|
The Purpose of IBHRE Recertification
The
International Board of Heart Rhythm Examiners (IBHRE) competency
certification examinations have long served as a benchmark for
professional excellence and its recertification program promotes
enhancement of the knowledge and skills essential to the delivery of
optimal patient care through career-long learning and re-examination.
Due to significant advances that continue to be made in cardiac pacing,
defibrillation and electrophysiology, it is essential for physicians and
allied professionals to maintain and demonstrate continued competency in
their respective field to ensure a high standard in treatment of
patients.
IBHRE
recognizes continued competency of its certificants through evidence of
the following activities:
-
Ongoing
participation in professional development activities (i.e. Completion of CME/CE credit)
-
Maintaining
good standing and involvement in the heart rhythm management field
-
Successful
re-examination every ten years
Learn more:
(Effective January
1, 2010)
Recertification is required every ten (10) years for all IBHRE
certification designations. Five (5) years after passing the exam,
certificants must attest to having completed 45 contact hours of
professional development activities that are applicable to their IBHRE
certification. Ten (10) years after passing the exam, certificants must
re-certify by re-examination. Candidates must also attest that they are
currently active and involved in the field of cardiac rhythm management
and that they remain in good standing within the medical community.
Candidates who do not meet these requirements will lapse in their
certification.
Back to Top
All IBHRE certificants are required to file a professional
development activities form and pay a processing fee by December 31 of
the fifth (5th) year of their respective recertification
period in order to maintain their credential. The professional
development activities form is available to all certificants on the
IBHRE website..
Recertification candidates must complete a minimum of 45 contact hours
of professional development activities five (5) years following initial
certification. Contact hours must be directly applicable to the
competencies listed in the certification exam content outline.
Recertification candidates must complete professional development
activities applicable to at least three (3) different exam competency
areas in order to be approved. Recertification candidates may complete
any combination of contact hours from the list of approved professional
development activities provided below. Some options are limited in the
number of contact hours that may submitted toward recertification.
Except where otherwise defined, IBHRE recognizes one contact hour of
continuing education credit as equivalent to 60 minutes of learning.
SECTION A: Continuing Medical
Education and Continuing Education Credit
-
Continuing
Medical Education (CME) or Continuing Education (CE)—Recertification
candidates may satisfy some or all of the required 45 contact
hours by completing CME/CE educational activities given by an approved
provider of continuing education credit. All CME/CE educational
activities must be directly applicable to the candidate’s certification
specialty (cardiac device therapy or electrophysiology). Candidates who
choose this option to satisfy the entire requirement must submit CME/CE
educational activities that are drawn from a minimum of 3 different
topic areas on the IBHRE exam content outline. 1 CME = 1 contact hour
, 0.1 Nursing Continuing Education Unit (CEU) = 1 contact hour.
Applicants may be asked to provide CME/CE certificates as proof of
completion. Recertification candidates may also earn all of the required
45 contact hours by serving on an IBHRE Test Writing Committee. Refer to
SECTION B for details.
Approved
Providers of continuing education credit include (without being limited
to):
-
Heart Rhythm Society (HRS)
-
American Council on
Continuing Medical Education (ACCME)
-
American Nurses Credentialing
Commission (ANCC)
-
American College of
Cardiology (ACC)
-
American College of
Physicians (ACP)
-
American Heart Association
(AHA)
-
American Medical Association
(AMA)
-
American Nurses Association
(ANA)
-
Society of Invasive
Cardiovascular Professionals (SICP)
-
Canadian Cardiovascular
Society (CCS)
-
Canadian Society of
Cardiology Technologists (CSCT)
-
Canadian Society of
Respiratory Therapists (CSRT)
-
Canadian Nurses Association (CNA)
-
European Society of
Cardiology (ESC)
-
European Heart Rhythm
Association (EHRA)
-
Heart Failure Society of
America (HFS)
-
Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
-
Asia Pacific Heart Rhythm
Society (APHRS)
-
Japanese Heart Rhythm Society
(JHRS)
-
Society of Thoracic Surgeons
(STS)
-
Cardiac Electrophysiology
Institute of Australia (CEPIA)
-
Arrhythmia Technologies
Institute (ATI)
-
American Board of Internal
Medicine (ABIM)
-
Any state, provincial, local
or national medical or nursing board/association at the discretion of
IBHRE
SECTION B:
Professional Development Contact Hours
-
Option 1:
Test Writing Committee Service—Recertification candidates may
earn all of the required contact hours by serving on an IBHRE Test
Writing Committee or participating in IBHRE sponsored Item Writing
activities. 1 year of active service on an IBHRE Test Writing
Committee = 10 contact hours. Applicants may submit an unlimited
number of hours of Exam/ Item Development activities toward meeting the
certification requirements. Only service on an IBHRE Test Writing
Committee may be applied for credit.
