The Council for European Specialists Medical Assessment

CESMA meeting - Ljubljana - Slovenian Medical Chamber 4 May 2012

The CESMA is an advisory body of the UEMS created in 2007 with an aim to provide recommendation and advice on the organisation of European examinations for medical specialists at the European level.

It was called in the beginning the "Glasgow group" referring to the first meeting held in Glasgow. It was then decided to adopt the name CESME (Council of European Specialist Medical Examinations). This name was finally changed to CESMA (Council of European Specialist Medical Assessment)

Its main role is to:

To promote harmonisation of European Board assessments
To provide guidelines to the Boards on the conduct of assessments
To encourage take up of Board assessments as a quality mark
To offer an alternative to National assessments, where appropriate

The CESMA adopted in Glasgow a declaration setting the basic rules governing European Examinations. The “Glasgow Declaration” was signed by the following UEMS Specialist Sections: Neurosurgery; Nuclear Medicine; Orthopaedics and Traumatology; Paediatric Surgery; Pathology;Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery; Pneumology; Urology and Vascular Surgery

In 1984 the first European Diploma Examination was established. This was the EDA European Diploma of Anaesthesiology. Today 30 disciplines have European Examinations:

1. Allergology and Clinical Immunology

2. Anesthesiology

3. Dermatology & Venereology

4. ENT+ORL-Head and Neck Surgery

5. Hand Surgery

6. Intensive Care

7. Internal Medicine

8. Neurology

9. Neurosurgery

10. Nuclear Medicine

11. Ophthalmology

12. Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

13. Orthopaedics and Traumatology

14. Pathology

15. Pediatric Surgery

16. Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine

17. Plastic Surgery

18. Respiratory Medicine

19. Surgery (General Surgery)

20. Coloproctology

21. Endocrine Surgery

22. Surgical Oncology

23. Thoracic Surgery

24. Transplantation

25. Trauma Surgery

26. Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery

27. Urology

28. Vascular Surgery

29. Angiology

30. Emergency Medicine

While the European Examinations organised under UEMS aegis are not to be considered as formal qualifications, their quality and renown have increased significantly over the past few years. As a result, some Countries recognize European examinations as part of their national examination.