EBO EXAM

The European Board of Ophthalmology (EBO) and the European Glaucoma Society (EGS) are inviting ophthalmologists to sit the second EBO Glaucoma Subspecialty Exam in Paris in May 2016. Applications will open on the EBO and the EGS websites in November 2015.

This year, for the first time, the EBO in collaboration with the EGS organised an EBO Glaucoma Subspecialty Exam which took place in Paris in May alongside the traditional EBO Diploma examination in general ophthalmology.

Eleven candidates sat the examination, with successful candidates awarded the FEBOS-Glaucoma Diploma (Fellow of the EBO Subspecialty Glaucoma Diploma).

“I think it has been a very successful debut, and the EGS is very satisfied about the process and the feedback,” said Prof Carlo Traverso, president of the EGS.

The initial inspiration for the subspecialty examination came from Prof Wagih Aclimandos, who was president of the EBO in 2011-2012. “It was one of my goals as president of the EBO to advance this project. It’s very gratifying to see it come to fruition thanks to the efforts of the EGS, and we hope that this will be the start of an ongoing process and other subspecialties will soon follow suit,” said Prof Aclimandos.

Dr Gordana Sunaric Mégevand, president-elect of the EBO who also serves on the executive committee of the EGS, did an enormous amount of work to help move the project forward and make it a reality, said Prof Traverso.

“When Dr Sunaric Mégevand brought the idea to our executive committee we were enthusiastic, because we thought it was a good idea for specialists to be aware of where they are in terms of their knowledge, and to set quality standards. There is a need to provide official recognition and validation of the level of knowledge attained by glaucoma specialists at a European level,” said
Prof Traverso. In the academic culture of Europe subspecialty training in ophthalmology has not developed as far as formally recognised qualifications, he said.

“There are high-quality subspecialty programmes in some countries, but the practice differs from country to country and it is clearly desirable to have some benchmark of knowledge which is recognised everywhere and which will help to raise standards across Europe,” he added.

The diploma is also a useful way to instil the concept of lifelong learning in ophthalmologists just starting out in their careers, said Prof Traverso. “It is very good for the younger generation of physicians to appreciate that this is not just a diploma to hang on the wall or a generic hope to enhance their job prospects, but a means to develop the mentality of self-assessment and peer review,” he said.

As neither the EBO nor the EGS can interfere with national legislation and health structures, the diploma cannot be regarded as a method to obtain a better work position, but only demonstrates official proof of knowledge to a recognised standard.

CHALLENGING BUT FAIR

A lot of work went into designing an examination that would be challenging but fair, said Prof Traverso. “We were very clear in explaining to the candidates what was expected from them, the baseline being an in-depth knowledge of the EGS guidelines, a widely-used practical reference for the diagnosis and management of glaucoma.”

The vive voce oral part of the exam also gave candidates a real chance to show the true breadth of their knowledge, he said.

“We try to test their knowledge and clinical judgement and in certain surgical cases we discuss techniques and strategies to deal with specific situations. We try to be fair even if their suggested approach is not necessarily the one that the examiners would have chosen. It is about the strategy they would adopt and have them make a clinically sound, evidence-based and reasoned argument,” said Prof Traverso.

* See also: www.ebo-online.org/newsite/home.asp; www.eugs.org