-
Option 2:
Lecture/Presentation—Recertification candidates may earn some of
the required contact hours by giving an original lecture or presentation
on a subject directly applicable to their certification specialty.
Presentations must be given in an academic institution or have been
approved for CME or CE credit by an approved provider of continuing
education. Original lecture/presentation may only be submitted once for
recertification credit; repeated lectures will not be counted for
additional credit. Lectures/presentations must be extra-professional and
may not be a requirement of the applicant’s employment. 1 hour of
lecture/presentation = 5 contact hours. Applicants may submit up to
10 hours of Lecture/ Presentation toward meeting the recertification
requirement. Applicants may be asked to provide a presentation outline
and written verification of the date and time of the presentation as
proof of completion.
-
Option 3:
Publication—Recertification candidates may earn some of the
required contact hours by authoring or co-authoring an accepted
abstract, white-paper, scholarly article, book or chapter of a book
applicable to their certification specialty and publishing it in a peer-
reviewed academic journal, text-book or reputable web site. 1
abstract = 5 contact hours, 1 article, white-paper, or chapter in a book
= 10 contact hours, 1 authored text book = 20 contact hours and 1
co-authored text book = 10 contact hours. Applicants may submit up
to 20 hours of publication credit toward the recertification
requirement. Applicants may be asked to provide verification of the
publication.
-
Option 4:
College or University Credit—Recertification candidates may earn
some or all of the required contact hours by completing relevant
coursework provided by an accredited college or university. Course work
must be applicable to the competencies of the exam. Candidates who
choose this option to satisfy the entire requirement must submit
academic credit that is applicable to the field of cardiac pacing and
electrophysiology and must represent a minimum of 3 different topic
areas on the IBHRE exam content outline. 1 semester credit = 15
contact hours. Applicants may submit an unlimited number of hours of
College or University credit toward meeting the certification
requirements. Applicants may be asked to provide an official transcript
and syllabus as proof of completion.
-
Option 5:
Industry Training—Recertification candidates who are employed
within industry may earn all of the required contact hours by completing
industry education and training activities given by an approved provider
of industry training. All education and training activities must be
directly applicable to the candidate’s certification specialty and
pre-approved by IBHRE. To satisfy this requirement, education and
training activities should draw from a minimum of 3 different topic
areas on the IBHRE exam content outline. 60 minutes of industry
training = 1 contact hour of continuing education. Applicants may be
asked to provide relevant documentation as proof of completion.
-
Option 6:
Industry Sponsored Education Presentation—Recertification
candidates may earn some of the required contact hours by giving an
industry sponsored education presentation on a subject directly
applicable to their certification specialty. Original presentation may
only be submitted once for recertification credit; repeated lectures
will not be counted for additional credit. Presentations must be
extra-professional and may not be a requirement of the applicant’s
employment. 1 hour of industry sponsored education presentation = 2
contact hours. Applicants may submit up to 10 hours of Presentation
toward meeting the recertification requirement. Applicants may be asked
to provide a presentation outline and written verification of the date
and time of the presentation as proof of completion.
-
Option 7:
Online Education and Educational Seminars—Recertification
candidates may earn some of the required contact hours by completing
relevant CME/CEU approved online coursework/webcasts or educational
seminars applicable to their certification specialty. 1 unit of CME/CE
credit = 1 contact hour. Applicants may submit up to 10 hours of
Online Education and Educational Seminars toward meeting the
recertification requirement.
Professional Development Processing Fees
Certificants
due to submit professional development activities must pay a processing
fee upon filing their forms. The processing fees for filing professional
development activities will be as follows:
| |
Physician |
Allied Professional |
|
Fee |
$100 |
$75 |
Certificants
due to re-certify by way of re-examination shall only be required to pay
the application fee to take the examination. Exam application forms must
be filed by their respective registration deadlines
Application Deadlines
Candidates
due to file completion of professional development activities must
submit the Professional Development Activities Submission Form
documenting their professional development activities and submit it with
appropriate fees by December 31 of the fifth year of their certification
period. Applicants will not be required to attach certificates, letters
of completion or other supporting documentation from their professional
development activities to their submission form unless an applicant is
randomly selected during an annual audit.
