European examinations in internal medicine

Abstract

The European Board of Internal Medicine (EBIM) is a joint venture between the UEMS Section of Internal Medicine and EFIM. In 2005, a decision was made to promote a Diploma in Internal Medicine in order to provide an assessment of the core knowledge required of trainees in this specialty. The Diploma is built on documented knowledge in InternalMedicine togetherwith a support for the candidate fromhis/her National Society regarding completion or near completion of specialist training in Internal medicine and confirming that the candidate currently holds a post covered by UEMS/EFIM [1]. The development of modern quality assured examinations is expensive and time consuming and it was considered appropriate to use the expertise developed by others rather than start an examination de novo. After an investigation of the examinations available it was decided to work in collaboration with the MRCP organisation which runs English language examinations for internists [1]. The examination was amultiple choice question (best offive alternatives) two-part paper and was available in five major capitals in Europe. There was an appreciation that some European countries already have their own assessmentmethodology but it was also clear that quite a few countries do not. Assessment of trainees does not relate purely to core knowledge but also to skills and professional attitudes. There was always a clear understanding that the Diploma provided only one part of the overall assessment of a trainee's competence. It was hoped that national organisations might incorporate a European diploma into a wider assessment of their trainees. Unfortunately, the uptake of the examination has been poor and does not merit its continuation at the present time [1]. EBIM is unclear as to what form of knowledge based assessments are carried out in European countries and this is perhaps a body of work that could usefully be undertaken. Increasingly our patients expect us to show