Should You Become a Specialist in Clinical Hypertension?

Abstract

If you regularly read this journal carefully, the answer is likely, “yes”. The American Society of ypertension, Inc. (ASH) established the Hypertension Specialist Program in 1998 to identify and ualify those practitioners who are knowledgeable about hypertension and whose practice is involved in he management of a considerable number of hypertensive patients. From the beginning, the ASH Hypertension Specialist program recognized that literally every one of he 600,000 physicians in the United States cared, in one way or another, for hypertensive patients. ontact with hypertensive patients is inevitable for all clinicians, regardless of practice area. We also new that Hypertension was not recognized as a ‘specialty’ and would very likely never be a separate raining program with official Boards to qualify practitioners as Hypertensionologists. For these reasons, ASH established not an official Board exam provided only to practitioners who ompleted a two or three year fellowship in hypertension, but rather a way to identify those practitioners rom any specialty – Nephrology, Family Practice, Cardiology, Endocrinology, Geriatrics – who had a articularly strong interest in and knowledge about hypertension, whose practice included a considerable umber of hypertensive patients and who passed a written qualifying examination prepared by a ommittee of experts in both hypertension and examination protocol. This exam is given every two years, sually in conjunction with the ASH Annual Scientific Meeting. The Specialist Program is overseen by a Board of Directors and is totally and legally separate from the ociety. No ASH member or ASH officer other than the initially appointed ASH Hypertension Specialist rogram Board of Directors is involved in the preparation or administration of the qualifying examinaion. You can’t pass the exam just because you trained with the ASH President. The cost of the Program s largely covered by the fee to take the exam. So why should you prepare the entrance forms, pay the fee, and go through a fairly rigorous exam – ust to receive a diploma to hang on your office wall that says you are a Hypertension Specialist? There are three good reasons: First, this is the only way to be identified as someone who knows about and provides the expertise to reat the difficult to manage hypertensive patients. Second, you will be listed on the ASH website for Hypertension Specialists, available to practitioners verywhere who are not familiar with those who can offer expert care. Third, you may be given additional recognition by your hospital, HMO, insurance providers, etc. for our having qualified. Perhaps more importantly, you will have proven to yourself that you are able and ready to help care or those hypertensive patients who need your expertise. To be a Hypertension Specialist takes study, the bility to transfer your knowledge to pass a fair exam, preparation of forms, and payment of a onsiderable fee in order to take the qualifying exam. We think it is worth it and hope you will join the 200 Hypertension Specialists who are now qualified.