Incomplete Applications
Filing forms
that do not meet the required number of contact hours will be considered
incomplete until the certificant addresses the deficiency by completing
or providing additional contact hours. Candidates will be duly notified
of deficiencies on their applications. Applicants must address the
deficiency by the application due date. Applications that remain
incomplete by the application due date will be considered ‘Not Approved’
until corrective action is taken by the applicant
Audit
All
professional development forms will be reviewed and approved based upon
the criterion stated above. Although supporting documentation is not
required upon submission of the forms, IBHRE will randomly select
professional development forms for audit. Upon selection, the
certificant will be notified by letter and asked to mail or fax copies
of all certificates, letters of verification or other documents
confirming the completion of all professional development activities on
their application. Candidates who do not respond to the audit within 30
days will risk failing the audit. Candidates who do fail the audit may
request a one-year extension to correct the deficiency on their form.
IBHRE reserves the right to hold all professional development forms
subject to audit on a random or objective basis at the discretion of the
reviewers.
Back to Top
Ten years after achieving initial certification, certificants must
achieve re-certification by re-taking and passing the respective
examination associated with their certification. Recertification
candidates must complete the exam by the year they are due to recertify.
Upon applying for the exam, candidates must indicate on their exam
application that they are taking the exam to recertify. Candidates who
take the examination to re-certify must submit the applicable exam fees
and provide all necessary documentation to meet the stated exam
eligibility requirements in order to qualify for the exam.
For more
information about the examination process, consult the
Certification
Candidate Bulletin for the Physician and Allied Professional and the
IBHRE Application
Information page of the IBHRE website.
Upon
successful completion of the exam, recertification candidates will be
automatically re-certified in the IBHRE database. Re-certification
candidates who need to recertify by re-examination may only register for
the exam administered during their year of recertification or one year
prior. Recertification candidates who do not pass the exam must take the
examination again to re-instate their credential.
Extensions
Recertification candidates who notify IBHRE of any reasonable
circumstances, which may prevent them from meeting their
re-certification filing deadline, may request one (1) one-year extension
of their re-certification. Candidates seeking an extension must make
this request in writing (by mail, fax or e-mail) at least 30 days prior
to the deadline. Candidates with extensions may continue to use their
IBHRE credential until their extension due-date. If a candidate has not
yet filed a professional development activities form or re-taken the
exam when the extension expires, the candidate will lose their
credential indefinitely.
Consequences for Not Recertifying
Candidates
who choose not to recertify or do not pass the examination will no
longer be permitted to use the IBHRE credential or designation. The
names of candidates who lapse in their certification will be removed
from the IBHRE website.
Thirty (30)
days following the final recertification deadline, any candidate who has
not met the requirements and submitted their recertification form will
be notified in writing that they may no longer use their IBHRE
designation. Any former certificants found to be inappropriately
utilizing the IBHRE credential may be prevented from re-instating their
credential in the future at the discretion of the Board.
Reinstatement
Certificants
who wish to reinstate their credential after lapsing must retake the
examination to reinstate their certification. Candidates who seek
re-instatement after lapsing must still file a professional development
activities form and pay a reinstatement fee of $100 in addition to
passing the exam. Candidates who successfully re-instate their
credential within 1 year of being lapsed will be required to recertify
10 years from the date their former certification lapsed. Candidates who
successfully re-instate their credential after one year will be issued a
new recertification due date ten years from the date of their
reinstatement.
Exemption
of Test Writing Committee Members
Certified
professionals who serve on an IBHRE test writing committee shall not be
required to re-take the IBHRE certification exam. Committee members who
currently serve or have recently served on a committee within the last
five years may submit their test writing experience as a professional
development activity in lieu of taking the exam. Former committee
members, who have been removed from the committee for a cumulative
minimum of five (5) years during any ten (10) year recertification
period, will not be exempt from taking the exam to re-certify.
