Certificate of Knowledge in Travel Medicine Examination Update – March 2002
The ISTM is pleased to announce that the first international Certificate of Knowledge in Travel Medicine exam will be administered immediately prior to the opening of the 8th CISTM. The exam will be held Wednesday, May 7th 2003, at the Marriott Marquis (the conference hotel) in New York.
The 200 item multiple choice examination has been designed to assess and recognize individual excellence in knowledge in the field of travel medicine. Passing this examination will lead to a Certificate of Knowledge in Travellers' Health. Professional development and enhanced professional credibility are cited as the top two reasons people are interested in taking such an examination.
The purpose of this examination is to:
- Promote professional development.
- Enhance the quality of patient care.
- Establish internationally recognized standards of knowledge.
- Recognize, in a formal manner, individuals who meet the ISTM standards of excellence in travelers' health.
The Body of Knowledge, upon which the exam will be based, has been published on this website and will also be published in the spring of 2002 in the Journal of Travel Medicine. We will also publish a list of courses and programs with travel medicine content that examinees may find helpful while preparing for the examination. Please note that the ISTM is not sponsoring its own review course.
The Co-chairs for the Examination committee are Drs. Robert Steffen, Francesco Castelli, and Jay Keystone.
Robert Steffen is the Head of the Division of Communicable Diseases, Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM) at the University of Zurich and the Director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Travelers' Health.
Francesco Castelli is an Associate Professor of Infectious Diseases and the Director of the Post-Graduate School of Tropical Medicine at the University of Brescia, Italy, in the Institute of Infectious and Tropical Diseases.
Location of Exam: The Certificate of Knowledge Examination will be administered at the Marriott Marquis hotel in New York on Wednesday, May 7, 2003. The Marriott Marquis is also the site of the 8th CISTM is being held May 7-11, 2003.
Body of Knowledge: The Body of Knowledge is being published in the March/April issue of the Journal of Travel Medicine. It can be found on pages 112-115. It has also been posted on the ISTM website (www.istm.org). You will find it by selecting "Educat. Postings" from the left hand menu on the home page.
Eligibility: The exam is open to all licensed travel medicine practitioners including nurses, physicians, pharmacists, and physician's assistants. Both ISTM members and non-members are eligible to participate.
Acknowledgement: The ISTM Examination Committee gratefully acknowledges GlaxoSmithKline for their generous support of this endeavour. GSK has provided an educational grant to help fund the development of the exam. Their support has enabled us to retain expert consultants to guide this project, evaluate questions, and perform a psychometric analysis of the exam. This process will ensure that this examination meets rigorous standards and is statistically valid.
For additional information and updates, please visit the ISTM web site at www.istm.org or e-mail Lori Kalata, Examination Coordinator, at: lkalata@wi.rr.com.
