Eurooppalainen unilääketieteen erityispätevyys

ESRS Examination in Sleep Medicine

The ESRS Board is pleased to announce the

9th Examination of Certification in Sleep Medicine and
7th Examination of Certification in Sleep Medicine for Sleep Technologists

which will be held during the 25th Congress of the European Sleep Research Society,

in Seville, Spain, 22-25 September 2020.

The Examination

The examination will be a written test consisting of 75 single-choice questions (one out of five) to be completed on-site. The pass mark is 50%.

 

Requirements

Physicians, Psychologists and Sleep Scientists (with a Master’s degree in science, e.g. biology, physics or other relevant areas) who wish to take the examination should meet the following requirements (please prepare the mentioned documents before starting with the application).

 

A. Practical Experience

* The candidate will be required to provide written declaration from the Sleep Medicine Centre (SMC) Director where the greater part of the training was completed. The declaration must specify satisfactory and independent performance of the following:

  1. A minimum of 12 months full-time (or equivalent duration if part-time) spent in the SMC. If the applicant has worked in more than one SMC, a minimum period of 6 months must have been spent at one of the centres.

  2. The applicant should have extensive experience within his/her specialised field with sufficient experience across other sleep-wake disorders to ensure safe and competent practice. This includes specialised evaluation and clinical care of at least 100 patients from the different disciplines of sleep medicine (incl. sleep-breathing disorder, insomnia disorder, hypersomnia, movement disorder, circadian disorder).

  3. In relation to the assessment and follow-up of sleep disorders, experience should comprise a range of procedures including:

Physicians: Clinical interviewing, use of diagnostic criteria and classification systems, use of sleep diaries, questionnaires and rating scales, psychometric evaluation as well as  physiological monitoring

Psychologist: Clinical interviewing, use of sleep diaries, questionnaires and rating scales, psychometric evaluation as well as physiological monitoring

Sleep Scientist: Interpretation of sleep diaries, questionnaires and rating scales, psychometric evaluation as well as physiological monitoring

  1. The applicant should have experience of actigraphy and polysomnography (with hook-up, night-time surveillance and scoring, interpretation and reporting of studies), ambulatory cardio-respiratory recording, and Multiple Sleep Latency Testing (MSLT) or Maintenance of Wakefulness Testing (MWT) procedures.

  2. In relation to treatment, the applicant (except Sleep Scientist) should have generic skills, including patient education, treatment delivery, progress review, provision of motivation and support.

  3. The applicant should have knowledge of how to work as part of a multidisciplinary team, including, for example, sleep technologists and nurses.

  4. The applicant should also have extensive experience within his/her professional discipline. Accordingly, it is recognised that experience with treatment modalities will vary (e.g. Physician – pharmacotherapy, CPAP; Psychologist – cognitive behavioural therapy, other related therapeutic procedures; Sleep Scientist – author in peer-reviewed articles on sleep).

  5. It is expected that, of the minimum 100 cases evaluated, at least 75% will involve active management of a treatment episode or episodes and monitoring of patient progress and outcome. This consideration applies to both physicians and psychologists.

  6. It is recognised that Sleep Scientists may not have a clinical licence, or may have different roles within a SMC. Nevertheless, equivalent levels of experience and expertise in sleep medicine should be demonstrated in the application and letter of support.

  7. It should be noted that some of the above mentioned experience and competencies may be demonstrable through periods of formal study and training on approved Sleep Medicine courses which have a practical component. Such experience and/or qualification should be specified by the applicant.

 

B. Theoretical Knowledge

The applicant must demonstrate knowledge of the topics specified in the Catalogue of Knowledge and Skills. This may be achieved by a record of attended courses, or through a university or national sleep medicine degree or certification. Alternatively, a detailed reference letter from another ESRS Somnologist may be submitted.

Further details can be found in:

  • Pevernagie et al. EU Guidelines for the Certification of Professionals in Sleep Medicine: Report of the Task Force of the ESRS. J. Sleep Research (2009) 18, 136-141

  • Penzel et al. Catalogue of knowledge and skills. J. Sleep Research (2014) 23, 222-238

The ESRS Textbook is the main recommended reading for this examination. Additional readings may be provided in advance by the Examination committee.

 

C. In addition the applicant must:

  • Provide names and email addresses of 2 referees, who are not applying at the same time, preferably from another European country. One should be an member in good standing with the ESRS.

  •  * Submit a detailed CV with relevant education and employment history plus scanned copies of relevant qualifications, and meeting attendance certificates

  • Be a current ESRS member (if you are not an ESRS member please visit www.esrs.eu/membership-services/join-now.html)

  • Pay the examination fee (payment will be made by bank transfer, using a credit card that is recognised and accepted by Paypal or preferably your personal Paypal account)

(* Please prepare the above-mentioned documents before starting the application. The documents can be uploaded as PDF-files or JPEG-files within the Online Application. The name of the PDF-file must include the name of the applicant and the content of the document. We recommend putting all documents in one pdf-file. The size of the PDF-file should not exceed 1 MB)

Other candidates that feel they may fulfill the eligibility criteria, please contact: axel.wiechmann@esrs-examination.eu

D. The Qualification

The successful candidate will have the ESRS qualification title of “Somnologist” with one of the following specifications:

  • Somnologist – Expert in Sleep Medicine

  • Somnologist – Expert in Behavioural Sleep Medicine

  • Somnologist – Sleep Scientist

 

E. Examination Fee

The examination fee is € 350.- (included is a non-refundable € 90.- application fee, payable on submission of the application).

 

F. Online Application

The online application will be open from November 01, 2016 – December 31, 2016.

 

G. Acceptance of your application

You will be notified regarding the acceptance of your application not later than mid-February 2017.

 

For any further questions please contact:

Axel Wiechmann
ESRS Examination Office
Andreasstr. 4, 93059 Regensburg, Germany
Email:  axel.wiechmann@esrs-examination.eu
Phone: +49 941 69633419