Back to Top
The
International Board of Heart Rhythm Examiners acknowledges previous
policies, which guaranteed perpetual recognition to those who passed the
Physician Pacing exam prior to 1997, the Allied Professional Pacing exam
prior to 1998 and the Allied Professional Electrophysiology exam prior
to 1999. In recognition of the commitments made by NASPExAM, Inc. for
periods prior to 1997, 1998 and 1999 with respect to the tests
administered at that time, these individuals shall not be required to
complete the aforementioned recertification requirements. While IBHRE
strongly encourages all certificants to opt-in to the new
recertification standards, professionals who choose not to recertify may
maintain their recognition of having passed the exam by keeping the
designation ‘IBHRE Testamur.’
This is
consistent with the commitment made by NASPExAM, Inc. during that
period. This designation will apply only to those who were granted
perpetual recognition under the previous policy and will not apply to
other certificants who choose not to recertify in the future. In
addition, the use of the CCDS or CEPS designation is not allowed unless
the certificant chooses to recertify by examination.
This
requirement is consistent with the guidelines for competency established
by other professional organizations. IBHRE recertification is a mark of
career excellence that affirms your commitment to quality and
demonstrates your current expertise and knowledge.
Back to Top
If you hold
(or expect to hold) one or more IBHRE certification credential(s) you
must adhere to one of the following as it applies to you:
10 Year
Certificants: 10-Year Certificants are those who passed the
Physician’s CCDS exam between 1997 and 2009, the Allied Professional
CCDS exam between 1998 and 2009 or the Allied Professional CEPS exam
between 1999 and 2009 and were assigned an expiry date ten years
following their initial examination. These certificants may proceed to
recertify during the year originally assigned to them under the previous
policy. All subsequent recertification cycles shall require these
candidates to meet the five (5) year professional development activities
requirement going forward.
New
Certificants: Certificants who pass the exam in 2010 or later will
be required to submit proof of 45 contact hours of professional
development activity after five (5) years and re-take the exam after ten
(10) years.
‘Testamurs’/ Opt-in Candidates: Those persons who were granted
perpetual recognition under the previous policy are those who passed the
Physician Pacing exam prior to 1997, the Allied Professional Pacing exam
prior to 1998 and the Allied Professional Electrophysiology exam prior
to 1999. Those persons who fall under this category may choose to opt-in
to the new certification cycle by submitting 45 contact hours of
professional development activities from within the last five (5) years.
These persons will have until December 31, 2011 to bring their
certifications up-to-date by submitting professional development
activities. Upon initially renewing their certification, these
certificants will be issued new certificates that are valid for five
years. These certificants must recertify by re-examination by the new
expiration date or risk lapsing in their certification.
Persons who
choose not to opt-in to the new certification cycle will retain the
designation ‘IBHRE Testamur’ in recognition of their achievement of
having passed the applicable exam prior to 1997, 1998 or 1999, as
applicable. A list of all IBHRE Testamurs will post to the IBHRE
website. IBHRE ‘Testamur’ status will only be applicable to certificants
who were previously granted perpetual recognition under the previous
policy and will not apply to other future candidates whose
certifications shall be subject to the requirements of this policy as it
may be amended from time to time by the Board of Directors of IBHRE.
Back to Top
Forms are now
available for submission of professional development activities. At this
time, forms are only required from those who were granted perpetual
recognition under the previous policy who would like to opt-in to
time-limited certification (See Reinstatement of ‘Testamur
Designation’). Those who already have certification expiration
dates do not need to complete this form at this time.
To opt-in to
time-limited certification, please download and complete the form that
corresponds with your respective certification(s). Forms can be
submitted by email, fax or mail to:
IBHRE@hrsonline.org
Fax: (202)
464-3401
or
IBHRE
Attention: Exam Coordinator
1400 K St NW Ste 500
Washington, DC 20005
NOTE: Copies of certificates do not need to be attached to the
form at this time. A select percentage of applications will be selected
for audit. If selected, you will be asked to provide copies of
certificates or supporting documentation of your professional
development activities.
Forms:
Certified
Cardiac Device Specialist—MD Professional Development Form (PDF)
Certified
Cardiac Device Specialist—AP Professional Development Form (PDF)
Certified EP
Specialist—AP Professional Development Form (PDF)
Coming Soon! Certified EP Specialist—MD Professional Development Form
(PDF)
If you have questions, please contact us at 202-464-3400 or
IBHRE@hrsonline.org.
Back to Top
|
