EMEK Directive

Contents

  1. INTRODUCTION
  2. SUBJECTS IN GENERAL

1. Definition

2. Objective

3. Working Principles

4. Committees and Commissions

5. Area of Specialization and Training

6. Certification of the Training

7. Proficiency Exams

  1. Validity
  2. Execution
  3. Special Cases

 

  1. INTRODUCTION

The Education and Proficiency Committee of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology (EMEK) is a self governing organization established in the decision and support of the Board of “Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology Specialty Association (EKMUD)” in order to regulate the specialty education for Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology in Turkey, to set the standards, to improve its level and to audit it, to support the corporate accreditation Works carried out on this field, as well as contributing in the studies carried out for reaching the international standards and meeting the national needs.

The Education & Proficiency Committee is a non-profit certification and accreditation organization, that is self-governing in terms of administrative and scientific matters.

EMEK carries out its activities under the specialty association developing an identity before “National Authority” constituted for specialty in medicine or other authorized bodies.

The working principles of this committee complies with the principles as specified by “National Authority” constituted for Specialty in Medicine.

  1. SUBJECTS IN GENERAL
  1. DEFINITION

The Education and Proficiency Committee of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology is an organization working in coordination with the Specialty Association, yet as self-governing, setting the standards for constituting, improving, implementing and evaluating the specialty training program, providing certification of proficiency via proficiency exams, setting the standards for the institutions providing specialty training, evaluating the educational units based on volunteerism, developing suggestions for detecting and removing the deficiencies, as well as providing the accreditation.

  1. Objectives

2.1. Setting and improving the national standards for specialty training in Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, while constituting the basic principles proficiency and accreditation in the specialty training

2.2. To constitute the theoretical and practical training program (core education curriculum) that is to be taken during the specialty training,

2.3. To ensure that the specialty student learns the required information during the training, as well as setting such educational tools as “assistant scorecard” for monitoring and evaluating,

2.4. The volume and variety of the services in the organizations providing specialty training, the number and competence of the trainers and medical personnel, proficiency of the infrastructure, and the presenting of the healthcare services being well-regulated and systematic, generating directory information and setting standards in the suitability of the educational environment and research opportunities, as well as ensuring the accreditation of the education units as volunteerism based.

2.5. To encourage the trainers, specialist physicians and specialty students with regards to the attendance to Continuous Vocational Development programs, to monitor tem, to test their competencies in terms of occupational knowledge and applications, and to provide certification of proficiency,

2.6. Ensuring the conformity of national “proficiency certification” and “accreditation” standards on international level

  1. Working Principles

3.1. EMEK is a scientific and self-governing body of the Specialty Field.

3.2. The expenditures are covered from the association budget taking the expense principles of the Specialty Association.

3.3. The Education and Proficiency Committees are operated as based on volunteerism.

3.4. The Education and Proficiency Committees aims at the benefit of public, Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology specialist, specialty students and society in all their works.

3.5. The Education and Proficiency Committees ensure that the standards and processes in all teir works (certification and accreditation) are based on open-mindedness, equality and justice principles.

  1. Commissions and Committees

The organizational structure of EMEK comprises of the following bodies:

  1. General Assembly of Education and Proficiency
  2. Executive Committee of Education and Proficiency
  3. Assessing Committee of Education Institutions
  4. Examination Board
  5. Curriculum Commission

4.1. General Assembly of Education and Proficiency

EMEK is the main decision making body.

The committee gathers once in two years.

Each and every specialist physician certified with EMEK proficiency certification is a natural member of the General Assembly of Proficiency.

The membership is cancelled after disablement from profession.

The election principles are subjected to the principles & procedures that are deemed required and mandatory for the associations in the association law, thus applying the same procedure.

  1. The duties of Education and Proficiency General Assembly: 
    1. Election of the Education and Proficiency Executive Committee, Education Institutions based on secret votes and open counting principles from the Professors, Assoc. Professors, Principles and Assistant Principles that are active instructors in Evaluation Committee and Examination Committee

