October/November 2008 29European Urology Today

The EBU Examination Committee organises the 14th annual In-Service Assessment on:

Date : Friday,13 February 2009Time : 14:00 16:00 hrs

The 2009 In-Service Assessment can be done in either one of the following:

a) Online assessment.b) Written/paper assessment.

The EBU In-Service Assessment is offered in the English language and consists of 100 multiple choice questions covering all fields of urology. Each question has four alternatives of which only one is the correct or best answer. During the assessment no books or other sources of information are allowed (closed book assessment).

IntroductionSelf assessment and regular testing of ability and knowledge are very powerful teaching modalities. The European Board of Urology offers the annual In-Service Assessment in Urology to all trainees in urology.

Through this assessment programme directors (and residents) are able to identify deficiencies - also related to specific subtopics allowing them to specifically target those areas in future studies. As each trainee is identified by experience (duration of training) a comparison with other trainees can be made. Qualified urologists can also participate and are allocated to a separate peer group.

Local organisationa) Online AssessmentThe online assessment is available through the EBU website. The only requirement for candidates is to have (standard) internet access during the assessment period.

Candidates receive a login code and a password and have two (2) hours to complete the assessment. The results (number of correct answers) will be available directly after the session.Since internet access is the only requirement to participate, there are no restrictions as to where the test is taken. All participants take the test between 14:00 16:00 hrs local time.

b) Written AssessmentThe assessment will only be organised in training institutes that have applied for participation. All participants take the test between 14:00 16:00 hrs local time.

Sets of questions are mailed to the programme directors in advance as well as detailed guidelines. Programme directors are responsible for all procedures which include supervision and the collection of answer sheets and sets of questions after the assessment.

The answer sheets should be sent to the EBU Office in Arnhem within 2 days after the test.

Statistical analysisFor the statistical analysis, the scores of all candidates are combined. Individual scores for each subtopic are generated alongside the group results and if applicable of the various peer groups, allowing comparison between different groups. After the assessment all participants receive a report by regular postal mail. Individual results are only disclosed to the participant, and the members of the EBU Examination Committee. Results are not made public or disclosed to other parties.

Procedure1. Registration will begin on Monday, 3 November

2008 and ends on Wednesday, 7 January 2009 and is done through the EBU website (www.ebu.com).

2. Registration:a) Online assessment:

Registrationisopenforboththeinstituteand individual participants.

b) Written assessment: Allcandidatesshouldregisterthrough the

institute; all assessment-related documents will be sent to the programme director. Registration is not open to individual participants.

Paymentforallparticipantsshouldbedone by the institute; payment can be done either by bank transfer or credit card. Individual payments are not accepted.

Registration fee per participantEUR 50: written assessmentEUR 35: online assessmentEUR 25: written and online assessment organised in EBU Certified Training Centres.

Interested?To register, please visit the EBU website before 7 January 2009.

MCQ booklets study materialThe EBU has published MCQ booklets of previous assessments (2003-2008) including the correct answers. To download the order form, please visit our website and go to Other/Forms.

European Board of Urology Phone : +31 (0)26 389 0846E-mail : ebu@ebu.comWeb : www.ebu.com

The EBU Examination Committee announces

2009 EBU In-Service Assessment

Ass. Prof. Gerasimos Alivizatos Chairman EBU Examination Committee Athens Medical School Sismanoglio Hospital Athens (GR)

gali@hol.gr

European Board of Urology (EBU)

Dr. Klaus Schalkhuser EU-Liaison Officer (EBU) Dorfen (DE)

bdu@bdurol.de

The European Parliament and the Council adopted a Second Programme of Community Action in the Field of Health 2008 - 2013.

The financial envelope for the programme is EUR 321,5 million and is managed by the Commission and the Public Health Executive Agency (PHEA). The basic principle of the programme is co-financing and the maximum reimbursement is usually up to 50 or 60 per cent. Organisations applying for operating grants must have members in at least half of the Member States with a balanced geographical coverage across the EU. For actions designated as Joint Actions, for example designated by the European Board of Urology (EBU) as an international organisation, the participating countries will be asked to submit proposals for actions which could be jointly financed by the Commission and one or more Member States.All projects must cover at least one of the specific objectives of this programme and should provide added value at European level and support developments in the field of health.

The EU Member States enjoy full rights to participate in the Health Programme. Organisations from any EU Member State can participate in the programme, e.g. Researchinstitutesanduniversities Publicadministrations Non-governmentalorganisations CommercialfirmsThe Health Programme is also open to organisations based in accession and candidate countries, European Neighbourhood countries and Western Balkan countries included in the stabilisation and association process.

