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Cardiovascular disease leaders continue to
recommend the time-honored tradition of preparing for and taking an IBHRE exam.
Hear interviews with Dr. Charles Love, Melanie Gura, Dr. Bruce Wilkoff and other
leaders in the field.
Click here to
download the interviews.
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Anne B. Curtis, MD |
Anne B. Curtis, MD
Gainesville, Florida
IBHRE Certification MD
Are you a physician who completed a training program in clinical cardiac
electrophysiology over ten years ago? Are you a recent graduate of a training
program in electrophysiology who would like to assess his or her knowledge in
cardiac rhythm device therapy, possibly in preparation for the American Board of
Internal Medicine examination of added qualifications in clinical cardiac
electrophysiology? Are you a physician who is participating in the alternative
training pathway for ICD and CRT implantation?
On the other hand, are you an allied professional who has become involved
in cardiac electrophysiology over the past few years? Did you perhaps work as a
nurse in a general cardiology setting and have now moved into a position in
pacing or electrophysiology? Are you a technologist who is an expert at invasive
cardiology procedures, but perhaps not as facile with electrophysiology
procedures or pacemaker or defibrillator interrogation or troubleshooting?
For all of these professional groups,
IBHRE has something to offer in
terms of improving your knowledge base in electrophysiology and devices, as well
as in verifying that you have already achieved a solid fund of knowledge in
these areas. In addition, taking the examination will allow you to identify
potential areas of weakness, in which further study is advisable.
There are three different
IBHRE tests that are available. There is
the IBHRE Exam for the physician, the content of which has always emphasized pacing
and defibrillation. The examination tests knowledge of pacemaker technology,
programming, and troubleshooting, with a heavy emphasis on interpretation of
electrograms from patients with pacemakers. Knowledge of implantable
cardioverter defibrillators is tested as well, with technology from the various
manufacturers, programming, and, again, troubleshooting as important topics.
Although device therapy is taught in clinical cardiac electrophysiology training
programs, extensive, formal training in electrogram interpretation, timing
intervals, and troubleshooting is not always as available as troubleshooting
individual problems as they present themselves in the clinical arena. The
examination thus allows an opportunity to study more intensively these
particular topics and clearly to improve the fund of knowledge of the examinee
in these important areas.
For the allied professional, there are two
examinations available. The original IBHRE Exam for the allied
professional was the pacing examination that now includes defibrillators as
well. For any professional involved in any aspect of patient care in cardiac
rhythm device therapy, IBHRE provides the opportunity to assess current
knowledge in this field and also to identify areas where further study would be
worthwhile. Being IBHRE certified is considered a valuable asset for
professionals caring for device patients, whether your main employment setting
is the hospital, the clinic, or industry.
Over the past few years, an examination in electrophysiology for the allied
professional has been offered in addition to the examination in cardiac rhythm
device therapy. The electrophysiology examination tests knowledge of basic
science relevant to electrophysiology; invasive electrophysiology studies,
including indications, techniques, interpretation of electrograms,
radiofrequency ablation, and complications of procedures; ECG diagnosis of
arrhythmias; conscious sedation; and pharmacology of antiarrhythmic drugs, among
other topics. For those who would like to demonstrate mastery of the field, or
to see how you measure up against other professionals in cardiac
electrophysiology, IBHRE offers an excellent opportunity to achieve that
goal.
Whether as a review, as preparation for the ABIM certificate of added
qualifications in clinical cardiac electrophysiology for physicians, or as an
assessment of current knowledge in pacing, defibrillation, or electrophysiology
for allied professionals, IBHRE offers an excellent vehicle to achieve
those goals.
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Melanie T. Gura, RN,
MSN, CNS |
Melanie T. Gura, RN, MSN, CNS
Hudson, Ohio
Test Committee Member, AP/Pacing
IBHRE Certification AP/Pacing
Advances in the diagnosis and management of patients with
cardiac rhythm disorders has warranted a need for a subspecialty of health care
professionals dedicated to providing quality care to this patient population.
Nurses, as highly skilled individuals, are dedicated to their professional
roles. Professional nurses comprehend and accept their moral obligations through
the concept of patient advocacy. Perceiving patients as their central focus,
nurses act to support and protect the patient’s right to quality healthcare.
Nurses can safeguard patient advocacy by
promoting the advanced knowledge and skills necessary for this subspecialty.
IBHRE can assist you in the acquisition of this specialized knowledge and
improving your clinical skills. IBHRE certification affirms the specialty
knowledge and skills needed to deliver high quality care to patients with
cardiac rhythm disorders. Other benefits of IBHRE certification include
peer respect and professional recognition, career advancement with increased
autonomy, the ability to meet competency standards, better job security with
health care reform and down-sizing, recognition by the community and insurance
companies as a quality provider, and personal growth and satisfaction.