4.2. Education and Proficiency Executive Committee:

  1. This is the committee assigned by the Education and Proficiency General Assembly. It comprises of 7 full members and 2 reserve members.
  2. The term of Office of Education and Proficiency Executive Committee is two years.
  3. The candidate must be present on the election area in order to be elected.
  4. The Education and Proficiency Executive Committee elects a chairman, deputy chairman and secretary in itself.
  5. The subscription of a member, who successively does not attend two meetings without any written excuse, is cancelled, and the reserve members are assigned to his/her position in line with the order in required number.
  6. This committee is accountable to the Proficiency General Assembly.
  7. The Duties of Education and Proficiency Executive Committee:
    1. The Education and Proficiency Executive Committee works in coordination with the Specialty Association Board of Directors.
    2. The Curriculum Commission elects its members.
    3. It ensures that the Education and Proficiency Commissions & Committees conduct their duties properly by monitoring them, as well as organizing their functions.
    4. It regulates the agenda for Education and Proficiency General Assembly meetings, gathers the general assembly, and presents the respective report. It reviews the suggestions and reports of Education and Proficiency Commissions & Committees, thus taking the decisions as required.
    5. It regulates the information requested by higher institutions on education and specialty with regards to the specialization field, takes the decisions as required, as well as presenting it to the Association Board of Directors.
    6. It conducts prospective studies concerning the Education & Proficiency and accreditation, ensuring the structuring.
    7. Declaring the proficiency exam results, confirming the certificates of proficiency.
  1. 4.3. Assessing Committee of Education Institutions:

It comprises of 3 full members and 1 reserve member assigned by the Education and Proficiency General Assembly. The Assessing Committee of Education Institutions elects a chairman and a reporter in itself. The subscription of a member, who successively does not attend two meetings without any written excuse, is cancelled, and the reserve members are assigned to his/her position in line with the order in required number

  1. The Duties of Assessing Committee of Education Institutions:
    1. Establishing an accreditation mechanism carried out with the main principles of visiting programs and based on the volunteerism in the education institutions in order to ensure that the Specialty Training Program as approved by the National Authority is applied on each and every education unit, as well as continuous improvement.
    2. Existence of a training program in compliance with the one suggested by the Education and Proficiency Committee, monitoring whether this program is applied properly.
    3. Assessing the sufficiency and conformability of the infrastructure, the number and competence of the instructor & medical personnel, volume and diversity of the service, whether the healthcare services are presented in an organized and systematic manner, the suitability of the education environment (i.e. job definition, service-training balance, etc.),
    4. It controls whether the education and practice events are registered in detail and on time, and states this on the accreditation report. It monitors the practical abilities during the respective process in terms of quality & quantity via assistant scorecards, thus assessing it on the accreditation report.
    5. It audits the all the written, verbal and practical exams in order to measure and evaluate the knowledge, behaviour, ability and performance of the specialty students during the training and at the end of the specialty training, as well as the instructor observations – opinions - , process evaluations like assistant scorecards. It Works in cooperation with the examination commission for the organization and regulation of training processes at the end of this evaluation, thus informing the Education and Proficiency Executive Committee.
    6. An accreditation report, including the above stated headlines, is presented to the Education and Proficiency Executive Committee after every visit in order to ensure the accreditation of education institutions/units.
  2. Curriculum Commission

This commission comprises of 3 members to be elected from the Professors, Assoc. Professors, Chiefs and Assistant Chiefs that are active instructors in the Education and Proficiency Executive Committee.
The subscription of a member, who successively does not attend two meetings without any written excuse, is cancelled. The Education and Proficiency Executive Committee assigns the new member.

The Curriculum Commission is accountable to the Education and Proficiency Executive Committee.

  1. The Duties of Curriculum Commission:
  2. To designate the Specialty Training Program, as well as making suggestions to the Education and Proficiency Executive Committee to be applied in the education institutions,
  3. To make suggestions on the required rotations, rotation objectives, rotation training programs, and rotation evaluation methods,
  4. Organizing workshops by carrying out studies on the training of the instructors, as well as making suggestions,
  5. To regulate the assistant scorecards, to make suggestions for them to be implemented, to designate the standards,
  6. To constitute sub-groups by consulting to the Education and Proficiency Executive Committee where it is deemed required,
  7. To present the regulated report to the Education and Proficiency Executive Committee by gathering at least twice in a year, and where it is deemed required by Education and Proficiency Executive Committee,

4.5. Proficiency Examination Board

The Examination Board comprises of 5 full members and 2 reserve members elected by the Education and Proficiency General Assembly. These members are elected for 2 years, and the term of Office cannot be more than 2 periods. It presents the regulated report to the Education and Proficiency Executive Committee by gathering at least twice in a year.

The Proficiency Examination Board elects a chairman and a secretary in itself. The subscription of a member, who successively does not attend two meetings without any written excuse, is cancelled, and the reserve members are assigned to his/her position in line with the order in required number.

It is accountable to the Education and Proficiency Executive Committee.

