The European Board of Nuclear Medicine Fellowship Examination

Abstract

It was on 20 July 1958, one year after the Treaty of Rome was signed, that the representatives delegated by the professional organisations of medical specialists of the six member countries of the very newEuropeanEconomicCommunity (EEC) created the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS). This body is currently the political representative for medical specialists in the European Union and associated countries. Its main concern is the field of training of European medical specialists with a view to achieving a uniformly high level of knowledge among medical specialists throughout Europe, thereby allowing free movement of specialists from one member country to another. In the 1990s, the UEMS created European “Boards”—working groups of the specialist sections—in order to guarantee optimal care in the field of the speciality, promoting and developing the training of medical specialists to the highest possible level. The Section of Nuclear Medicine was constituted in 1990 and the European Board of Nuclear Medicine (EBNM) was formed in 1993, with the main objective of guaranteeing the highest standards in the field of nuclear medicine. Ten years later, in 2003, the UEMS Section and the European Board of Nuclear Medicine (UEMS/EBNM) merged in order to unify and better coordinate activities. The present work of UEMS/EBNM is channelled through five committees, who collaborate in coordination with the EANM. The Fellowship Committee of the UEMS/EBNM organises the European Board of Nuclear Medicine Examination, which leads to the European Fellowship Certification [1]. The exam is held annually, coinciding with the European Congress in Nuclear Medicine. It comprises two parts, which can be taken together the same year or separately. The first part is a written exam (multiple choice questions) covering the different branches of the speciality. Currently, the test consists of 140 questions distributed over 16 topics: skeletal system (8 questions), cardiology (14), endocrinology (12), gastroenterology (4), haematology (4), infection (6), pulmonology (7), nephrourology (9), neurology (11), oncology (18), therapy (12), paediatrics (6), physics/ radioprotection/quality control (11), radiobiology (4), radiopharmacy/radiochemistry (10) and biostatistics/bioethics (4). The second part of the exam is an oral discussion of case studies. Only those candidates who pass the written part are admitted to the oral examination. According to UEMS regulations, candidates cannot sit the oral examination or be awarded the Fellowship until at least 3 years after having received their national specialist qualification. Further information on the exam can be obtained from the EANM website http://www.eanm.org . The European Board of Nuclear Medicine Fellowship Certification shows that the holder’s knowledge and skills meet European standards. It is an optional recognition that does not impinge on each country’s requirements for specialist qualification. The same system is fully operational in the USA, where the certifying body is the American Board of Nuclear Medicine (ABNM), which is a part of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), their relationship being similar to that of EBNM and UEMS. Although certification is not mandatory for the practice of medicine, many US hospitals and health care centres require a minimum percentage of staff to hold the fellowship. In 2002, more than 85% of licensed physicians in the USA had been certified by at least one ABMS Board [2], as the qualification is regarded as playing a key role in the improvement of the standard of health care. Patients highly value certification as an indicator of quality and they would change or select physicians based on whether that doctor is certified. For example, in a 2003 survey of 1,000 US adults, 90% said physicians should be frequently evaluated and 83% said it was very important or important for practicing physicians F. Pons is chair of the UEMS/EBNM Fellowship committee. A. Bischof Delaloye is president of the UEMS/EBNM.