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Edward V. Platia, MD |
Edward V. Platia, MD
Washington, DC
Test Committee Member, MD
IBHRE Certififcation MD
As a practicing electrophysiologist who works with EP
professionals every day—be they technologists, nurses, or industry
representatives—I value, and indeed depend on, their professionalism and
expertise. In today’s medical workplace, and in our field in particular, it is
essential that the associate EP professional have a broad base of highly
technical knowledge. Maintaining high quality of medical care mandates the use
of high standards. Anyone who has received
IBHRE certification has
demonstrated a high level of technical proficiency and knowledge in the field.
One has achieved a certain knowledge base, has kept abreast of technical
advances, and has shown a commitment to continuing medical education. These are
tangible attributes highly sought after and respected in the workplace. They
mark the individual as one who strives to excel—a professional I want on my
team.
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Brian Olshansky, MD |
Brian Olshansky, MD
Iowa City, Iowa
Test Committee Member, AP/EP
IBHRE Certification MD
As one of the writers of the
IBHRE Exam - EP, I want to
take this opportunity to share a few thoughts with you about the examination and
its importance. The opportunity to collaborate on development of this
examination with Allied Professionals (APs) and electrophysiology (EP)
physician colleagues was a rewarding and educational challenge. For those who
are considering taking the
IBHRE Exam—hats off
to you. You are helping to establish and define a profile of expertise for a
newly developing and unique force of EP professionals. Taking the test will have
an immediate benefit: you will have a benchmark to compare yourself against your
peers and colleagues. As a participant in the exam process, taking the exam will
allow you to gain new insight into your actual knowledge of clinically important
issues regarding EP and where your aptitudes require strengthening. A passing
score can provide confidence and provide further inspiration to grow further
with the profession.
The examination will be a challenge to take and will cover
a diversity of important topics in cardiac EP. The
IBHRE Exam is not meant to be an easy test. The
test is designed to be fair and to cover a wide range of subjects and
disciplines. It contains vital information that Allied Professionals with
electrophysiology background should be familiar with. One challenge in creating the
examination was to make it diverse enough to cover a broad curriculum for all
Allied Professionals but not to unbalance it in favor of one discipline.
Your score will be compared against a wide range of APs including: nurses,
physician assistants, nurse practitioners, technicians, engineers, and company
representatives. The background regarding training will be similarly diverse.
The test will not be compared against those only with your background. In this
way, you may find questions that may not pertain to you but core issues
reflective of general knowledge in EP will be included. You may be more familiar
with specific issues that other APs will not know. It will all balance out.
The test will prove a worthy challenge but despite this,
it will be worth taking for several reasons. It will help: (1) you evaluate your
knowledge of EP, (2) demonstrate areas in which your knowledge in EP is
particularly strong, (3) provide you a sense of where you stand in the EP
community, (4) consolidate the EP field into those who have demonstrable
expertise, (5) “set the bar” at a high level of expectation, (6) provide a
minimal level of expertise that can be used as the gold standard for functioning
as an AP in EP, (7) create and define a community of allied health
professionals that represent a distinct discipline. Testing may be a first step
on the road to developing an adequate and substantial standardization process of APs in EP.
I have been an advocate of moving toward standardization
for APs in EP for many years and have strived to develop a consistent process.
Allied Health Professionals in some subspecialties of cardiology and other
medical disciplines are credentialed but despite the best efforts, there is
still no credential for APs in pacing or EP.
Our profession has grown substantially over the past 20
years.
IBHRE
and EP physicians have relied on the expertise of the APs and
have had a closer association than many other medical specialties. The level of
expertise has never been higher and expectations have never been greater. For us
to emerge as a stable, viable, and credible profession, it is crucial that APs
are as knowledgeable and demonstrate competence. Standardization is one way to
ensure this to be the case but there have been difficulties regarding
development of this process. In lieu of this, the
IBHRE Exam is one way to ensure competency in EP.
What is standardization? While standardization is NOT a
license to practice, it can help guarantee quality of patient care, maintain
overall excellence in care, protect the public, and protect the profession from
unqualified competitors. It can help establish credibility. Other benefits, such
as, job security and additional income may ultimately be realized. A formalized
process for APs in EP that defines scope of practice and standard-of-care, ensures
competency, rewards and protects by uniform criteria and excludes those not
competent has not yet been realized.
Why should there be standardization? The growing role of
APs in EP/Pacing has become increasingly important and complex. This complex
role requires excellence in each discipline, which are closely interrelated.
Furthermore, there is immense pressure from cost reduction to integrate the
responsibilities of APs within the field of EP and Pacing.
Several elements are required before a standardization can
develop: a curriculum of minimally acceptable knowledge, training by an
accredited program, experience, a testing methodology, and a review of the
process. One difficult issue is the fact that there are no easily definable and
uniformly acceptable training pathways.
