The International Board of Heart Rhythm Examiners Launches New Certification Exam For Physicians Who Treat Heart Rhythm Disorders

First-of-its-Kind International Exam Targets Physicians who are not eligible to Obtain U.S. Based Electrophysiology Certification from the American Board of Internal Medicine The International Board of Heart Rhythm Examiners (IBHRE) launched the Certification Examination for Competency in Cardiac Electrophysiology for the Physician. This is the first international examination for the practicing physician who wants to be board certified in electrophysiology (EP). The IBHRE recognized the need to develop a certification examination that targets physicians who are qualified by their training and experience to achieve EP board certification, but who are not eligible to take the current United States EP Board exam delivered by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM). The new certification exam specifically targets: * Physicians who have obtained part or all of their education abroad o ABIM requires that the physician must be U.S. Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Medicine. Many physicians in the U.S. have received a portion or all of their Internal Medicine or Cardiovascular Medicine training outside of the U.S. and, therefore, are not eligible to take the U.S. ABIM EP Board Exam * Pediatric Cardiologists o Pediatric Cardiologists with special training and expertise in cardiac electrophysiology are also not eligible to take the U.S. ABIM EP Board Exam, as it requires adult cardiology certification. * Physicians in other countries o Many physicians in countries such as Canada, Australia, China, India, Japan, South America and the Middle East would like to be Board Certified in EP, but they do not meet the U.S. ABIM registration requirements. All applicants for the IBHRE EP exam must be licensed physicians with active involvement in the clinical management and care of adult or pediatric patients. Physicians must also have successfully completed training equivalent to an accredited medical school, residency and both cardiology and electrophysiology fellowship. “The IBHRE Certification Examination for Competency in Cardiac Electrophysiology for the Physician is a very rigorous exam for the practicing electrophysiologist who currently does not have the opportunity to sit for the ABIM EP board exam,” said Charles J. Love, MD, FHRS, CCDS, president of the International Board of Heart Rhythm Examiners. “This new certification will recognize a worldwide group of adult and pediatric EP physicians and also provides standardization for all qualified candidates no matter where they are located.” The IBHRE will offer the EP exam globally by computer-based testing. Participants took the exam December 7th in 14 countries. The next MD EP exam will take place in December 2012. To learn more about the EP exam and other IBHRE exams, visit https://www.ibhre.org