EUROPEAN HAEMATOLOGY ASSOCIATION
CURRICULUM PROJECT – VERSION 2005
EUROPEAN HEMATOLOGY ASSOCIATION
The European Hematology Association is a scientific society aiming to support, and initiate education, clinical practice, and research in hematology.
For EHA, as well as for the American Society of Hematology (ASH), “a hematologist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and/or investigation of disorders of the hematopoietic, haemostatic, and lymphatic systems, and disorders of the interaction between blood and blood vessel wall”.
EHA EDUCATION COMMITTEE
The EHA Education Committee was appointed in 2001 to conduct a European survey of hematological specialist education and European systems for continuous medical education (CME), and all subsequent projects were developed based on the results of this investigation. In 2003, EHA and the European school of hematology, ESH, acquired a European Commission Grant to promote continuing medical education, harmonization of curriculum and professional mobility in hematology. The ECAH project (European Committee for Accreditation in Hematology) has two main subprojects; the European Hematology CME System (EHA-CME) and the Curriculum project here presented. Other EHA Education projects include the European Hematology Training on line (EHATol) (supported by another EC grant), scientific workshops and lobbying activities.
EHA CURRICULUM PROJECT
The Curriculum Committee was founded to develop a harmonized European curriculum in hematology. The committee's activity is developed in close relation with the EHA Board, EHA Members and national hematology societies throughout Europe. The committee consists of a broad spectrum of physicians involved in various aspects of clinical and diagnostic hematology, including a group of young specialists. The committee is divided into five subgroups, each led by a vice project leader. The present proposal is the result of a 3-days workshop in September 2005. The proposal will first be discussed by the ECAH advisory committee and the board of EHA, and then sent out to all presidents of the national societies for feedback and input.
A HETEROGENEOUS EUROPE
The European survey made it very clear that there is a vast heterogeneity within Europe, both regarding content of the training in hematology, the length of training and the presence of existing CME systems and formal exams. The difference is not only obvious between EC and non-EC countries, but also within the EC and non-EC regions. Some differences are due to historical reasons, other due to geographical differences, such as e.g. the incidence of thalassemia and the role of transfusion medicine in Northern and Southern Europe. Another important difference is the role of hematopathology, which in some countries is regarded as part of hematology, while other countries separate clinical hematology and hematopathology in two lines of specialization. It was therefore a challenge to develop a proposal for a European curriculum that would be regarded as neither too restrictive nor too broad. The solution was to describe the various areas of competence with a range from Awareness to Competence rather than creating a uniform obligatory system for hematological training. We have clearly defined the skill level required within each area, but accepted that the definition and the profile of a “hematologist” will differ considerably between European countries.
HARMONIZED CURRICULUM AND “THE HEMATOLOGY PASSPORT”
The Curriculum Committee employs the term “Passport” to demonstrate that its program is intended to promote both professional mobility and harmonization. It should be considered as a recommendation and is developed to facilitate for hematologists to move from one European country to another. The passport aims to be compatible with the ASH training program. Its aim is to improve the quality of patient care and translational research in hematology. This framework is also expected to contribute to the recognition of hematology as a specialty in Europe and in countries allied to Europe.
The passport focuses on hematology as a mono-specialty including clinical and diagnostic aspects. The passport also defines the amount of competence in internal medicine that is required for being a hematologist, but does not focus on the details of this specialty. Likewise, it does not discuss the non-hematological parts of the education in pediatric hematology. Finally, it includes general skills with relevance for hematological practice.
The recommended median time for training is built on the reported length of training observed in the European survey and on the relation between the defined required competences and the approximate time to achieve these goals. Hence, the recommended median time for training for a European hematologist, 2 years of internal medicine followed by 4 years for hematology is the now existing European median value.
The passport focuses on the clinical and diagnostic competencies that are specific to hematology as a mono-specialty. It also includes general skills (patient care, medical knowledge, communication skills, professionalism, practice based learning and system based practice).
The curriculum will be reviewed periodically (at least every two years) by the EHA Board and Education Committee, and by the presidents of national hematology associations throughout Europe.
The full text can be downloaded from here.
PRACTICAL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE “PASSPORT OF THE HAEMATOLOGIST” IN EUROPE 2007
The Curriculum Committee started specific actions for the practical implementation of the "Passport" in the European countries. These comprised the new survey at the beginning of 2007 for the actual situation in Europe followed by a meeting of the committee in France this year.
Here you can download information for the meeting..
