The EBMT Exam has the aim of providing a personal qualification for physicians by assessing their knowledge on the clinical aspects of Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) and Cellular Therapies. Two participants from the 2021 Exam share their experiences and tell us why they would recommend their fellow colleagues to take the EBMT Exam. Read their advice:
Irene Defrancesco, Haematologist and PhD student in Experimental Medicine at University of Pavia, Italy.
"I work as a BMT physician at the Adult BMT & Cellular Therapy Unit of the Haematology Division, Policlinico San Matteo in Pavia. My research is mainly focused on acute GvHD and endothelial complications after haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. I decided to take the EBMT Exam in 2021, during my HSCT training at BMT Unit of Haematology Division in Bologna, in order to improve my basic knowledge and test my preparation.
In order to prepare the exam, I studied the EBMT Handbook, the most recent guidelines and novelties about CAR T-cell therapy and I took an online course about CAR T on EBMT education platform. I studied a topic every day during the two months preceding the exam. The biggest challenge that I faced while taking the exam was the questions about pediatric transplantation were more challenging because I’ve always dealt with adult haematologic patients.
To be honest, I was not particularly surprised that I did so well mainly because I think that the exam's questions were aligned with the content of the program; therefore a careful study of the EBMT material allows to get the best results for the exam. I tested my theoretical preparation on the basic knowledge of transplantation by taking the EBMT Exam. I think that passing this exam is an important step for the career of a young transplant physician and it could be a useful pass-partout to start working in any European transplant center.
I recommend my fellow colleagues to take the EBMT Exam because it allows onself to improve transplant preparation and therefore making knowledge more uniform at European level. I would like to encourage my younger colleagues to consider the EBMT Exam as a chance to broaden their basic knowledge and to gain more confidence in their job."
Raffaella Greco, MD, Haematologist, BMT Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital, Milano, Italy; ADWP Chair
"I decided to take the EBMT Exam because I consider education as a priority in my career and I think it is an essential step for a transplant physician. My consolidated experience within the BMT Unit of my institution and the EBMT are what helped me study the most for the EBMT Exam. Preparing for the exam allowed me to refresh and update the already known concepts. Surprisingly, I did not find any big challenges while taking the exam!
Overall, it was nice to see such a good match between the exam and my real-life clinical practice. I would definitely recommend my fellow colleagues to take the EBMT Exam and if I can share a few tips with anyone who is taking the exam for the first time this year, I would suggest they put their energy into training, such as taking part in as many of the EBMT Educational Events as possible. Last but not least, I think that learning and studying are continuous processes and should not be forgotten no matter how experienced one is."
