Editor: Madeleine Campbell
Newsletter 1/2015
ECAR Newsletter
May 2015 issue
RE-CERTIFICATION OF ECAR DIPLOMATES IN 2015
The EBVS (European Board of Veterinary Specialisation), expects all colleges to ascertain every fifth year that Diplomates are
active in the field of the college. All Diplomates will shortly receive information by email on how to submit the required information to ERC, the Education and Residence Committee, before
September 30, 2015. FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS YEAR,
RECERTIFICATION CAN BE CARRIED OUT VIA THE
ECAR WEBSITE. Activity in animal reproduction can be documented in several ways, as you will see in the form. The only
mandatory activity is to create a number of exam questions, either multiple choice questions and/or essay questions, preferably
provided with high-resolution images. The questions are important for the annual ECAR resident exams, and they are highly
valued by the exam committee! Details about question types are
on the next page of this newsletter.
The following Diplomates do NOT need to provide documentation for re-certification:
1. Diplomates who passed the ECAR exam in 2011 to 2014:
Their Diplomate status (active Diplomate) is automatically confirmed until the next re-certification in 2020.
2. Non-practicing Diplomates: Diplomates currently not involved
in clinical or research work in animal reproduction may opt to
change their status from active to non-practicing Diplomate. This
might apply to Diplomates working in administrative positions
(at universities, government institutions or private companies).
Non-practicing Diplomates are listed in the ECAR directory of
diplomates but not in the directory of EBVS. They are required to
pay dues, may vote and may be members of ECAR committees.
At the time they plan to become active Diplomates again, they
have to provide information on their activities to the ERC.
3. Retired Diplomates: Diplomates who have retired from their
professional activities do not need to participate in the recertification. Retired Diplomates pay a reduced membership fee.
They may vote within ECAR and may be members of ECAR
committees.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
 Recertification of Diplomates
 Notes about submitting exam
questions as part of the
recertification process
 Information about ECAR
Summer School 2015
 Report from EBVS 2015
 Information about ECAR
Exam 2015
 Introducing ECAR Board
members FERNANDO JUAN
PENA VEGA, and STEFAN
DELEUZE
NOTES ABOUT SUBMITTING EXAM
ECAR BOARD 20142017
Olli Peltoniemi, President
QUESTIONS AS PART OF THE RECERTIFICATION PROCESS

A MCQ should propose 5 alternatives with one of the alternatives as
correct.

Picture questions for the general part of the exam should be accompanied by 2 or 3 questions meant to be answered with a short answer (maximum 8 minutes to read, observe the picture and answer
to all questions/ picture)

Long essay questions could be about one species or biotechnology.
Alternatively, it could be a comparative question comparing two or
more species or a general question.