A strategic EU approach to health

Answers on the most burning questionsEuropean Board of Urology examinations: Where do we stand today?

Since I was appointed chairman of the EBU Examination Committee a few months ago, I receive many e-mails each month inquiring into the logistics of FEBU exams. This short article should help to address the most frequent and burning questions.

What is the FEBU Written Examination?The FEBU written examination is a multiple choice question (MCQ) exam, covering the entire urological field including the related basic science. A total of 150 MCQs have to be answered within the two-and-a-half (2.5) hours set for the exam.

In what languages is this exam offered?When this exam was first organized, in Genoa in 1992, it was offered in nine different languages. However, as of 2008, the FEBU written examination is only offered in English. A strong argument for this change was that it was widely felt that the FEBU title should not be offered to someone who cannot speak and understand the most commonly used language in science, which is English.

There are some exceptions and these relate to countries where the FEBU written examination is an integral part of the national urological exit exams.

Austria, Poland, Switzerland and Hungary are such countries and candidates can therefore take their exams in their native tongue.

When and where is this FEBU exam organized?Twice each calendar year, exams are organized in a number of European cities. Traditionally the FEBU examination is offered in conjunction with the EUREP course held in Prague (September). For the November exam, cities may be selected as potential locations if at least five local candidates apply for participation.

Who can participate?Candidates meeting any of the following criteria: ResidentsofaEuropeantrainingprogrammein

their final year of training. Europeancertifiedurologists. Non-Europeanurologists,certifiedasaspecialist

urologist by the relevant authorities in their country of origin.

What the examination fee?At the moment, for the November exam, the fee is 400. Residents currently training at an EBU Certified Training Centre are eligible for a 25 per cent discount.

An examination fee of 300 applies, at the moment, to all participants from Austria, Hungary, Poland, Switzerland and the Netherlands. This is already a reduced fee and no further discounts apply.

For the exam jointly organised with the EUREP course, a fee of 300 applies.

What is the FEBU oral examination?The FEBU oral examination takes one hour and consists of a structured clinical examination by one examiner. An observer is also present during the exam. The clinical cases are carefully selected and of equal difficulty for all candidates. The FEBU oral examination is organised once a year.

The first upcoming oral examination is scheduled for Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 June 2009, with the venues still to be determined.

Who can participate in the Oral EBU exam and in which language? Candidates who have passed the FEBU written examination and meet one of the following criteria: ResidentsofaEuropeantrainingprogramintheir

final year of training. Europeancertifiedurologists. Non-Europeanurologists,certifiedasaspecialist

urologist by the relevant authorities in their country of origin.

The interval between the written and the oral examinations may not exceed five years. Eligibility for the FEBU written examination does not automatically lead to eligibility for the FEBU oral examination. The EBU oral examination is offered in Danish, Dutch, English, French, Greek, German, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Spanish and Portuguese.

What is the examination fee for the oral examination?At the moment, the fee to join the 2009 oral examination is 400. Residents currently training at an EBU Certified Training Centre are eligible for a 25 per cent discount.

An examination fee of 300 applies, at the moment, to all participants from Hungary and Poland. This is already a reduced fee and no further discounts apply.

What is the EBU In-Service Assessment?The EBU offer an annual In-Service Assessment in Urology to all trainees in urology. The assessment aims: Toenabletraineesinurologytogainexperiencein

this type of testing (MCQs) and prepare them for the written part of the EBU Examination in Urology;

European Board of Urology (EBU)

Togiveeachparticipantadetailedstatisticalanalysis of his/her performance. The results are both analyzed independently and compared with the mean score of trainees at a compatible level of training, both nationally and internationally;

Toprovidethecandidatewithclearinformationonthe progress of his/her training which will only be valid in case of repeated participation; the EBU offices will provide the results following the exam once-only, the candidate is expected to keep records of his/her results;

Toprovideaneducationaltooltotheprogrammedirector; areas in which residents need additional training and support are identified this way.

What is the format of the In-Service Assessment?The assessment consists of 100 MCQs covering all urological fields. The In-Service Assessment is organized in such a way that candidates can participate in their own training institute.

The assessment can be taken in any of the following two ways: Online assessment: made available through the

EBU website.

Written assessment; only organized in training institutes that apply for participation. Registration will be open as of November 3rd, 2008.

For more information concerning these exams visit the following website: http://www.ebu.com