Accreditation is a process to develop training pathways
for certification. To become accredited, an organization and its program(s) must
meet accepted standards, remain continuously compliant, report changes in
program content and quality and be reevaluated regularly. No educational
pathways in EP have been developed despite tremendous interest in this area.
While training programs for EP professionals have not yet
been developed, we now at least know what level of expertise is required to be
proficient in this field; this is reflected in the
IBHRE Exam. The
IBHRE Exam is
objective, fair, and job-related. It is accurate, reproducible, reliable,
non-discriminatory and measures required educational standards.
It is possible that a standardization process may develop
but challenges exist: diversity of background of APs, lack of job uniformity,
lack of cohesive organizing, and expense, to name a few.
Until then, it will remain worthwhile to take the
IBHRE Exam. I
recently took the ABIM examination to be re-certified in EP (it is mandatory to
take this examination every ten years). I used the test as a method to learn
more about electrophysiology. The examination made me re-visit recent advances
in EP and to re-read the texts. I was surprised at how much had transpired over
the years and how much our profession had grown. Studying was productive. I
expect the same may be true for you. Thanks again for your interest in the
IBHRE Exam and good luck!
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| Christine Chiu-Man, BSc |
|
Marleen Irwin, RCRT |
Christine Chiu-Man, BSc
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Test Committee Member, AP/EP
IBHRE Certification AP/Pacing
and AP/EP
Marleen Irwin, RCRT
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Test Committee Member, AP/Pacing
IBHRE Certification AP/Pacing
In this challenging era of growth in the specialty of
cardiac electrophysiology and device management of cardiac rhythm disorders,
there is a greater demand for technologists, therapists, clinical specialists,
research associates and engineers who have mastery of knowledge in this
specialty. Our society demands accountability along with the safe provision of
health care. Throughout North America the expectation is that patient care is
provided by competent and skilled personnel with recognized training, and
credentials. There is greater emphasis on continuous, life long learning and
professional development. For all these reasons, we should choose to write the
exam(s) that
IBHRE offers. Not
only does the exam validate our knowledge, it is also recognized internationally
as the preeminent examination in the specialty. Receiving certification
from IBHRE promotes recognition and respect amongst our colleagues and assurance
to our patients.
This is more than successful completion of
the certification examination for competency; it is about a process that begins
when we pick up our first book on the reading list and continues as long as we
are practicing in this specialty. It is about our commitment to higher
professional and personal standards.
The IBHRE Exam is part of
the process that takes us toward professional growth, and by this process, we
add to our worth!
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Nicholas Verhulst, RN, BSN
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
IBHRE
Certification AP/EP
"The
IBHRE Exam challenged me to
learn all aspects of interventional electrophysiology. This includes not only
the anatomy and physiology but also the radiology, clinical and patient’s
perspective. As a previous nurse clinician and clinical research associate, I
have had the opportunity to work with and impart much of this knowledge to many
individuals around the world."
Kevin Green, RCPT
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
IBHRE
Certification AP/EP
"I chose to write The
IBHRE Exam to legitimize and demonstrate my
knowledge in the fields of electrophysiology and pacing. There are currently no
adequate formal training programs in electrophysiology for allied professionals.
The
IBHRE Exam is the only
standardized measure for testing knowledge of EP and pacing for associated
professionals."
Judy Mathers, RPN
London, Ontario, Canada
IBHRE
Certification AP/Pacing
"I decided to take the
IBHRE Exam to validate the
knowledge level I thought I had. The exam was very challenging but gave me
confidence in my knowledge level and clinical decision making. I also learned so
much more by preparing for the exam."
Thomas A. Mattioni, MD
Phoenix, Arizona
Test Committee Member, AP/EP
IBHRE
Certification MD
"I have encouraged all of the electrophysiology nurses and
physician assistants to take the IBHRE.
Those who did made a commitment to their own development and professionalism.
They bring this with them every day.
I feel that the privilege and experience
of being a member of the exam committee has increased my own appreciation for
those individuals who have prepared for this experience. I feel comfortable in
knowing that anyone who has achieved certification has an excellent
understanding of the fundamentals of clinical cardiac electrophysiology."
Shu Sanatani, MD
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
IBHRE
Certification MD
"Taking the
IBHRE Exam was a good incentive
for sitting down and consolidating a lot of the basic science of pacing and
defibrillation. This exam solidified my knowledge base and allowed a familiarity
with devices that I do not use frequently in practice."
Traci L. Buescher, RN
Bismarck, North Dakota
IBHRE
Certification AP/Pacing
and AP/EP
"Preparing for the
IBHRE Exam provided incentive
to study and broaden my knowledge base. This was important to me because to
provide the best patient care that I could, I felt that a sound foundation was
necessary. The preparation involved time and effort but the rewards were great."
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