American Board of Veterinary Toxicology (ABVT): How to Become Board-Certified

ABVT certifies veterinarians in toxicology, and the credential carries a spelling the board itself points out: Diplomates (with an 'e') of the American Board of Veterinary Toxicology.

AVMA's list names no sub-specialties under the organization — one credential, no split to choose between.

AVMA's count is a headcount: 142 active ABVT diplomates as of December 31, 2025.

The board's FAQ describes where they work: universities, veterinary diagnostic laboratories, animal poison control centers, government agencies, industry, research institutes, and consulting work.

The Residency Option asks for at least three calendar years in a veterinary toxicology residency, under the supervision of an ABVT Diplomate.

Two parts of that sentence shape a plan.

The three years are a floor rather than a fixed length, and the supervision requirement means the residency has to sit where an ABVT Diplomate can oversee the work.

The board's prerequisites page attaches an evidence bar to this route: senior authorship of two accepted peer-reviewed publications, or completion of two funded research projects, or equivalent activity in veterinary toxicology acceptable to the Board.

The Advanced Degree Option swaps the residency for four full calendar years of toxicology training, including completion of an advanced degree.

The training has to cover general mammalian, comparative, and clinical toxicology plus biochemistry, analytical chemistry, pharmacology, pathology, and statistics, with teaching, research, or clinical and diagnostic practice experience worked in; at least two of the four years come after the DVM and under an ABVT Diplomate's direct supervision.

It carries the same evidence bar as the Residency Option.

Beyond it, the board's prerequisites page lists two experiential options — one pairing two years of clinical practice with three years of toxicology training, teaching, research, or practice; the other open-ended, standing on five publications or five funded research projects plus training and experience equivalent to the Residency Option — and a route for current ABT diplomates.

Certification ends in a comprehensive examination, administered electronically (by computer) in a designated location — with a webcam and microphone on the computer if a live proctor is not available.

The exam is arranged into four domains and held annually on the third Sunday in June; candidates must confirm their intention to take it with the candidate coordinator no later than May 1.

Results come back domain by domain as pass/fail, and the board does not share actual scores.

A candidate who passes some domains can be reexamined in later years on the remaining ones, within a time frame the board sets.

Beginning January 1, 2017, initial certification as a Diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Toxicology is time-limited for ten years under the Maintenance of Certification (MoC) process.

Diplomates certified before that date are not required to renew.

For those on the time-limited track, the MoC process asks diplomates to submit information for review at the end of the period to retain board-certified specialist status — so the credential is maintained on a cycle rather than held for life.