HOW TO BECOME AN ECPHM DIPLOMATE

As stated in Article 4, section 1, of the ECPHM Constitution Brochure, the members of the College shall be (a) Founding Diplomates, (b) Diplomates, (c) Honorary Members, (d) Non-practising Diplomates and (e) Retired members.

Diplomate by examination

Three categories of candidates will be allowed to sit the examination:

a. Those giving evidence of satisfactory completion of an approved postgraduate period of at least four years, by the application deadline, dedicated mainly to training and special education in porcine health management at the herd level. The following sequence of training normally is to be used:

(i) A first period of one-and-a-half to two years must be a rotating internship, or its equivalent, as defined by the Education Committee. In this instance rotating may be taken to mean either rotating between a specialist training centre such as a university department and an approved pig practice or between at least two specialist training centres. An example of an equivalent to this would be a period of at least two years in a specialised pig practice with evidence of significant postgraduate continuing education.

 

A subsequent residency period shall comprise a two to two-and-a-half training programme in porcine health management conducted under the supervision of one (or in some circumstances more than one) Diplomate of the College or an equivalent as defined by the Credentials Committee. The period can be taken consecutively or on a part-time basis as long as the total time approximates to three-years and the total period does not exceed 7 years. Each preceptor shall prepare a statement that the candidate has satisfactorily completed the approved time of training. There shall be no restriction on training institutions/approved practices as long as they meet the requirements for approved residency agreed by the Education Committee. Residents are encouraged to gain experience in more than one institution or approved practice during the period of their training in order to ensure they experience a sufficiently wide caseload to gain experience into all aspects of the specialty.

 

b. Those having completed an alternative training programme dedicated mainly to special education in porcine health management at the herd level with a solid background in porcine general medicine, herd health, zoonotic disease, and reproductive management at herd level.

 

(i) The Education Committee should approve an alternative training programme before it starts. An alternative programme should be comparable to a four-year full-time internship/residency based programme under the supervision of a Diplomate or an equivalent as defined by the Credentials Committee; the alternative programme should not last longer than seven years. For example an alternative programme may involve working in a specialised pig practice under the supervision of a Diplomate or an equivalent as defined by the Credentials Committee taking into account the qualifying criteria of the respective College.

 

In all cases the Education Committee will approve the training programme of each institution, and individual alternative training programmes, in consultation where necessary with the Credentials Committee. In undertaking this process the Education Committee will take due regard of the required level of training in areas of overlap between the disciplines covered by the ECPHM and the other European Colleges. The areas of overlap with these associated disciplines should be taught by either a Diplomate of the other appropriate Colleges or an equivalent as defined by the Credentials Committee.

It is not possible to be prescriptive regarding the exact quantity of training required in these overlapping disciplines as each training programme will be uniquely tailored to the needs of the trainee. Hereby, the need for other appropriate training e.g. in nutrition, reproductive management, and pathology will be met.

 

 

c. In exceptional cases the Credential Committee may accept individuals who are recognised as having been for at least 5 yeas outstanding in the field of porcine health management; the Board makes the final decision whether a candidate is accepted to sit the certifying examination.

 

In addition, all categories of candidates shall meet the requirement for five (5) written reports, which are:

 

Two (2) original porcine herd health management papers in English in peer reviewed veterinary or animal/livestock science journals with the applicant as the first author. Plus three cases related to porcine herd health management personally handled, with a maximum of 3000 words each, which give an impression of the analytical approach of the candidate.

 

 

The responsibility for evaluating a candidate’s eligibility to sit the examination and the quality of the publications rests with the Credentials Committee. Further details available on  ECPHMTrainBrochApplicationJan2010.doc 151.00 KB