EBOD 2010 success stories
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A great honour to represent Croatia
A qualification respected throughout Europe Panagiotis Georgoudis, Greece, was awarded the Best Overall EBOD in the 2010 examinations: “I thought I did well in the exam but with so many candidates and such a high standard, I never really expected to come first, so I was pleasantly surprised. It is nice to have recognition after years of hard work which have gone into reaching this point. “I wanted to take this examination because I thought it would be useful to have a qualification that is respected throughout Europe. I have already done similar exams in the United Kingdom at the Royal College of Ophthalmology, so I thought it would be interesting to try the EBO exam and support in some way the European ideal. Panagiotis Georgoudis “After I finish my fellowship at the Bristol Eye Hospital, I would perhaps like to work in France or Germany or maybe even stay and work in the United Kingdom. I really want to focus on my subspecialty in medical retina and become very good at that. It’s an ongoing process and it is important to keep trying to progress, to learn more and become a better surgeon for the benefit of your patients.”
A difficult but fair exam Nicolas Mesplie and Aurore Muselier were two of the local French candidates who shared the third place award for Best Overall EBOD. Nicolas Mesplie: “The EBO examination is obligatory for all ophthalmology interns in their final year in France. I was relatively confident before the exam, although naturally I was a bit stressed because I did not want the final exam of my university studies to end in failure. “The real merit of the EBO exam is that it compels us to revise some of the finer details that were perhaps not sufficiently focused on during our studies. It also enables us to evaluate our knowledge at the end of our university programme and to spot areas of weakness that can be then improved upon. The qualification also enables us to validate our knowledge and work in another European country.”
Nicolas Mesplie
Aurore Muselier: “I think that the EBO examination allows us to have a fresh look at a specialty we have been studying for five years. It is very important to reinforce our practical knowledge with all the theoretical basis of our specialty. “Overall, the EBO examination was a positive experience which allowed me to review the rudiments of ophthalmology and to learn more about subspecialties which I had not fully studied such as paediatrics, and so on. This experience allowed me to step back somewhat from my knowledge and to see my profession from another point of view.”
Ivana Bednar Babić was one of two Croatian candidates who participated at EBOD 2010: "I am very proud to be one of the two Croatian candidates who participated at the EBOD exam. This was the first time for our country to participate, so it was a great honour to represent Croatia. My main motivation for taking the exam was to test myself and my knowledge. I took the specialist diploma Ivana Bednar Babic examination in Croatia in 2007, so I was curious to see if I had lost some of the knowledge in the meantime and I also wanted to compare our education with European standards. "All in all, it was a great experience. I met many new colleagues with whom I can now share my professional experiences and I have renewed and enhanced my ophthalmic knowledge."
It was a perfect time and a wonderful experience Iris Steinbrugger from Austria shared the overall third place at EBOD 2010 and received the Alan Ridgway Award for best MCQs result: "I thought that the EBOD would be of benefit because the examination is oral as well as written, with more emphasis on active learning rather than just memory work. The exam also takes place at a perfect time – after the winter and you get to have a few days in Paris, which is always nice! "I came away with the best memories of the entire experience. It was a perfect time, even the day of the examination which I enjoyed too, strangely enough. I would definitely recommend other residents to take this examination. It is an excellent examination with the chance to meet other great people and to expand one’s knowledge in ophthalmology."
Flawless organisation
Aurore Muselier
A chance for personal growth and achievement John Grech Hardie was the sole candidate from Malta who took this year’s EBOD examination: “I have followed the progression of the European Board of Ophthalmology Diploma and have wanted to attain this increasingly universal and prestigious award for quite some time now but because of a busy work schedule as a practising ophthalmologist I never found the time. This year I made it a personal challenge to sit for the examination. “The last couple of weeks leading up to the exam were obviously quite stressful not knowing quite what to expect but the examination turned out to be very fair. The MCQ paper was balanced with both John Grech Hardie straightforward as well as some difficult questions while the viva voces were fair and involved mostly routine ophthalmological cases. “I must say my experience of the EBOD examination was very positive. My fondest memory is of the Award Ceremony where I felt I had joined a multinational family of ophthalmologists from all over Europe. I do encourage residents to take the examination. In fact having no exit examination of its own, the Maltese training programme recommends the EBOD examination at the end of training. I think that apart from awarding an official European recognition of status, the EBOD examination offers a chance for personal growth and achievement: a ‘rite of passage’ so to speak.
Lorenzo Franscini shared the third place award for Best Overall EBOD 2010. "Switzerland, in line with some other European countries, has recently substituted traditional Board exams with the unified EBO exam. I think it is essential that a single exam guaranteeing the highest of standards be applied as widely as possible. I was very pleased at the flawless organisation in Paris, notwithstanding the large number of candidates and examiners. "The MCQ and oral exams were well balanced and reflected a wide range of difficulty levels. I highly recommend the exam to residents at the end of their studies as it allows one to verify one’s knowledge on a European scale."
Success brings self confidence Svetlana Belova from Estonia: "My main motivation for taking the EBOD examination was to find out if my knowledge in ophthalmology satisfied the requirements of the European Board of Ophthalmology in spite of shorter duration of residency in Estonia (three years). Waiting for the examination was stressful, but clear guidelines on the EBO homepage, personal instructions and friendly staff relieved anxiety on the day. Colleagues who had already passed the EBO exam also encouraged me to take the exam this year. "It was a very interesting, positive experience overall, especially discussing case reports in the oral part with examiners from different countries and realising that we have very similar approaches to the management of ophthalmic diseases. I would recommend other residents to take the examination because success will enhance their self-confidence and help to raise the standards of ophthalmology."
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