by Svein Ivar Mellgren and Wolfgang Grisold
The 4th European Board Examination in Neurology was generously hosted by the European Federation of Neurological Societies at the venue of the 16th EFNS Congress at Stockholmmässan in Stockholm, Sweden on September 7, 2012.
Dr. Alexandre Bisdorff, UEMS Section of Neurology – European Board of Neurology President, and Prof. Svein Ivar Mellgren, UEMS Section of Neurology – European Board of Neurology Vice President welcomed 23 candidates from 13 different countries (Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Greece, Iraq, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and United Kingdom) for the 4th European Board Examination in Neurology.
After some explanatory notes on the examination course the candidates started at 9.00am the written examination and had two hours time two answer 120 multiple choice questions of the format five answer options, with one single best answer.
The passing limit for the examination this year for the first time was set according to scientific standards (Nedelsky method) in an expert panel workshop under the direction of Dr. Ayhan Caliskan, Department of Medical Education, Ege University, Turkey by the UEMS EBN Examination Committee members. These were Dr. Alexandre Bisdorff, Prof. Patrick Cras, Prof. Sten Fredrikson, Prof. Jan B.M. Kuks and Prof. Svein Ivar Mellgren. The passing limit was set at 65% which equals 78 of the 120 MCQs.
After the electronic evaluation of the written examination the outcome was announced to the candidates by Dr. Bisdorff and Prof. Mellgren individually. Five candidates who unfortunately did not pass the written part could according to the present rules not be admitted to the oral part of the examination. The remaining 18 candidates went to the oral examination consisting of 8 case stories with questions on diagnosis, diagnostic procedures and therapy. Preparation for the first 2 candidates started at 01.15 pm. The 8 case stories were handed to the candidates for preparation 45 minutes before the examination and were then to be discussed with two teams of examiners. One team was formed by Prof. Patrick Cras and Prof. Andreas Steck and the other by Prof. Jan B.M. Kuks and Prof. Sten Fredrikson.
According to the examination rules the candidates were offered the possibility to give a voluntary free presentation on a case history from their own practice, scientific results or other neurological achievements. All candidates took this opportunity and held presentations for a faculty consisting of Dr. Alexandre Bisdorff, Prof. Svein Ivar Mellgren and Prof. Serefnur Ozturk.
In the oral examination a maximum of 96 points (12 points per case) can be gained and for the free presentations a maximum of 6 points can be reached that is added to the result of the oral examination. To pass a total of 76 points is necessary.
The logistics of the course in the afternoon was that while always 4 candidates prepared for the examination 2 candidates were examined at the same time. While one candidate discussed 4 cases with one examiner team the other was examined by the other team and vice versa.
Following the oral examination the candidates gave their presentations. Despite this tight schedule it was not before 7 pm that the results of the oral examination could be announced to the candidates. Two of the candidates did not pass this final part of the examination.
At the end of the day the candidates that had successfully passed in the written and oral part of the examination were conferred the title “Fellow of the European Board of Neurology” and were awarded their certificates by the Examination Committee.
For further information on the examination please visit the UEMS Section of Neurology – European Board of Neurology website www.uems‑neuroboard.org or contact the secretariat
UEMS SBN
c/o VMA
Alser Strasse 4
1090 Vienna
Austria
T: +43 1 405 13 83 – 14
F: +43 1 407 82 74
@: mah@medacad.org
Svein Ivar Mellgren, UEMS SBN Vice President, works at the Department of Clinical Medicine (Neurology
Wolfgang Grisold is Professor of Neurology in Vienna, Austria, Past President of the UEMS European Board of Neurology, and currently the Chair of the UEMS EBN Examination Committee. He is Elected Trustee of the World Federation of Neurology.