Clinical case questions should include pictures/ videos or clinical
observations

All pictures should be in . jpeg format. They should be of sufficient
quality to be shown in a full page of a computer screen.
Fernando Pena, VicePresident
Marijke Beltman,
Secretary
Laszlo Solti, Treasurer
Renee Båge, Reader
Cecilia Luvoni
Samuel Buff
Stefan Deleuze
Madeleine Campbell
ECAR SUMMER SCHOOL 2015
Hosted by the Veterinary Faculty of the University of Liège in Belgium
NEW JOB BOARD FACILITY
ON THE ECAR WEBSITE
As a new service to ECAR
members, we are now
providing a job board
(positions available) on the
ECAR website. The link is:
http://www.ecarcollege.org/
index.php?id=78
If you wish to post a job advertisement,
please contact the ECAR Secretary,
Maijke Beltman, DVM,
PhD, ECAR diplomate
Veterinary Sciences Centre,
University College Dublin,
Belfield, Dublin
[email protected]
2
The 2015 ECAR Summer School
will be held at the Veterinary
Faculty of the University of Liège
in Belgium : August 20-22 !
All topics will be briefly presented
for all subspecialties and we will
then have Q&A / discussion sessions with all the speakers. We are
lucky to have 9 ECAR and nonECAR Diplomates joining us to
share their expertise!
We will also have two mock exams
(so you know what to expect when
you sit the exam!) and a practical in
reading microscopic slides.
We will start this meeting with a
greeting party on the Wednesday
night so we all get to know who is
who before we get down to work!!!
Registration is open through the
ECAR website page (http://
www.ecarcollege.org/index.php?
id=75 ) (make sure you type your
email address in lower case in the
form!)
Find the complete program, registration form and all the details on
the ECAR website
(www.ecarcollege.org )
Hurry up! registration is about to
close!
Looking forward to seeing you in
Liège!!!
REPORT FROM 2015 EBVS MEETING
In April of this year the EBVS meeting took place in Brussels. EBVS is the European
Board of Veterinary Specialisation which is the organisation in which all European
colleges are represented and which has, like the EU for its member states, a set of
rules that each college has to abide to. Every college pays a fee per registered diplomate. As said, each recognised European college is represented by one representative
and one alternative representative, in the case of ECAR this is Olli Peltoniemi and me,
Marijke Beltman.
During the meeting our annual report, which states how many diplomates we have,
how many of those became diplomates through examination and where they work
(academia, practice, government or industry) as well as number of exam candidates
that took and passed the exam was evaluated. We are a health college and have just
reached the halfway point between examined and founding diplomates.
The main news that affects you as diplomate is that the EBVS website
(www.EBVS.org) is going to change in June of this year to a more accessible and user
friendly website. Each diplomate can currently be found via de website already, but
with the new website it will be possible to provide more detail per diplomate as well.
Other news worth mentioning is that the EBVS is continue to strive for EU wide
recognition of the term veterinary specialist and that hopefully in the future this will
be limited to the diplomates of the recognised colleges. A lot of countries are currently operating a ‘specialist’ title that is recognised within the country but not transferable outside the jurisdiction, which is the main thing the Europeans specialisms are
able to. In order to achieve the EU wide recognition, the Board for Veterinary Continuous Education in Europe (VetCEE) was legally established in 2014, to facilitate
specialisation at EQF (European Qualification Framework) level 7 (below PhD level,
which is level 8). The system that it is working on is that of a Common Training
Framework (CTF). The CTF is a so called automatic recognition system among countries, and covers the areas of knowledge, skills and competenties. It operates on a voluntary basis but with legal status and is described/provided by Directives 2005/36/
EC and 2013/55/EU; CTF is extended in article 49a.
DON’T FORGET THAT
NOTICES OF MEETINGS
AND CONFERENCES
ARE POSTED ON THE
ECAR WEBSITE:
http://
www.ecarcollege.org/
index.php?id=34
If you would like to
advertise a meeting /
conference please email
the ECAR Secretary
[email protected]
IT’s YOUR
NEWSLETTER!
Ideas / contributions
always welcome for
consideration for
publication. Please email
them to the Editor,
Madeleine Campbell,
[email protected]
Marijke Beltman, ECAR Secretary
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INTRODUCING FERNANDO JUAN PENA VEGA, DVM PhD, Dipl ECAR
ECAR VICE-PRESIDENT
I am Professor of Animal Reproduction at the University of Extremadura
in Spain. My clinical duties focus on reproductive medicine in horses and
the use of flow cytometry for the evaluation of the spermatozoa. I have a
special interest in the study of the molecular regulation of sperm survival
after ejaculation, and its application in reproductive medicine in the horse.
The influence of sperm quality in early embryonic development in the
mare is also a topic of interest for me. My scientific production is about 90
papers, with an H index of 30 (April 2015) (see list of publications at
http://scholar.google.com/citations?user=pk-O6gcAAAAJ). I become Vice
President of the ECAR in November 2014; previously I served as board
member from 2005 to 2008. In my free time I enjoy running, swimming,
cycling and work outs in the gym.
Fernando Juan Peña Vega
DVM PhD Dipl ECAR
(Laboratory of Equine Reproduction, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary
Medicine, University of Extremadura, Avd de la Universidad
