ABP Med Toxicology study plan
ABP Med Toxicology · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
General principles of toxicology and risk assessment & Toxicokinetics, toxicodynamics, and laboratory testing
Map the core risk-assessment steps from hazard identification through risk characterization, and write a one-page decision tree for when to observe, decontaminate, or give an antidote.
Derive half-life, volume of distribution, and clearance from supplied numbers; solve 15 toxicokinetic calculations without notes.
Differentiate major toxidromes by vital signs, pupils, skin, and bowel sounds; build a 12-row toxidrome matrix.
Select and interpret the initial laboratory panel, including acetaminophen, salicylate, co-oximetry, anion gap, and osmolal gap, for 10 vignettes.
Your checkpoint
Completed 30-question quiz on principles and toxicokinetics with at least 80%, plus a corrected error log and a one-page toxidrome matrix.
Analgesics, sedative-hypnotics, and cardiovascular drugs & Drugs of abuse, withdrawal syndromes, and addiction
Compare toxic doses, mechanisms, and antidotes for acetaminophen, salicylates, opioids, benzodiazepines, and cyclic antidepressants.
Construct a withdrawal timeline table for alcohol, benzodiazepines, and opioids, including onset, peak, and red-flag features.
Apply a stepwise management plan for sodium-channel blockade, opioid-induced respiratory depression, and benzodiazepine withdrawal.
Complete 20 ECG-and-vignette cases linking cardiovascular drug toxicity to ECG findings.
Your checkpoint
A one-page high-yield overdose card for 10 drugs plus at least 80% on a 25-question domains 3-4 quiz.
Antidotes, decontamination, and enhanced elimination & Toxicologic emergencies and critical care management
Build an antidote quick-reference table with indication, dose, endpoint, and adverse effects for 20 antidotes.
Sequence airway, breathing, circulation, decontamination, and enhanced elimination priorities in 10 critical-care vignettes.
Calculate weight-based dosing for naloxone, sodium bicarbonate, fomepizole, and lipid emulsion using worked examples.
Decide when hemodialysis, charcoal, or urinary alkalinization is indicated and when it is not.
Your checkpoint
Closed-book 20-antidote table and a 30-question emergency-management quiz scored at least 80%.
Household, industrial, and occupational exposures & Pesticides, metals, and environmental toxicology
Classify household and industrial exposures by route, latency, and key toxidrome, including carbon monoxide, cyanide, caustics, hydrocarbons, and organophosphates.
Interpret cholinesterase and metal levels in context, and distinguish true toxicity from incidental findings.
Outline decontamination and personal protective equipment steps for a chemical spill and a pesticide exposure.
Compare chelation indications and monitoring for lead, arsenic, and iron.
Your checkpoint
Two-page exposure matrix covering 15 agents plus 25 vignette questions with at least 80%.
Plants, mushrooms, marine toxins, and envenomations & Pediatric-specific poisoning, ingestions, and prevention
Identify high-risk plants and mushrooms by syndrome, including anticholinergic, cholinergic, cardiac glycoside, hepatic, and gastrointestinal patterns, using clinical clues only.
Recognize marine toxin and envenomation syndromes and select first-line supportive care.
Apply pediatric weight-based dosing and calculate maximum volumes for decontamination and antidotes.
Explain developmental and behavioral factors that raise pediatric poisoning risk and match each to a prevention strategy.
Your checkpoint
A 20-item syndrome-to-agent matching sheet and a pediatric dosing card; score at least 80% on 25 mixed questions.
Toxicokinetics, toxicodynamics, and laboratory testing & Antidotes, decontamination, and enhanced elimination
Recompute anion and osmolal gaps and explain confounders in 15 cases.
Compare charcoal, gastric lavage, urinary alkalinization, and hemodialysis by indication, contraindication, and expected benefit.
Design a monitoring schedule for a patient receiving repeated-dose activated charcoal or sodium bicarbonate.
Audit prior error logs and re-solve every missed calculation.
Your checkpoint
Revised elimination and antidote decision flowchart plus a 20-question calculation set with 100% correction.
Analgesics, sedative-hypnotics, and cardiovascular drugs & Toxicologic emergencies and critical care management
Manage beta-blocker, calcium-channel blocker, digoxin, and sodium-channel blocker poisoning through a stepwise algorithm.
Integrate ventilator, vasopressor, and antidote decisions in shock caused by poisoning.
Prioritize treatment for hyperthermia, seizures, and dysrhythmias in critically poisoned patients.
Complete a timed 40-question mixed high-yield set.
Your checkpoint
One cardiovascular overdose algorithm and a timed set score of at least 75%, with weak areas listed.
General principles of toxicology and risk assessment & Toxicologic emergencies and critical care management
Complete two timed 50-question mixed exams under exam conditions; review every explanation and tag misses by domain.
Re-teach the three weakest domains from memory using one-page summaries and active recall.
Finalize a personal high-yield sheet covering antidotes, toxidromes, and pediatric dosing.
Practice 10 rapid-fire critical-care decisions with a two-minute limit per case.
Your checkpoint
Two scored 50-question exams with a domain-level error report and a final one-page high-yield sheet.
Milestones
Week 2: At least 80% on the principles and toxicokinetics quiz; toxidrome matrix completed; weekly error-log review scheduled.
Week 4: At least 80% on the antidote, emergency, and environmental quizzes; antidote table accurate closed-book for at least 18 of 20 entries.
Week 6: 100% correction on the calculation set; elimination and antidote flowchart reproduced from memory.
Week 8: Two 50-question exams completed; final high-yield sheet covers all 10 domains; weakest-domain score improved by at least 10 percentage points from the week 6 baseline.