparation is to spend time or work in swine practice, or working closely with swine practitioners understanding what they do. Supplement this knowledge and experiences with independent reading and formal continuing education events. Emphasis should be placed on high quality material across a broad range of topics that are relevant for a practice environment. Candidates will be evaluated based on the breadth and depth of their understanding. Knowledge can be built in many ways; some examples of suggested reading and continuing education opportunities are presented below."
Source: Swine Health Management RVS Exam Study Guide - 2024
Updated: 10/23/2024
Swine Disease Manual by 
Pig Health by Color Atlas of Diseases and Disorders of the Pig by Essentials of Pig Anatomy by 
Managing Pig Health and the Treatment of Disease by Pathology of the Pig: A Diagnostic Guide by Swine Nutrition Guide by 
Nutrient Requirements of Swine by Code of Practice: For Handling and Care of Pigs by "Applicants are encouraged to learn and effectively utilize literature search engines to focus their studies on current medical and industry information and issues. Swine related topics in the following journals (this is not an all-inclusive list) may be relevant for the aspiring Diplomate. Focus on papers published in the last 5 years."
"There are numerous opportunities to participate in continuing education conferences focused on swine health and production. Some are veterinary specific meetings, others engage the broader industry. Some examples are below, but there are many other regional meetings sponsored by swine practices, regional associations, animal health companies, and some universities."