s/n, 10003, Cáceres, Spain
E-mai: [email protected]
INFORMATION ABOUT THE ECAR EXAM 2015
The ECAR exam 2015 will be held in Nantes on November 18th and 19th. Applications
should have been submitted to the College (Education and Residence Committee)
before the 1st June 2015. The applications will be reviewed by the ECAR Credentials
Committee. After provisional admittance to the examination, the examination fee of
350 Euro will be charged and must be paid before 31 August 2015. If a candidate does
not take the exam, the fee will not be refunded and a new full fee is charged for the
exam in the following year.
In addition, all candidates have to provide 5 multiple choice questions and 5
essay questions either general or in their subspecialty (including answers
and backed by references) on animal reproduction by 31 st August 2015 and hence
before they are admitted to the examination. The questions provided by the candidates, together with questions provided by diplomates and members of the Examination Committee will be used for the examination in subsequent years. All multiple
choice questions have to be submitted using the approved format shown on the
ECAR homepage.
STRUCTURE OF THE EXAM 2015
The exam will consist of multiple choice, short slide–based and essay questions, as
well as clinical cases based on visual material (e.g. projected powerpoint slides of
morphological specimens, biopsy sections, microscopic smears, semen samples). The
exam will be divided into two parts. The general part (4 sessions, 2 hours each, November 18th) will be identical for all candidates. The second part (2 sessions, 2 hours
each, November 19th) will be in the subspecialty or species-group chosen by the candidate. The second part of the exam can be taken in the following subfields:
Ruminant Reproduction and Herd Health
Capt
Pig Reproduction and Herd Health
Equine Reproduction
Small Animal Reproduction
Reproductive Biotechnology
4
Continued on next page….
ECAR?
European College of Animal
Reproduction
ECAR exam 2015 continued….
The subfield will be chosen by the candidate before the beginning of the exam. Only one can be taken per exam, in subsequent years it is possible to add
another without having to repeat the general part.
The ECAR is an organization of
veterinarians who have gone
through a specific training to become
specialists in animal reproduction
The examination is taken in the English language. A working knowledge of
English and veterinary medical and specialist terminology in English is assumed. There will be the possibility for the candidates to bring their own keyboard for the computer (usually the day before the exam begins).
Any veterinarian can become a
specialist in animal reproduction
provided that s/he
- has a strong interest in
the discipline,
- has more than 12 months
of post-graduation working
experience as veterinarian working
in a clinical field or in a
biotechnology laboratory
- has done a 1-year
rotating internship
- has been accepted as a
Resident and has successfully
completed a Residency Program
approved by the ECAR
- has passed the ECAR
exam
General part:
For more, visit our website at
ecarcollege.org
This part of the examination is designed to determine whether the candidate
has an acceptable level of knowledge (a minimal score of 55% is required)
covering the following areas: physiology of reproduction including endocrinology and gamete biology, anatomy as far as it concerns reproduction, pathophysiology, gross pathology and histopathology of the reproductive organs,
treatment and prophylaxis of reproductive diseases, diagnostic evaluation of
reproductive function including clinical examination, ultrasonography and
radiology as far as it concerns reproductive function, laboratory techniques in
reproductive endocrinology, semen and embryo analysis, reproductive surgery including knowledge of standard anaesthetic techniques, genetics and
hereditary diseases, legal aspects of artificial insemination, embryo transfer
and animal breeding.
The general part consists of: (a) 100 multiple choice questions (MCQ); the
composition being approximately: 10% each for ruminants, equine, small animal, porcine, and biotechnology, 5% exotics and laboratory animals, and 45%
general knowledge and/or multi-species questions (percentages are approximate and not rigid) (b) ten essay questions and (c) 15 short slide-based questions
Subspecialty part:
The subspecialty part consists of: 20 multiple choice questions, 5 essay questions and 5 clinical case questions using projected powerpoint slides.
Editor: Madeleine Campbell,
Hobgoblins Equine Reproduction
Centre and Equine Ethics Consultancy
Phone: +447980 008498
E-mail: [email protected]
5
Example questions are available on
www.ecarcollege.org, see “For residents”.
the
ECAR
web
site
at
INTRODUCING ECAR BOARD MEMBER STEFAN DELEUZE DVM, MSc,
DiplECAR (CAEQ)
‘I somehow have a double cursus as, although I joined academia some years
ago, I still am a partner in a private practice. I passed the ECAR exam twice,
first in the equine subspecialty in 2005 and then for small animals in 2009.
Having built up a substantial case load, I got our faculty registered and
opened an ECAR residency program in equine reproduction
and we are now running residency programs both in small
animals and in the equine in
Liège. Recently, I took over the
chair position of the ERC. Together with the members of the
committee we are trying to
make all procedures easier for
both supervisors and residents.
We also work on providing better support and feed back for
residents to help them prepare for the exam. I am a member of the Board
since 2014 and act as the representative for the ERC. ‘
[email protected]