The Proficiency Examination Board conducts its operations in collaboration with the Education and Proficiency Executive Committee, Assessing Committee of Education Institutions and Curriculum Commission.

  1. The Duties of Proficiency Examination Board:
    1. Designating and organizing the proficiency exam dates, examination methods and examination environments,
    2. In order to create question bank concerning the questions that may be asked on the written examinations, to work in cooperation with the Curriculum Commission, as well as regulating the test booklets,
    3. To designate the examination jury (among the professors and Chiefs that are within the education personnel actively for at least 5 years),
    4. To evaluate the applications of candidate applying to enter the proficiency exam, and to regulate the examination lists by taking the opinions of Proficiency Executive Committee,
    5. To structure the exams in accordance with the objectives specified in the specialty training program and with the competences as required in the specialization field (knowledge, ability and behaviour),
    6. To ensure the validity and reliability of the proficiency exams on the highest level possible,
    7. To designate the examination success rate of the candidates after the proficiency exam, to make the decision by comparing with the lowest measure of performance that is acceptable as previously designated, as well as presenting it to the Proficiency Executive Committee for regulating the proficiency certificates,
  2. Area of Specialization and Training
  3. Area of Specialization:

It comprises of the Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology Specialty, as well as the sub-branches that are stated in the Specialty in Medicine, respective laws/regulations/legislations.

  1. Proficiency Training:

It includes the training and rotation periods stipulated for the sub-branches that are stated in the Specialty in Medicine, respective laws/regulations/legislations, and the Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology Specialty.

  1. Proficiency Exams

6.1. The candidate is to be certified with the certificate of expertise on the respective area in order to take the proficiency exams.

6.2. After designating the examinations to be held, as well as the candidates that meet the requirements for taking the exam, the conditions for taking the exam, levels, place and dates are announced in advance.

6.3. The examination comprises of two stages as written and verbal/practice exams.

6.4. Written exam

  1. The manner and scope of the exam is designated by the Examination Board.
  2. This exam, to be held in order to measure the knowledge level, is held at least once in a year.
  3. The exam results are announced only to the candidates taking the exam.
  4. TTB-UDEK-UYEK Executive Committee is informed with regards to the examination results (credentials of the candidates passing the exam, number of candidates taking the exam, success rate, etc.).
  5. Those passing the written exam are entitled to take the verbal/practice exam as the second level.

6.5. Verbal/Practice Exam

  1. The exam is held in a manner including the clinical/laboratory practices, patient care management, clinical troubleshooting abilities and behaviours in practice, by the respective jury. The exam must be objective and structured.
  2. The exam is held for at least once in a year.
  3. The candidates passing the written exam are the ones that are qualified to take this exam.
  4. The exam results are informed only to the candidates taking the exam.
  5. TTB-UDEK-UYEK Executive Committee is informed with regards to the examination results (credentials of the candidates passing the exam, number of candidates taking the exam, success rate, etc.).
  6. Certification of Proficiency
    1. A “Certificate of Proficiency” is awarded after the examination.
    2. The validity term of this certificate is 10 years.
    3. At the end of 10 years, it is encouraged to involve in the “re-certification” process.
  1. Validity

This directive enters into force after being approved and confirmed by the Education and Proficiency General Assembly.

  1. Execution

This directive is conducted by EMEK Education and Proficiency Executive Committee.

  1. Special Cases

Where the Professors, Assoc. Professors, Clinic/Laboratory Chiefs and Assistant Chiefs make application to Education and Proficiency Executive Committee with the required papers & documents within two years after this directive is confirmed, they earn the right to be awarded with the Certificate of Proficiency, that is valid until the re-certification process is initiated, for one time only, without the need to take the exam. It is stated on this certificate that the certificate is awarded without being subjected to examination.

Where the candidates, completing their specialty training in a foreign country and being entitled to take the proficiency exam of that country, certify that they meet the requirements for taking the proficiency exam, they are entitled to take the exam. The required qualifications and rules to be followed for these candidates are the same with those receiving specialty training in Turkey.

The first proficiency exam shall be held within 2 years at the latest after this directive enters into force. Before the first exam is held, it is a must for the Commission to Develop the Training Programs to complete the studies for establishing the training program and setting the standards, and also to express their “positive” opinions for starting the examinations.

  1. Provisional Article

The Founder holds the Office until the first General Assembly meeting of Education and Proficiency Executive Committee, Assessing Committee of Education Institutions, Examination board as assigned by the General Assembly itself, and this period shall not exceed 2 years.