First European Diploma In Respiratory Medicine - Inaugural Examination Held On Saturday At 18th ERS Congress, Berlin

Main Category: Respiratory / Asthma
Also Included In: Medical Students / Training
Article Date: 06 Oct 2008 - 1:00 PDT

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And the big day finally came! After several years of intense preparation under the HERMES (Harmonised Education in Respiratory Medicine for European Specialists) project, last Saturday the European Respiratory Society (ERS) held the inaugural examination for the European Diploma in Adult Respiratory Medicine. It took place in Berlin, in parallel with the Annual Congress. This year's candidates will be the first ever to receive the new qualification.

They came from 27 countries and six continents. A total of 74 ERS members, all qualified doctors, spent over two and a half hours answering some ninety questions in this unique examination, designed to provide Europe-wide recognition of their qualifications.

To be admitted to the exam, candidates had to be practising doctors with a qualification in respiratory medicine at the national level.

The new European diploma will raise their profile and provide an additional guarantee of their competence in the eyes of both patients and colleagues.

Marker of excellence

The inaugural exam on 4 October 2008 in Berlin represented a milestone and the start of an era, not only for the successful candidates, but also for the ERS, with its long-established commitment to ongoing training and education of members.

"I am very happy that the ERS is now able to offer this new, high-level training opportunity to respiratory medicine specialists from all over the world", announced the ERS President, Professor Leonardo Fabbri, in Berlin. "Moreover, I am convinced that this new European examination will quickly become recognised as a marker of excellence throughout our continent."

And, through the examination and diploma, European pneumonologists' specialist training will be harmonised and standardised, another major advantage of this groundbreaking project. It is expected to facilitate dialogue among specialists in respiratory medicine based in different European countries, which should be particularly helpful for young doctors who are new to the profession.

In addition, it will benefit patients directly by raising the general level of expertise.

Linked to this first European examination, the ERS has launched a new publication, "European Standards for Training in Adult Respiratory Medicine: Syllabus, Curriculum and Diploma", a goldmine of information both for postgraduate programme directors wishing to structure their training programme in a Europe-compatible way and for trainees and young doctors wishing to prepare for the European examination.

Furthermore, the ERS HERMES task force is currently investigating the possibility of introducing similar examinations and diplomas in paediatric respiratory medicine and in other areas of the profession.

European Respiratory Society

European Respiratory Society Annual Congress